“What do you mean?” I gave him a glare.
Taking a deep breath, he motioned again to the space around him. “Although this place is… charming, it’s not fit for a princess. You should have the elders move out of the Tree of Life home, and you should take up residence there with your guards.”
Kira, Elle, and I all dropped our jaws.
“You want her to kick the elders out of their home?” Kira snort-laughed.
Was he trying to get me killed?
Jasper looked at Kira like she was a speck on his shoe. “First of all, that’s not the elders’ home. It’s the Tree of Life prayer hall, or it used to be before the elders commandeered it.” He looked deadpan at me. “And secondly, yes, I expect you to protect the Queen and the Tree. How can you do that with those traitors living in there?”
I blew out air through my teeth. So he knew what Indra was up to? Changing memories so that everyone in the village didn’t know of my lineage? Drugging the Queen with a sleeping potion. Caging my mom and cuffing Mara…
Shit.
Maybe he had a point… Why would I allow them to keep their titles and claim on the Tree of Life home?
“The Tree of Life prayer hall has always been a holy place, owned by the crown,” Jasper informed me. I wanted to ask him how he knew all of this, but he wouldn’t answer me anyway.
“He’s right,” Trissa acknowledged.
Finally, they agreed on something.
“I’ve always envied Rose’s room with the large stained-glass windows,” Elle said.
I scoffed. “Seriously, you agree with him?”
She nodded.
“Me too,” Trissa called from the door. “I’ll take Aubin’s room, and I can protect you and the Queen better.”
Her mention of the Queen… my biological mother, settled it for me. I didn’t want my first command as an acting royal to be kicking the elders out of their home, but I had to protect the Queen at all costs.
“For the Queen, then.”
Jasper clasped his hands together. “Please let me be the one to tell them.”
I rolled my eyes. “You need to lie low. Go prepare for our trip. As soon as this coronation is over, we’re going hunting for crystals.”
With a frown, he saluted me and left.
Craning my neck, I met Trissa’s gaze. “Do you think that you could tell the elders…” I hedged.
She straightened her spine. “Absolutely, Princess.”
I pointed a finger at her. “Stop it. Call me Lily.”
She winked. “Do you have an official letter you want me to deliver?” she asked.
Elle nodded. “Yes. I’ll draft it up.”
Wow.
My friends had rallied around me and supported this crazy situation, and for a small second, I’d forgotten that Liam killed my mother… until now. My gaze fell onto my living room couch, and I remembered the kiss we had there. That seemed like forever ago. How could I have been so stupid?
Now that I thought about it, there were times he probably tried to tell me. I knew he had a dark past. I knew he’d killed people. Never in my wildest dreams did I think he killed my mother.
* * *
