The other Hunter glanced at each of us in turn before he turned his coal black eyes in my direction. “It is good to see you alive and well, Princess, though I have to admit I am surprised. I thought you had returned to the Academy to work on your training. May we ask why you’rehere?”
“We were hoping to take refuge here for awhile. Plus, we have some news we’d like to share with the courts, and we thought this might be the best place to dothat.”
I didn’t mention the Starlight. There was no reason to alarm them if it wasn’tnecessary.
The Hunters exchanged glances before the nearest one spoke. “Of course you are welcome to stay here as long as you’d like, but you must be aware that the courts no longer exist as they once did. There are no rulers. Queen Viola saw to that, and no one else has stepped in just yet. I think everyone who might be eligible is waiting to see what…well, I believe they’re waiting to see who might claim thecrown.”
“I understand,” I said with a nod. “But surely there must be someone in each court we can speak to about something of grave importance. A representative? Or a Hunter from eachseason?”
The Hunter gave a nod. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. We could summon the Hunters from each of the courts, if that is how you’d like toproceed.”
So formal. And with so much deference. Almost as if they saw me as some kind of leader. Maybe theydid.
I hated to tell them that I was anythingbut.
“That’s fine,” I said with a smile before reading out a hand in attempt to give his a shake. “What’s yourname?”
But he bowed instead. “I am Desmond, loyal servant to the crown. Marin’scrown.”
My heart flickered in my chest. “Nice to meet you, Desmond. Do you think you could put out the summons to the others for me,please?”
“Of course,” Desmond said with a small smile. “It would be my honor to serve the Princess of Otherworld. The daughter of Marin. The heir to thecrown.”
I blinked at hiswords.
“In the meantime,” he continued, “shall I show you to where you’ll be staying? We have a spacious living quarters that you canshare.”
He glanced at my instructors clustered around me, and my cheeks warmed. Of course he would assume that we would share our living quarters. He was probably all too aware of Marin’s harem, and rumors had likely been spreading through all of Otherworld about my own. Marin’s daughter, and her four instructors. The idea that everyone knew about our situation…well, it made my headspin.
I swallowed hard and nodded before any of my instructors could object. “Thank you. Of course we’llshare.”
Chapter Fifteen
The last timeI’d been to the Winter Court’s castle, I hadn’t exactly been given a chance to appreciate it for what it was: breathtakingly beautiful. Queen Viola had dragged me into the throne room, and I’d never seen more than that large stone room with its vaulted ceilings and frosted windows. Now, I could see more of what made this place sogrand.
High, curved ceilings loomed above with intricate paintings stretching across every stone surface. There were swirls of white and black and gray, highlighting what I imagined to be visual histories of the fae. We passed marble statues of previous Royals, and flickering sconces lined each wall. Thick red carpets had been placed on every floor, muffling the echo of ourfootsteps.
Desmond stopped just before a door that opened up into a living area that held several empty bookshelves, a cluster of sofas, and a fireplace that had yet to be lit. A draft blew toward us from a cracked frosted window, making me shiver deeper into my thick cloak. There were several more doors that led out from the living space, perhaps entrances to a bathroom, a study, and the...bedroom.
“This is Queen Marin’s living quarters,” Desmond said. “She had her own home, of course, before it was burned down, but the four courts kept some living quarters precisely meant for her when she travelled. That meant enough space for her family. You will find the master bedroom for the Princess and four separate rooms for the futuremates.”
“This is Marin’s room?” My heart trembled in my chest as I gazed at the room with a newfound appreciation. My mother had stayed here. This had been her own personal space. I was almost afraid to walk intoit.
Finn let out a low whistle and strode inside. “I thought all of these rooms were destroyed after her assassination. Keeping it would have been consideredtreason.”
“King Brannon and Queen Orla were not the type to bow that easily,” Desmond said with a wistful smile. “They left the room as it was, though they kept it hidden tight behind locked doors. No one ever knew it was here, except for a few of their closest guards. And now this room is yours, Princess Norah, daughter of the great QueenMarin.”
I opened my mouth to thank him, but he held up a hand before I could speak. His face went grave, and his eyes were cautious. “I must know, Princess Norah. Do you intend torule?”
I blinked at him, caught off guard by his question. It was so matter-of-fact and to the point. It took me a moment to find my answer. “Perhaps one day, if the realm will haveme.”
“I see.” He gave a nod. “In that case, I would advise you to follow the traditional rules of the court. Otherwise, your actions could be used against you in the future by anyone who opposed your claim to thethrone.”
I glanced at Kael. What was Desmond talking about? We hadn’t gotten this far in our studies yet. Our focus had been so much on my physical training that we’d abandoned the reading curricula for the past fewweeks.
“You do not know the rules of the court, do you?” Desmond asked, his voice edging withirritation.
“I’m still learning,” I simply said. “And that is why I haven’t yet tried to make my claim. I don’t know enoughyet.”
