“Could you not?” Simon snapped.
Damien pointed at Evelyn. “Is this what you always dreamed of as the daughter of a lord?”
Her father’s words echoed in her mind.“Evelyn is not well suited to be a queen… I expected you would marry a lord’s son… I never planned for you to rise so high… ”
No. I didn’t dream about any of this. Damien knows that. He’s the son of a lord. He understands. He doesn’t want this life either.
Lost in thought, she didn’t notice Leo approach and jumped when he put a hand on her back.
“It’s me,” he said softly.
Damien clicked his tongue. “Evelyn explained that you’re making some changes around here.”
“Yes. Mybrideis more than capable of ruling a kingdom,” Leo declared.
“Of course she is! I just didn’t realize the two of you had been discussing and planning thistogetherlong enough to come to a joint decision on what the rest ofherlife would look like.”
Damien says it like my crown is a cage.
Is it? Is this just another way of locking me here?I was mad at Leo because he was making decisions for me. What he did last night gave me so much power, but he didn’t ask what I wanted. He didn’t even mention it before he?—
Leo dragged her away from the group. “Breathe, Evelyn. I’m sorry I let my frustration get the better of me earlier. I shouldn’t have left you this morning.”
She shook her head. “Is the general mad? He and Magalie didn’t seem happy.”
“They were surprised. No one has a problem with it.”
“You know that’s not true.”
“No one isallowedto have a problem with it. This was my decision.”
“Yes, it was.” Evelyn scuffed the marble floor with her shoe. “All I got to do was sign my name at the bottom.”
Leo dropped his hand. “Evelyn, you have more power than any queen in history. Are you really upset about that?”
When you put it that way, I shouldn’t complain.
“No,” she said. “It’s just starting to hit me what that means.”
“It’s okay to be scared. I’m right here with you.”
You weren’t with me yesterday. Damien was.
Leo kissed her cheek. “We’re set to leave soon.”
“Who is going with us?”
“We’ll have a team of guards. Savatier and Magalie will keep things running around here. Our parents offered to help with that as well.”
“What about Damien?” Evelyn asked.
Leo frowned. “Damien is assigned to the palace.”
“Since when has that mattered? He was with us when we planned this trip.”
“He did the preparations for us to go. We have all the sketches of the symbols to give Wendell and Moeller.”
“Damien has been here for everything else. Why wouldn’t he go now?”
