Page 103 of Devious Knight

My friends and I aren’t mentioned in my parents' records either. We were classed as anonymous witnesses, but only those close to us know that we were there.

Isabelle stops painting, stands back so she can look over her work, then she brings her hands to her cheeks and her shoulders shake.

She starts sobbing and floods of tears flow down her cheeks. That weakness I witnessed in her the other day seems to come back and she crumples to the floor, crying.

I never expected my heart to clench the way it does at the sad sight of her.

I haven’t felt the human side of me in years. The side that’s supposed to feel compassion. It’s strange that I would feel it now while watching the girl I blame equally as much as Nikoli for the loss of my parents.

I still don’t know how she’s linked to him, but she is. I know that part is true, and her hands are just as dirty no matter the part she played. If I didn’t blame her, we wouldn’t be in this mess.

But as the weeks have gone by and I’ve crossed several lines with her, I’ve realized that I don’t hate her.

I don’t feel that raging thirst for vengeance flowing in me as much as I did when I first found out the part she played.

I feared this happening to me. Because it changes things.

It changes me.

Instead of taking pleasure in her pain, I care that she’s grieving.

And I want to take away her pain.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Isabelle

“Hey, printsessa,” Dad greets me in a comforting voice.

“Hi, Dad.” I press my phone to my ear and lean against the bedroom wall. My head is aching so badly it feels like it’s going to fall off and melt like ice cream.

Thank God it’s Sunday. I don’t think I’d have the strength to do much else but sulk and wallow in my million and one worries.

“I… just heard the news.” He sounds cautious, nervous even. I can almost see him chewing his bottom lip and glancing heavenward as if the sky can tell him what to say to me about Parker Federov. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay.” Lies, lies, lies. I’m so far from okay I feel like I’ve strayed to the edge of the world and can’t find my way back.

“You don’t sound okay, Isabelle. I knew you wouldn’t be. That’s why I called.”

I expected him to call the moment he found out about Parker—which he did.

Dad updates the Knights’ database whenever there’s a new member of staff starting at any of the Knights organizations. I figured he’d get the news sooner rather than later. However, given the high-ranking position of lord chancellor, I’m surprised Dad didn’t know Parker was replacing Chancellor Potalov well before anyone else.

Maybe that’s just how it worked out and not everything is as distrustful as I want it to be when it comes to that man. Outside of Dad, no one else knows my suspicions about Parker.

“I’m not okay, Dad.” My voice is suddenly croaky with emotion, as if a frog is lodged in my throat. “It’s been five days, and I feel like I’ve been through hell.”

That inner weakness that drained me when I first saw Parker is still there. Kade was right. If he hadn’t helped me get out of the conference hall, I would have fallen flat on my face. In fact, I nearly did, but he caught me.

His kindness surprised me. I didn’t know what to make of it, but I was so consumed with the shock of Parker being our new lord chancellor that I couldn’t focus on Kade.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie. I can imagine it must have been a horrible shock to see him.”

“It was. And it gets worse. Mackenzie told me that Parker is Kade’s godfather.” Now, that is what you call a bad, bad, bad coincidence. Of all the people who could be linked, why did it have to be them? “Did you know that?”

“No. I had no idea.” The worry in his tone deepens.

“Mackenzie only happened to mention it because I was talking about my upcoming meeting with Parker. Of course, I felt more doomed than I already am given the fact that I’m in trouble because of what I did to his godson’s motorcycle.”

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