Page 37 of A Broken Throne of Bronze

Tiffy and two of my other ladies’ maids finish bathing me, and then help me to my feet. Using a towel, one dries my body, while the other does the same to my hair. Tiffy gives them a satisfied nod, before entering my bedchamber to lay out today’s ensemble.

Wearing only my dressing robe, I emerge from the washroom. My eyes immediately land on my bed, at the garment that Tiffy’s laid out there.

The day dress is a pale green, the color of wild sage. It reminds me of the sage that grows in the meadows back home in the spring and fall.

Following my line of sight, Tiffy gestures to the dress. “Since you’re in a better mood today, I thought you might like to wear something in a brighter color.”

“It’s perfect,” I tell her warmly.

“Wonderful!” she exclaims.

She and my other ladies’ maids remove my dressing robe, and then help me step into the dress. Once it’s secured to my body, Tiffy weaves my hair into a simple braid.

“There,” she says, draping the braid over my shoulder. “All done.”

I open my mouth to thank her, when my chamber door bursts open. The entire room goes still.

Viridian stands in the arched doorway, a deathly calm falling over him. It’s more than clear that the Viridian I talked to last night, in the stables, is nowhere to be found. No, this is the face of the Crown Prince, dealing with a pest.

I swallow.

The sight of him—of that quiet rage—nearly chills me to the bone. It doesn’t take me long to piece together why he’s here, looking like he’s about to unleash hell on earth.

He knows.

I don’t know how, but he knows that I saw Loren, four nights ago. I knew it was only a matter of time before he found out, but I hadn’t anticipated that it would be so soon.

How could he have found out?

Then, cursing under my breath, I realize my mistake. Irritation directed toward my own carelessness rushes to the surface.

The door to the dungeons.

I wasn’t able to lock it before Viridian found me.

His eyes stay fixed on me, even when he addresses the servants that stand on either side of us with their mouths clamped shut.

“Leave us. Now.”

Tiffy shoots me a concerned look, as if she doesn’t want to leave me alone with him. But my ladies’ maids do as they’re told and drop into hurried bows before scurrying from the room. Leaving me alone with a very, very angry fae male.

Raising my chin, I level my expression and meet his glare head on.

“You weren’t just attempting to escape that night.” His voice is lower than I expected. Every word is isolated, as if he’s restraining himself. That scares me more than it would if he were shouting at me. “You made it into the dungeons. Didn’t you?”

A statement, not a question. A condemnation.

I only look back at him, no doubt mirroring the expression he now wears.

My silence only seems to stoke the flames. “Answer me.”

“Why? You already know,” I retort. Anger fuels me, making my face hot. “So why make me say it? To bask in my humiliation?”

“Nothing is ever easy with you, is it?” he snaps, his voice elevating in volume. At his sides, he balls his hands into fists.

“What did you expect?” I raise my voice to match his. “That you’d keep me trapped in here and I would just lie down and take it? Fuck you, Viridian.” I use his first name, and I don’t care if I’m crossing a line.

He draws his lips back, baring his teeth. “I would choose your next words very carefully, if I were you.”

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