Page 14 of Kingdom of Crowns and Daggers

I would get paid and get my revenge in one go.

All I would have to do is pretend to be this foolish king’s queen-to-be. How hard can that be?

“Until then,” I say, unsure if I will take it. I need to think.

“I will see you then,” Joha calls, but I don’t look back as I slink into the shadows. His pouch rattles at my hip, reminding me he is good at paying his debts and keeping his word, at least for now. I am no fool to think the king won’t double-cross me at the end to silence me and keep his throne safe, but I am good at disappearing, and with him paying me anything I want, I could go anywhere and be anything.

The only question is, do I want to?

It feels as if fate has once again flipped its hand and drawn me another path, if only I am strong enough to take it.

Chapter

Nine

ORION

I’m seething.

In fact, I’m so furious that I can barely look at Joha, who whistles happily at my side, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

The journey back to the palace is uneventful despite the number of eyes on us the whole time. Little rats watch our every move, reporting back to their master. We’ll be lucky if the whole city doesn’t know that their king was stumbling amongst them by tomorrow morning. The consequences if the Queen Mother finds out are beyond thinking about, but I know for sure that my life would be forfeit.

Losing my life for my king isn’t what enrages me though. If I’m put to death, who is going to look out for him then? He’ll have no one. That’s something I cannot allow.

We get back to the palace in silence, the king realising that I need some time to decompress. Making sure we’re not being tailed or watched, I sneak us back into the palace grounds. It’s disturbingly easy, something I’m going to rectify later. The guards are going to feel the brunt of my anger, which is probably something I should feel bad about, but I don’t. If Joha can just walk out without anyone noticing, then anyone could just wander in, especially if they are trained in stealth.

As I lead him through the maze of the palace grounds, I feel his eyes on my back, but he says nothing. We have to be careful. We ditched our stolen cloaks at the gate. If anyone saw the king dressed so casually, it would only raise suspicions, and everything that happens in the palace gets back to the Queen Mother.

Stupid. So fucking stupid.

What was he thinking? If he’d told me his plan before we left, I never would have let him leave, which is exactly why he didn’t tell me. He only fed me enough snippets of information to gain my help. He’s sneaky and far smarter than anyone gives him credit for, which is how he managed to use my weaknesses against me.

However, it’s not just Joha that I’m angry at, but myself. How could I let him convince me to waltz into the Lowers and speak with an assassin of all people? My job is to protect him from people like her, not enable the meeting.

How did he even meet an assassin in the first place?

No, I don’t want to know. Just the thought of it is giving me palpitations, and I don’t fancy adding images of Joha stumbling around the Lowers with an assassin to my list of nightmares.

My duty to the Crown is everything, but it goes deeper than that. Joha is my king, and I will protect him with my life, but as my best friend, I want to make sure he flourishes in every aspect. Seeing how unhappy he is breaks my heart, and I don’t know how to fix that. He’s family to me, and not being able to help him makes me feel useless, which is why I let him talk me into this ridiculous plan today. His eyes lit up in a way I’d not seen since before his father died, excitement pulsing from him. That and the fact that I knew he would find a way to go with or without me. He’s already proven that he’s able to sneak from the palace without attracting attention, something I’m begrudgingly proud of—not that I’ll ever tell him that.

I’m sure that part of his excitement is that she’s a woman who isn’t bowing and scraping or trying to get into his good graces. From what we saw of her, I could tell she was beautiful, and the danger she offers was probably a huge thrill for him. She’s unobtainable, making her the perfect challenge. Joha is far smarter than he lets anyone believe, but I know my friend, and a pretty face can influence his actions. He wouldn’t be that foolish though, would he?

Marriage. That’s what he’s proposed to her.

Anger surges within me again as we finally make it to the king’s palace and can let our guards drop a little. He’s offered an assassin a crown and for her to pose as his queen. We have no idea who this woman is, and while his explanations made sense with his unique sense of logic, no sane person would hand this sort of power to someone whose career is killing people like us. She’ll learn secrets that could topple the monarchy, and we have no guarantee that she won’t sell the information to the highest bidder.

Entering Joha’s private chambers, I inspect it for danger before gesturing for him to enter, slamming the doors behind me. My body is tense and ready to fight, and from the looks he keeps sending my way, Joha is obviously expecting me to explode. No, I’m going to stay professional. I’m going to be the best guard he’s ever had and will stick to him like fucking glue. He’s not going to get away from me for a second.

“I think you’re about to blow a vein in your forehead. It’s pulsing,” he calls out, his voice deceptively light. When I retreat to my usual spot and say nothing, he rolls his eyes. “Are you going to ignore me for the rest of the day?”

That’s all I need to break my vow of silence. Hands balling at my sides, I stride over to him, forcing myself to hold back and not throttle him like I want to. “What were you thinking?” I demand through clenched teeth.

“That didn’t take much,” he comments with a snort. “We need someone in the palace who is on our side. Someone who can pass as a noble but has the skills to move silently through the palace and keep tabs on what’s happening behind my back.”

Grabbing onto the doorframe, I squeeze until it groans beneath my fists. “Then you train one of the noble’s daughters—someone we can trust, Joha. She’s an assassin! What makes you think she won’t just turn on you and slaughter you in your sleep?”

All pretence of amusement flees his expression, his eyes hooded and brow furrowed as he meets my glare. “It will take too long to train someone. We have to act now?—”

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