Page 7 of Crownless King

He’d avoided breaking his promises to the crown, obeying all direct orders from the queen. But by ignoring her wishes, he still caused her displeasure. I didn’t know the exact terms of Voron’s deal with the royals, but it must have some clause about him disappointing them, because the queen clearly found a way to make him pay.

She had his freedom, and now she’d taken away his power too.

I could only imagine what it must feel like for him to lose it all. It’d be no wonder if some of that bitterness and disappointment ended up being directed at me as a result.

ChapterThree

SPARROW

Ispent that afternoon making meringue with Brebie in the kitchen.

“What do you need this for?” She asked as I arranged the airy pieces on a plate, trying to glue them with whipped cream into some resemblance of a swan without the pulled sugar neck.

“I promised Voron a dessert in exchange for him saving me from the queen.”

My “swan” ended up looking more like a sheet-wearing ghost. But from the taste tests I’d done while making it, I knew it was delicious.

Voron avoided me for the rest of the day, however, and didn’t meet me for breakfast the following morning, either.

I had no idea where he slept that night, but it wasn’t in his bedroom. The chair was empty when I went to bed, and it remained unoccupied every time I opened my eyes through the night.

The next day, I asked Brebie to move me to another room.

She tried to brush off my concerns. “Voron put you here. He’s fine with it.”

“He did it on impulse,” I insisted. “It was late when we arrived here. I was barely conscious. He thought he had to keep an eye on me. But I’m much better now. There is no reason for me to occupy his bedroom. It’s bad enough that he’s now forced to share his one and only house with me.” When she still didn’t look convinced, I threatened, “I’ll sleep on the breakfast patio or on the couch in the library, but I’m not keeping him out of his bedroom for another night.”

That did it. Brebie relocated me to one of the spare bedrooms. Either on purpose or by accident, my new room was in the furthest wing away from Voron’s. Combined with his clear efforts to avoid me, I didn’t see Voron at all for the next three days.

Brebie delivered my meringue contraption to him to close our deal. But I never even knew whether he liked it or even ate it.

I spent this time mostly alone.

Since there was no need for me to impress anyone anymore, I would get myself ready in the morning with no assistance from the maids. I wore dresses similar to those of Brebie’s. They had fewer pieces and their bodices laced in the front, which I could easily do up on my own. I brushed and braided my hair, too.

I ate either in my room or in the library, which Voron seemed to avoid, too, now. Other than an occasional servant in the hallway or Brebie, who brought me food, I spent days hardly seeing anyone.

To pass time, I read. Voron’s library was stocked with long manuscripts on Nerifir history, governance, detailed recounts of wars, and in-depth analysis of battle strategies. But I found a section with fables. These were shorter, fictional stories that helped me take my mind off things and fed my imagination with beautiful imagery.

As much as I enjoyed the peaceful existence at Vensari, after three days of almost complete solitude, I craved interaction. Brebie was kind enough to join me on a walk in the gardens the next morning. She showed me the main alleys and the way to the pond with huge lily pads floating on its surface.

“You can swim here. The water is clean with a nice sandy bottom,” she said.

As we walked back to the house, I complimented the well-kept grounds.

“A lot of work must go into maintaining these.”

“Oh yes, Voron employs a team of gardeners.”

“Is Kanbor one of them now?”

Her face fell. She blinked, glancing aside.

“No. Kanbor had to stay in Elaros. He’s employed by the king.” She sighed.

Guilt pinched my heart. So many lives had been disrupted because of me.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly.

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