Page 56 of Crownless King

“Well.” Libelle bit her lip, tugging at a strand of her long dark hair in concentration. “Maybe that’s where you should start, then? Talk to him again.”

“Should I tell him I love him?”

Dove nodded in enthusiastic support of that idea.

“Would that really change anything?” I asked because no matter what I did or said to Voron, he’d still be the king, and I…well, I’d still be me, the “unique” human with nothing to her name, not even the name itself.

Dove shrugged, taking another pastry off the tray. “What’s the worst that can happen? What do you have to lose?”

I didn’t have much, but I could lose it all.

ChapterSixteen

SPARROW

That night, I stood on the terrace where Voron had taught me to play the game War of Kings. Back then, it seemed so important for me to learn it in order to entertain the king and gain his favor. It had proven useless for that, but I genuinely grew to like the game and I treasured the memories of our lessons.

They brought me closer to Voron and gave me a chance to get to know him better. He’d been hiding behind his even expression, calm voice, and layers of clothes. It’d been a thrill to peel all of that off him, finding the man he was inside.

I loved everything I discovered about him. All his parts, whole and broken, fit so well with mine. And maybe because I had no past of my own, I took his so close to heart.

Watching the night sky, I tried to gauge the mood he might be in right now. It wasn’t completely overcast. The wind wasn’t strong but steady. It shepherded the clouds of all shapes and sizes above, making the stars blink and disappear behind them.

Worries, big and small, must be clouding the new king’s mind. I wished he would come to me with all his worries, that he would find reprieve in my body from the hassles of the day like he’d so often done before. I knew that getting lost in his touch would ease my worries too.

I also hoped our connection was stronger than just physical.

Now that I’d figured out how I felt about him, I wished I could tell him. He had to know. And if he felt the same about me, maybe we could figure out how to carve out a life for the two of us together amid all the duties and responsibilities of his new position.

But Voron wasn’t here. Once again, I was spending the night alone.

I never got the chance to see him during the day, either. Voron had sent me a message through Alcon. He was staying in the royal chambers. Alcon had explained that Voron had ordered a number of changes to the royal rooms. The construction was going on, and the noise was such that Voron feared it would disturb me.

In addition, he’d been holding meetings day and night. He’d been seeing the Council members as well as the army officials. There was a lot to catch up on for him after his absence from Elaros. I was sure he was impatient to make changes to the court, too.

Meanwhile, I had plenty of time to plan what I was going to tell him when I finally saw him again.

* * *

It was hard not to get excited the morning of the coronation. The entire palace was abuzz. I’d heard it normally took months of preparations to organize an event like that. But Voron wanted things done fast. He was the one true king, and he refused to wait to be officially proclaimed as such.

Courtiers, servants, and the Council did the impossible, getting ready for the ceremony in just a couple of days.

Every level of the palace twinkled with light. Artfully arranged formations of crystals had been placed throughout, in addition to the illumination coming from the crystals in the walls.

The official ceremony was taking place in the Throne Room, located on the very top level of one of the biggest towers.

“Am I invited?” I asked Alcon, just to confirm.

Brebie had already sourced an outfit for me: a pale blue gown stitched with golden moths above the silver wisps of fog along the hem. But I never got a word from Voron about any of it.

“You don’t need an official invitation to attend, my lady,” Alcon replied. “You are the king’s personal guest.”

Alcon looked dashing when he came to pick me up just a few hours later, wearing a silver-gray jacquard coat with a golden sash.

The skirts of my dress were light and semi-transparent, but the bodice was solid and fitted. It was laced with a silk ribbon in the front, in the style that I’d grown to prefer to any other. I felt beautiful, wearing it paired with elegant, blue slippers with silver bows.

My hair was braided on the sides and lifted into rosettes but left to fall free in the back. The only jewelry I had was Voron’s necklace of dried berries with the witch’s stone pendant. But that was all I wanted, anyway.

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