Page 5 of Crownless King

The summer had barely started, but the heat was setting in already. It had rained overnight, which made the air stifling and muggy this morning.

My lace trimmed sleeves reached down to my wrists, but the long slits from the shoulder to the cuff made them cooler. The single-layer skirt wasn’t transparent. And there was no corset, just a soft, cobalt-blue bodice stitched with lily-of-the-valley flowers. Laced with a white ribbon in the front, it also provided full support for my breasts in lieu of a bra.

Another big change in my clothing was underwear. Back in Elaros, with a brief exception once a month, I was expected to provide easy access to my body at all times in case the king felt like pawing at me. In Vensari, Brebie had supplied me with a drawer full of panties. They were all pretty, lacy things, thin like air, but I had more than enough of them to wear every day of the month.

With the thought of the king, worries returned.

“Any news from Elaros?” I asked. “Is the queen looking for me?”

Voron cut off a small piece of meat on his plate. It looked so moist and succulent, the juices glistening on it in a most appetizing way.

“I decided against reporting to the queen in person about what I’ve done,” he said, his tone breezy. “Instead, I sent her a message, explaining that I had to fulfill the promise I’d given to you to allow you to return to the human world.”

“You never gave me such a promise.”

“You’re right. I didn’t.” He glanced at me slyly. “But the queen doesn’t need to know that. She thinks I promised you’d leave Nerifir, and I went against her wishes to deliver on that promise out of fear of ending up as one of the cursed if I didn’t. Fear is a powerful motivator and one that the queen understands well.”

“So, she didn’t punish you?”

“Oh yes, she did. Just because she believed me didn’t mean she forgave me. In fact, she was furious.” He lifted his teacup to his lips, giving me an amused look over the rim. “She was really looking forward to your public execution.”

So much for my hopes for royal leniency.

“I can’t say I’m sorry to disappoint her on that one.” I fidgeted with the edge of the tablecloth, eyeing his plate. “What will happen now?”

“Now, Queen Pavline thinks you’re gone from this world.”

“As good as dead,” I echoed his words from before.

“Right. There’s no reason for the crown to search for you.”

“But how about you?”

“Oh, the queen knows exactly where I am. She ordered me to stay away from Elaros, which is just as well.”

“You’ve been banished?”

He put another morsel of food into his mouth, then gestured with his fork at the luscious, colorful gardens surrounding his sprawling, one-story mansion of black marble, blue crystals, and graceful vines.

“Not the worst place to be exiled to, don’t you think?”

I took in the tall trees, the vines dripping with flowers, and the fountains with a large pond in the distance and agreed, “It’s gorgeous.”

“Most of the estate is treed,” Voron added. “You don’t have to fear the queen's people spotting you from the air. Just make sure you stay under the canopies and use the treed alleys to walk in the park and the gardens.”

I wondered if he had the trees planted that way, specifically to conceal himself from those who had wings and could spy on him from above.

“All right,” I agreed, without realizing that my eyes flickered to his breakfast plate once again.

He smirked and shoved it my way.

“Fine. Help yourself. Just don’t tell Brebie I let you have anything other than porridge.”

If I had any restraint or self-respect, I’d refuse. I wasn’t even that hungry after having eaten most of my oatmeal. But his food smelled and looked so good, I had no willpower to say no.

“Oooh, thanks.” I quickly swiped a slice of meat off his plate and stuffed it into my mouth. “Mmm, this is so good,” I moaned, and closed my eyes, savoring the delicious flavors. They seemed especially intense after the rotten dungeon food.

When I opened my eyes again, Voron was staring at me with an odd expression. His dark-gray eyes glistened with silver from behind the bi-colored strands hanging over his forehead.

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