Page 114 of The Cursed Kingdom

Never in a million years did I intend to return from my meeting with Zaha with an angry human in my possession, an agreement to hand my title over to Mason, and the woman who murdered my father.

Abby is smart enough to remain quiet as I lead her out of the holding cells. This small building is located on the outskirts of the royal compound, which isn’t ideal. Abby and I will be seen, and people will have questions. Mymotherwill have questions. I’m not ready to answer them.

I shove open the front door, grimacing as light shines into my eyes. I need to get Abby out of here.

Covered pathways connect all the buildings in the royal compound, and I frown as I step outside. The flowering vines covering the tall, arched trellis above me need to be trimmed back. The thick foliage pushes through the slats, and the butterflies the flowers attract are swarming.

I listen to their fluttering wings as I lead Abby forward. The trellis covering offers some privacy, but not nearly enough. These outdoor corridors are frequented by many, and it’s only a matter of time before Abby and I are spotted.

There’s a wide turn up ahead, and in the center is a decorative podium with a bust of some long-dead aristocrat. I carefully maneuver Abby around it, my pace quickening. The royal housing division is on the opposite side of the compound, a several-minute walk away.

I force my expression flat as I round a corner to one of the larger courtyards. Several ladies are standing around a fountain, laughing loudly as they linger underneath one of the few areas without an overhead trellis.

Their laughter quiets as they notice me and Abby, and I offer a curt nod as I pass them and continue down another walkway.

I need to get Abby away from prying eyes and ears before she says or does something stupid. I should’ve put her in a cellwith Lillian, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Mason will likely demand we put her in one once he learns of her connection with Lillian, but that’s a bridge I’ll cross when I get to it. Mason’s always been suspicious of Abby, and this will only cement those beliefs.

I avoid my mother’s most commonly used walkways as I hurry Abby to my living quarters. It’s only a matter of minutes before my mother hears I’ve returned with a human and a faerie prisoner, and she’s going to have several questions.

I don’t have answers. I don’t know what to say to her.

We reach another courtyard, this one separating the royal homes from the remainder of the compound. Only guards are allowed past this point, and I’m sure they won’t hesitate to tell my mother of my whereabouts.

They’ll remain loyal to her until I’m crowned. Well, until Mason’s crowned.

I clench my jaw and shake my head, not wanting to think about that. We need to stop the growth of delysum, and this is the only solution. My people will understand. They have to.

Fuck.

The faeries hate Mason.

My home is just up ahead, the modest, single story building practically beckoning me to come inside. I shove the front door open and force Abby inside before releasing her. She immediately scurries away, and I shut my door before funneling what little magic I have left into the lock so we won’t be disturbed.

Abby spins toward me, her eyes frantic. “What did you do to Lill?”

I shut my eyes and take a moment to breathe, needing to calm down before I do or say something I regret. Judging by the childhood image I saw of Abby and Lillian, it’s safe to assume she feels deep ties toward the faerie.

I don’t know what Lillian’s been telling her about us and herself, but I’m sure it paints her in a significantly better light than she deserves.

“Abby…” I start, struggling to find the right words.

Abby doesn’t care for me, nor does she trust me, and I doubt she’ll believe me when I tell her that Lillian murdered my father.

She’ll insist that Lillian is innocent and had nothing to do with it.

“Don’tAbbyme,” Abby says, taking a threatening step forward.

She shoves a pointy finger against the center of my chest. She’s trying to be threatening, but it doesn’t come across when she has to crane her head back to look me in the eye.

“Tell me what the fuck you’ve done with Lill,” she continues. “She’s done nothing wrong, and I demand to see herright now.”

Abby was standing silently before Zaha just twenty minutes ago, her every limb shaking as she waited to see if the goddess would take her as a slave. Zaha may not want her, but that doesn’t put Abby in a position of power.

She’s in no position to demand anything of me.

“Kie!” Abby shouts. “Take me to Lill.”

I look around the room. The front door opens to a large living area and kitchen, and down the hallway on the left is my bedroom, Mason’s bedroom, and two spare ones.

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