Page 16 of The Princess's Chosen

You have your Chosen, I thought, glancing toward the window to find Sam sitting up and frowning at me, his eyes wide and pale. He'd overheard us then. I nodded once to him, and he remained frozen until I left the room.

Cresswell was a shockingly welcome sight as I stepped into the hall, his body straightening, eyes searching my face. And then the relief of him, the knowledge that he was safety and support all in one package, made my chest sting and clench.

My bottom lip trembled and I swung away, all but running down the hall, comforted by the sound of his footsteps close behind me.

Was this right? Should I have approached her differently? Will there ever be peace between us?

My heart pounded an irregular rhythm as the hall started to blur, my breaths coming quick and short. I paused in a crossway, forgetting what direction I was meant to turn, and the sob came up, ragged and choked to silence.

"Your—" Cresswell faltered, a heavy hand resting on my shoulder. "Bryony?"

He turned me toward him, and I stepped into his chest, hiding my face against his uniform. I refused to make a sound, as if that might disguise the reason for my trembling shoulders and why my fingers dug into the dense wool of his jacket, locking around belts and buckles. His hands landed tremulously on my shoulders, weighing the way I heaved with breath, before smoothing and clasping me tightly against him.

There was a trapped scream shredding my throat, burning for being locked up, and my bones felt as though they were about to break for how tightly my muscles gripped them.

Cresswell scooped me up from the floor, cradling me into his chest and turning us around a corner where the lamps warmed the cool white plaster of the walls. I stayed like that, hiding from myself and the rest of the palace, folded up as small as I could be, until we reached my door, Cresswell jostling me slightly so he could unlock it.

I hadn't realized there was a familiar scent to my rooms until we stepped inside and a delicate floral mixed with Owen and Cosmo's earthier sweetness wrapped around me, my body sagging limply.

My Chosen had filled the empty space I'd left when I'd snuck away, but Wendell stirred as Cresswell stepped into the room.

"Oh! Bryony?"

"Not harmed, but hurting, I think," Cresswell said softly, carrying me to the bed as the others woke. "She went to speak to her sister."

"Royal siblings are poisonous to one another," Thao grumbled.

"Come here, Mistress," Owen said in a sleepy mumble.

Cresswell set me down at the edge of the bed and before I even had a chance to try and move, my men were lifting me up, enfolding me at the heart of the group. Cosmo moved and let Owen take his place.

I hadn't properly cried while held by Cresswell, and now I found myself both too weary and too comforted to manage the act. Wendell brushed his hands over my cheeks as Owen nestled me into the crook of his shoulder, making room for Cosmo to cuddle up on his other side so he could rest a hand just below my ribcage.

"I'll be in the next room, Your Highness," Cresswell said softly.

There was a moment where I thought I might ask or even order him to stay, but it passed quickly as Thao leaned into Wendell's back, his hand cupping my jaw as his lover—ourlover—kissed my forehead.

"I'm fine, really," I murmured, and Owen hummed almost as if in agreement.

"We'll see the back of them in the morning," Cosmo said.

* * *

I watchedCamellia's rocking carriage with a mix of anger and amusement, unsure if she thought she was mocking me or simply couldn't help herself.

"I'm grateful," my grandmother said, watching it bounce down the drive, away from the palace.

We stood together at the bottom of the stairs as they loaded my grandmother's things onto the top of the royal carriage. Some of last night's heartbreak lingered in my chest and throat, and I wondered what my grandmother would do if I wrapped her up in one of those tight hugs I'd learned from Owen.

"You could…you could stay a little longer," I said softly.

There was no change for a moment as I gazed up at her, studying the fine lines of her face and soft shades of gray through her hair.

"Mmm, I may return. You know…you know you won't be here forever," Grandmother said, arching an eyebrow. "If you really mean to take the crown, that is."

"I think I might like to keep the old calendar and return south in the spring," I said. I'd been giving it some thought, and if the Hunger could bring life to the land, it made sense that the queen would need to share her time between the regions.

"The spring?" Grandmother's eyebrows rose. "It's not that you can't be spared but…there's some truth to Lord Roderick's words, Bryony. The nobilityareyour people too. You'll have to win their favor before the end."

---