Page 17 of The Princess's Chosen

I nodded, even if soothing some overstuffed egos was the last thing I wanted to worry about.

Cool fingertips touched my chin, and my grandmother drew my gaze back to hers. "You're doing well, and I'm proud to see it," she said, leaning in and pressing her lips to my forehead and whispering, "Even if my lessons did go in one ear and out the other. Perhaps a condemnation of my lessons more than your listening."

I laughed, and Grandmother pulled away, taking the hand of a groomsman who helped her up into the carriage. I stepped back out of the way, catching her eye and nodding as they closed the door.

Cosmo's hand was there waiting for mine as I returned to the stairs. "You make her seem softer," Cosmo said. "And you've become much stronger."

Considering I'd been a useless tragic heap in his arms last night, I thought that was a little overgenerous, but I squeezed his hand in thanks and let him lead me back up the steps to where the others waited.

We were stepping inside when Daniel appeared on the grand stairs, dragging a pale and stumbling Sam at his side.

"Your sister forgot something," Daniel called, face red, looking as though he meant to carry Sam out to the road to catch up with Camellia's carriage.

"That's enough, Mr. Farraque," I said, slipping free from the comfort of my Chosen's company to stand before the two men on the stairs. "Sam is…is a guest here in the palace. Unless you'd prefer we get you a carriage back to your family," I offered, meeting Sam's eyes.

They were an almost milky shade of green, the color sharper for the red rings that surrounded them. He'd been sleepless last night, and it showed in dark circles above the hollow of his cheeks. His hair was a downy white-blond that reminded me of the milkweed by the lake. I could almost picture how he'd been years ago when he'd first joined my sister's Chosen, tall and broad, always wearing a grin and always whispering in Camellia's ear, making her giggle. He'd been almost ten years older than Camellia, but grandmother had said that ensured he had enough experience to please her. He'd aged greatly in the past year and had begun to fade like the words on a piece of parchment left out in the sun.

It occurred to me then that Camellia's cruelty hadn't been a constant state but something that'd grown the longer she'd used the Hunger.

He cleared his throat with a cracked note of disuse and shook his head. "I have no family."

"Then a guest," I said with a nod.

"You're taking on another spy? Isn't one in the palace enough?" Thao balked at my back.

Daniel barely twitched at the implication, but he looked equally troubled by Sam's introduction. I shot Thao a warning look, and he answered with a fold of his arms and a cock of his eyebrow.

"I seriously doubt we are only at two," I said softly, and Thao's lips twitched.

Sam moved down the steps with a perilously shaky gait. He was thin, dressed in pants that barely fit him, and a loose, stained shirt that hung open to his navel.

"I am prepared to serve you in any of your needs, Your Highness," Sam murmured.

I huffed and rolled my eyes, ignoring his offered hand and raising my own to rub at my temples. "I am getting somewhat sick of hearing that," I muttered. I lowered my hands and tipped my head, staring up at him with a twist of my lips. "And to be honest, I don't think you are."

Sam showed no hint of disappointment or offense, just took one step closer. "My hands and mouth—"

"Are very adept, I'm sure, but that's not what I meant," I said, searching that weary gaze for a sign of life, or at least understanding. It flickered, and Sam's hand finally dropped, a vulnerable emptiness making him wilt in front of me. "The palace has a good library, a sporting room, and as far as I can tell, Cook Bertha always has something coming fresh out of the oven. Take a week of leisure at least, and then we'll discuss what you might like to do going forward."

Daniel was frowning, looking between me and Sam, and I waited for him to turn back to me. I caught his eye and widened my own eyes meaningfully. Daniel stiffened in surprise, and he blinked rapidly.

Sam had my instruction, but it was clear he didn't know what to do with it, standing blankly in front of me. Daniel let out a long sigh before moving down to catch the man's elbow. Sam flinched, arm jerking and then quickly going limp, and Daniel shifted to a simple touch.

"Come with me," Daniel said. "We'll catch the remnants of breakfast while the maids air your suite out."

"My suite," Sam repeated, staring at me.

I wanted to shrink back from him, facing the reality of what Camellia had wrought a touch too uncomfortable for me.

Daniel grunted, and Sam's head drooped on his shoulders as he followed the guiding touch down from the stairs and toward the back hall that led to the kitchens.

"Are you sure about that?" Wendell asked.

"Absolutely not," I said, groaning and letting myself fall backward into his chest.

"We'd better have Cresswell put a guard on him at all times. For his own safety as well as our own," Cosmo murmured.

I spun to face them and found the worry tangling each of their faces. "Was I wrong to let him stay? I should've asked how you all felt." I might've been the authority in the palace, but they were right. I felt sorry for Sam, but I didn'treallyknow what he was capable of. It was as if Camellia had scooped the man out of the body, and I didn't know what that left behind.

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