Page 57 of The Kingdom's Crown

"Unless it is your intention to take on more Chosen of royal blood?" Holden finally stared down at Bryony.

For half a second, I tried to imagine how we would fit this man into our number. Bryony would tame him, no doubt, just as she had with Aric, Daniel, and I. He was proud like I had been, and prejudiced against her just as Aric was. He was also apparently desperate to have a better position than a lesser prince of a small and unprosperous kingdom.

"It is not," Bryony answered crisply, chin high, and Wendell and I shared a brief glance of relief.

Holden's jaw gritted, and he nodded once. "Ah, I see her now, excuse me."

Bryony's eyes widened as he marched away. "Oh dear, do you think we should warn him?"

"I think he deserves what he gets," I said in a low mutter.

"This may become a bit of a scene," Wendell whispered. "Your sister is…"

We turned and watched Prince Holden approach Camellia, who was, quite publicly, holding one of her Chosen and forcing him to rut her up against a marble pillar.

"She looks…ill almost," Wendell added as we watched Holden weaving his way through the crowd.

"Not ill," Bryony said darkly. "Holden is right. Camellia has a great deal ofappetite. Less and less of anything else it seems."

I'd taken as little notice of Camellia as I could, but the girl did seem to be changing. She was paler than I remembered, and she'd been visibly tense all through the public parade and funeral as if she'd made her best effort to restrain herself up until now.

"Should we do something? Urge them somewhere more private?" Wendell asked, frowning. "People are taking notice."

"No, let her make a fool of herself," I answered.

"She had some princes in her first batch of Chosen, but they left within a few months," Bryony murmured, frowning and watching. Camellia's head tossed in something between pleasure and frustration. It was obvious the moment she caught sight of Holden's approach. "Look at them, he doesn't even realize he's the prey rather than the predator."

"If she kills him, there will be war," I said in a low warning.

Bryony's expression hardened and grew thoughtful. "Well…she can't do it in one night can she?"

Wendell twitched, gaping at her. "You want to let her take him in the hopes that she will harm him?"

"We need more witnesses to Camellia's cruelty," Bryony whispered.

Camellia's arm reached out, sudden and making anyone close by skitter away, wives dragging back their husbands. Anyone but Holden. Holden approached her, entirely fearless. Ignorant. A moment later, Camellia had him in her clutches as he pushed her and her Chosen into a further off shadowy corner.

"He may be too proud," I warned Bryony, turning her away from the scene.

She hummed and nodded. "We need some way to keep an eye on things in her suite. Bribery maybe? A maid? Or a guard?"

"Cunning woman," Wendell said with a grin, wrapping Bryony's arm around his. "Look to your mother."

I looked too, found Bryony's mother still staring in Camellia's direction, a knot of tension marring the queen's normally smooth forehead.

"Look to Thomlinson," Bryony said with a snort.

The man was near the queen, which was probably to be expected, and he appeared equally as perturbed by Camellia as Bryony's mother. Good. His choice of princess made him look like a fool.

"We're nearly done for the day," I said, smoothing my hand over Bryony's shoulders. "Accept a few more condolences with dignity, and you'll do your grandmother proud."

Bryony straightened under my touch, and she nodded, Wendell guiding us to where a few councilmen—ones whose support was still up in the air, I noted—stood with two foreign ambassadors.

* * *

"The dinner was good,"Bryony murmured, eyelids heavy as Owen rubbed the soles of her feet.

We were gathered together in the suite's lounge, the moon high in the sky and only a fire in the fireplace to light the room. Morgan and Nora had already been dismissed, so it was only us Chosen with our exhausted princess.

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