Page 119 of The Kingdom's Crown

"Enough," I pleaded.

Cresswell sighed into the nape of my neck and twisted, lowering us gently to the bed, Daniel sitting up and smiling at me, his fingers lifting to his lips. I closed my eyes to ignore the tempting sight of that red tongue licking away my taste, and Daniel laughed.

"Give her a few minutes to recover at least," Cresswell said. "For my ego, if nothing else."

"More than a few minutes," I said, opening one eye as Daniel settled himself on his side. I'd already enjoyed them both twice. I felt I'd earned a decent nap.

Daniel didn't disagree, but he leaned in, pressing feather-light kisses over my throat and collarbone, and I knew that in a few minutes, I'd be pushing his face between my thighs and starting all over again. He probably knew that too, and Daniel liked to see how far he could go before I really pleaded to be left alone.

Thankfully, or maybe unfortunately because his kisses were divine, there was a knock on the door.

"Her Majesty is here to see you, Bryony," Morgan said quickly through the door.

Daniel grunted and sat up grinning. "You're free," he said, head tilting as I started to scramble out of the bed, Cresswell growling at the interruption. "You're nervous?"

"A bit," I admitted. "She hasn't reached out much, and the coronation…"

The coronation was in two days, and sex with my Chosen had been a necessary tool to fight against my anxiety—along with its usual benefits.

Daniel scooped me up and carried me off the bed, Cresswell following after us. I cleaned myself up quickly, finding a simple dress to wear as Daniel and Cress hurried into pants and shirts to join me.

When we reached the sitting room, we found my mother unattended, and my heart pounded in my chest.

"I'd like to speak alone if that's all right," my mother said.

Daniel started to return back to the bedroom immediately, but Cress's fingers squeezed my shoulder and I nodded to him. "Go ahead." They left together, wearing frowns.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked.

"No, come sit."

Unease swooped through me as I moved to join my mother on the couch, facing her. "You've changed your mind?"

It was the only thing I could think of that she might want to speak on, and there was an unexpected sense of relief at the idea. Certainly, I knew I would be a stronger ruler than my mother had been thus far, but the coronation was looming, more daunting by the day.

"What? No." My mother frowned and looked at me out of the corner of her eyes. She was subdued, and it was a bit shocking to see her here alone. "Have you?"

"No," I said, and it came more easily than I'd expected, given all my worries. "I want to be queen."

My mother nodded and sighed. "Everything is ready now. I only came to say…"

I held my breath. Would she…apologize? For being an indifferent mother and queen?

"I think I will go north with my Chosen after you take the throne. Just for a little while. I am badly in need of a…a break from all of this."

I turned away from her, staring absently at the doorway, counting the names of my friends and my Chosen in my head as a means to keep myself calm. Of course this was what she wanted. And part of me didn't blame her. She'd lost her own mother and a daughter, had her failings as a queen laid out before her. I could consider it an improvement she told me at all. I pushed aside the hurt for the moment, I could unpack it later with someone like Cosmo or the others, and fixed a smile to my lips.

"I think you will enjoy the Winter Palace. In spite of its name, it's beautiful this time of year, and I found it a wonderful place to relax," I said. Which was true, in spite of the council and Emory and fighting with Aric.

My mother sighed and her own smile bloomed, but it was more wobbly than it had been months ago. "Yes, yes I thought of that."

"And Lady Prudence is a wonderful woman. I'm sure she and the staff will be thrilled to have the palace busy again," I continued. "I'd like to spend the winter there next year, myself. We left not long after the snow fell. Thao will whine, but…" I waved my hand through the air, a frail smile wiggling on my lips. I liked Thao all bundled up and constantly trying to cuddle up with one of us for warmth.

"You'll make a good queen," my mother murmured, nodding to herself.

I would. I was determined. But my mother's words were a little empty, so I thought of my grandmother and what she'd said to me as she died. That she wasgladI would be queen. My heart fisted around those words, clung to them. I was ready, ready enough.

"I'm glad you came. There's something I wanted to ask you about the coronation ceremony," I said, straightening and turning to my mother. "I've had an idea."

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