Page 14 of The Kingdom's Crown

"I find myself in little need of a lady-in-waiting. Perhaps Ophelia might be better suited to my sister's court," I said, forcing a gentle smile. It was only stalling, I would have to take ladies-in-waiting eventually, it was expected. But absolutely not tonight, and absolutely not this girl.

Amelia and Ophelia both paled at the suggestion. "Perhaps, Your Highness," Amelia said, and with one look at her aunt, Ophelia retreated back into the crowd of castle staff.

"I'd hate to keep my mother waiting, and we have been traveling for a long while," I said, too much energy running through my sore body. Hunger gnawed at me, both physical and magical. I hadn't had much time with my Chosen while we traveled, and I'd been too mentally occupied to think of it. Now, irritated by Ophelia's staring at Owen, I was fighting the urge to drag my men to a bed and claim them all over again. It was absurd and inconvenient, and I was still sotired.

"Of course, Your Highness," Amelia said, curtsying again and making me wince with all her bobbing.

As soon as the staff parted to make a path, I marched forward, glancing back in a reflex to make sure all my Chosen were with me. Owen's eyes were on me, and he smiled brightly as I looked at him, soothing some of the bite of jealousy. We passed Ophelia, and her eyes remained down this time, color high in her cheeks. I felt a little bad for dismissing her so suddenly, but it was as much for her sake as mine. I didn't need to waste my time fighting off the Hunger's territorial impulses, and she didn't need me snapping at her unexpectedly for admiring men who I knew were perfectly worth admiring. It was just that I preferred to be the only one to do so.

I knew my own way to the great hall, but Amelia insisted on hurrying to keep up with us.

"I believe the dowager queen arranged your new suites above your old rooms. There was some renovation. She said you liked your view," Amelia said, her voice thin from keeping up with my rushing pace.

My steps stalled briefly at that. I hadn't even known my grandmother had noticed, although I supposed she found me reading in the windowsill of my rooms often enough.

"Is it true you and your Chosen only had two rooms in the Winter Palace?"

"We had an entire palace. But we only really needed the one bedroom for ourselves," I found myself saying.

Amelia's eyes widened, an unusual openness on her face as she stared back at me. "That's unusual. Your mother has always preferred to sleep alone."

And Camellia slept with men littered about the floor and furniture around her.

"Well, your bed is spacious enough, and you may rearrange as you please, of course," Amelia continued.

"Oh good, more rooms for art studios and mage's studies," Thao said at my left, squeezing my hip and drawing a smile out.

"And a closet for all your sweaters," Cosmo tossed back.

"An indoor stable for Owen too, of course," I murmured, just to make the others laugh.

Amelia stared at us all as if we were a puzzle. We reached the doors of the great hall, two guards in all their bright armor stationed outside. Their eyes flickered over Cresswell and his uniform, dusty from traveling, but quickly drifted away again, used to not taking notice of curiosities in the castle that didn't concern them. One knocked, and a female voice echoed from inside.

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Bryony, and her Chosen."

The doors opened, and my breath caught. I had left the Winter Palace more beautiful than I'd found it, but it was in a soft and organic kind of way. There was nothing like the prismatic shine and glitter of the great hall by candlelight, the floors polished until they were almost mirrors, the actual mirrors bouncing light in every direction. It was a small royal secret that all of the glass lining the wall was ever so slightly tilted toward the thrones, just enough so that much of the flickering candlelight turned softly in my mother's direction.

My mother, and Camellia.

I should have but hadn't expected to find my sister waiting for my arrival too. And if I had imagined it, it would've been some kind of debaucherous scene. An orgy on the dais perhaps.

My mother sat serenely on her throne, or rather, she sat in the lap of a man on her throne, her cheek against his temple, her eyes heavy lidded with either satisfaction or slumber. She was smiling before I even entered, and the expression didn't grow or falter as I stepped forward with my Chosen.

"Oh, Bryony. I'm so glad it's you," Mother said.

It didn't really sound as though she'd been expecting me, let alone that she'd requested me to greet her here, which meant…

My eyes turned to Camellia next. Her collection of men had grown, her harem now twice the size of my mother's and at least three times the size of mine. I recognized a few men from the Winter Palace, but even more so, I realized that some of the familiar faces were now gone. Igor was missing, and another whose name I didn't know. She smiled at me, but it was a sour expression on her face, and her fingernails were digging into the shoulder of the man at her feet as if she was bracing against some physical pain. She was fighting the Hunger, I realized. The cravings held her that fiercely.

She thinks she's more powerful because she has more men, more Hunger, I realized. I was beginning to wonder if it wasn't the opposite.

"How is Her Majesty this evening?" I asked after my Chosen and I had delivered deep bows to my mother and sister. "Any changes in her health?"

"It's just terrible, Bryony, it really is," Mother said, eyes growing glassy and face turning into her Chosen's cheek. "The doctors say there's no hope of recovery. It's just buying time with her now. I'm so glad you returned. It was so wrong of you to stay so long away from us."

My jaw tightened, my head dipping to my mother. Out of the corner of my eye, Aric shifted uncomfortably, gloved hands clenching at his side.

"I'd like to see her," I said.

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