Page 13 of The King's Maiden
When a stack of red folders landed on my desk, I thumbed through them quickly. Sorting through the files, I placed them in stacks for yes, maybe, or no. I made it to the very last folder when a deep tug of recognition pulled at my chest.
Setting it to the side, I gestured at the two Knights I’d tasked with this assignment and the yes and maybe piles in front of me. “See that all the Knights at leastlookthrough these two stacks.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Except for Landon.” My fingers twitched over the file I’d siphoned out. “Tell him to come see me.”
They nodded and left the room, Ben’s eyes lingering over the folder on my desk before he shut the door. When it clicked shut, I reopened the folder, staring at the four-by-six photo of the only girl in the pile whose application grabbed my attention.
Quinn Everly.
I tucked her picture in my pocket.
Although she was beautiful, a single word on her application told me everything I needed to know.
It also meant I trusted only one Knight to select her.
Only one Knight could guide her through The Quest, introduce her to Camelot Court, and safeguard her innocence.
All before delivering her to me—fully prepared to be Queen.
Chapter Four
QUINN
Afew weeks after applying for The Quest, I picked up the embossed envelope lying on our doorstep, pinching the corner between my thumb and forefinger while holding it delicately away from my body.
“It’s a letter, Quinn. Not a bomb.” Gia poked her head over my shoulder, since theletterhad kept me from unlocking the door. “Ooh! A fancy letter.”
“It’s from Camelot Court,” I pointed out uselessly, as if the elaborate wax seal on the back hadn’t announced it for me.
I flipped the heavy envelope over. Ornate lettering, imprinted on the front in royal blue ink, glinted in the sunlight. Shiny and metallic, it screamed of opulence and reeked of unchecked wealth and privilege.
This one envelope probably cost as much as my overpriced inhaler. And for all I knew, it was a rejection letter.
Fucking hell.
For the thousandth time, I wondered what the hell I’d gotten myself into by submitting that application.
Sure, I’d been desperate.
And sure, there’d been boxed wine involved.
But now? Faced with the very real possibility that I might’ve been selected for The Quest, I wanted to hurl. I was inwayover my head.
“Gimme!” Gia shrieked in my ear, reaching over me to grab the letter. “If you’re not going to open it, I will.”
I held it out of reach. “Maybe I should just throw it away? Pretend I didn’t get it or something. When I don’t show up, they’ll probably just replace me, right? Then, we can chalk this whole thing up to one of those funny Quinn stories. Another time I almost did something crazy and chickened out at the last second. It’ll be great.”
Gia shot me a glare, her eyes inches from mine after she’d latched onto my back like some kind of giant squid. “Don’t even think about it, Quinn Everly. You’re doing this. You read what the application said.”
I swallowed down the spike of dread that followed her mention of the application. It had contained a contract with a much scarier and more intimidating version ofNo Take Backsincluded above the line for my signature. Even that hadn’t been enough to make me see reason.
Nope, I’d merrily signed off on it as I drank my third glass of wine.
At the time, what the contract provided in exchange for my participation had seemed like an offer I couldn’t refuse. They’d cover my cost of living—meals, clothes, health and personal care expenses, and anything else I needed—in exchange for thirty days on the swankiest campus at D’Arthur University. But if I reneged on the contract, I’d owe it all back with damages.
Whatever that meant.
