Page 87 of A Court Bright and Broken

I looked at Pharis, who shrugged. “Maybe it was too public. Maybe she was biding her time until she was certain she could do it and still escape.”

“And so she escapedwithoutdoing it?” I challenged. “No. It doesn’t make sense.”

“In a way, it does,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

He rubbed his jaw. “Well, I have to admit I never thought she was capable of an assassination plot, or I never would have allowed you to be alone with her for the moments you were. But I know she’s a liar.”

“Why do you say that?” I asked.

“She admitted as much,” he said. “When we danced, I questioned whether she could truly be one of Lord Elardis’ daughters—I mean, you’ve seen the man. She confessed she was not, that she was lower Fae and had come here under false pretenses.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this last night?” I didn’t care about the social rank part, but the lying concerned me.

“Itried,” he growled.

“Unfortunately I believed her when she said she’d just wanted to experience the ball. I thought she was an opportunist, not a threat,” Pharis said.

“And she saidyougave her the invitation,” he added. “Based on your reaction to her, I believed it.”

“It’s not true. I’d never seen her before you introduced us,” I said.

“Before you snatched her away and monopolized her attention, you mean,” he said.

Really? He was bitter about it even after deciding she’d come here to kill us all?

The whole thing seemed preposterous, but the fact was,someonehad brought lethal poison inside the castle gates. And Wyn wasn’t here to defend herself.

It was possible Pharis had saved my life by rudely interrupting our kiss out near the seawall.

“She fooled us both, I suppose,” I said.

Turning to the guards, I asked, “And no one sawanythingout of the ordinary last night? No one else on the palace grounds without leave to be here?”

“Nothing that unusual. There are always a few human interlopers during the ball,” Keane said. “Several were turned away at the gates. An old woman was found inside the palace near the kitchens, and later, a young woman was seen running across the lawn. Both were taken to the dungeon.”

“A young woman?” Pharis asked, an alert look on his face. “And you’resureit wasn’t Wyn?”

“She was human, Your Highness,” Keane told him.

“We should go question the women,” Pharis said. “Both of them.”

My neck tensed, and my nerves prickled, beginning a low simmer.

“I’ll handle that,” I told him.

I alreadyknewwho the young woman was, and I didn’t want anyone else going down to the dungeon and finding out that she had ‘disappeared’ as well.

It wouldn’t bode well for Raewyn to get tangled up in this mess.

In fact, it struck me that this development might very well interfere with my plans to send her home in secret today.

Shaded stars.

“I think you should go speak to Father,” I said to Pharis. “Advise him it would be wise to increase security around the palace and on our family.”

My brother rolled his eyes. “Oh, I’lladvisehim. And then he’ll send for you to getyourtake on it. The next time the king listens to me will be thefirsttime.”

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