Page 211 of A Queen's Game
Amryth grabbed him by the arm, wheeling him down the hall, fury in her face. It was subtle, but Marietta caught her glance, her head nodded towards the door.
Taking the cue, Marietta approached, hearing the muffled voices within the room, the words unclear and hard to understand. Carefully, she leaned against the door, her ear pressing against the wood.
“Some delegates reported denizens leaving the city-state proper, specifically the delegates from Wisteria Heights and the Blooming Borough,” droned a man’s voice. “They’ve reported many are upset over the current choices made by the King’s Court regarding recent… events.”
Someone grumbled something, the door dampening the sound.
“Say that again.” Gods, that was Keyain. She’d recognize that angry voice anywhere.
“I said,” spoke up a new voice, “perhaps if you didn’t bring your clip bride into court and spend a ridiculous amount of resources on the missing pilinos, then this wouldn’t be an issue. They say they’re upset with the King’s Court, but we know exactly who is causing the problems.”
“Gyrsh, I’ve warned you for the last time.” King Wyltam’s deep voice was distinct from the others. She sighed, closing her eyes, blocking out the memory of his words. That evening he’d shown howtenderhe could be but hasn’t reached out since. The line between them had been drawn. “The next time you say that word during our meetings, I’ll suspend you from your position.” He paused, the room in utter silence. “And if we’re going to talk about those failing on my council, then perhaps you’d like to share why the Chorys Dasians fled.”
“I told you, my whore of a daughter—”
“Enough.” King Wyltam didn’t need to yell to silence him, the command carrying weight. “Lady Elyse will not be a topic of these meetings.”
“Oh, but you’ll continue to bring up Marietta and her presence.” She didn’t need to see Keyain’s face to know what he felt. Part of her was surprised he even spoke up for her at all.
“Perhaps I enjoy talking about your wife,” drawled the King.
Something thudded. “We are not talking about—”
“My King, Keyain, enough of this,” said a hoarse voice. “This is not how we conduct meetings. We decided last week that if we talk of Lady Marietta, it’ll be to determine who is leaking information from the court.”
Marietta’s stomach sank, her limbs going numb. They suspected she was feeding information. They knew.
“I’m telling you, it’s not Marietta. I’ve been monitoring her. One of my best guards is with her when she leaves the suite,” Keyain ground out.
“It’s not only her, Keyain,” the hoarse voice said again. “We also discussed the possibility that Queen Valeriya had contacted Reyila.”
They knew about the Queen too. Marietta needed to leave, wanted to move for the door, but she felt rooted in place. Just one more minute—maybe they would share something else.
“Amryth isn’t with Marietta every time,” the King added. “I think I proved that.” Was this how he talked about that evening? Was it only a moment to use against Keyain? To torment him? A spark of anger rose in her. That night—that kiss—meant something to her, but she seemed to be alone in that notion.
There was a moment of silence. “Well, you were with Marietta so you can account for her time,” Keyain said, his voice forced.
“I suppose I can.”
“Have you followed up on the Queen, King Wyltam?” a nasally sounding voice asked.
“Funny you all keep suggesting our wives. I have my suspicions, and I have questioned her quite a few times, yielding nothing. Even under surveillance, we’ve still found nothing. If she is doing it, then she’s better than I expected.”
A muffled voice answered, but she couldn’t hear what they said. The scraping of chairs and feet on stone followed. Marietta backed off the door but didn’t have time to move down the hall before it opened.
“Oh, Lady Marietta, what a surprise.” Minister Royir stood in the doorway, one hand still on the knob.
From beyond the doorway, she could still see King Wyltam lounging in his seat with one knee tucked into his chest. The way he looked at her with cold detachment made her stomach flip. “How curious. I wonder if she’s here for me or you, Keyain.” His words left her breathless. Was he mocking her for what happened on the stairs?
“Excuse me.” Keyain pushed past Royir. “Marietta.” Annoyance blanketed his expression as he reached for her arm to guide her down the hallway.
“Please share, Lady Marietta, what you were doing outside the door during our meeting?” The King stood now, approaching at a slow pace. His mask covered any emotion he had, but she remembered his easy smiles, the shyness of his laugh. She hated to remember them, wishing her mind would just forget.
“King Wyltam,” she said, holding her chin high. “I was just hoping to catch my husband before lunch to see if he would walk with me. We need to talk.”
“Marietta, I’m busy,” Keyain said with a warning.
“This can’t wait. You’ve avoided me for a week.”
