Page 22 of The Royal Throne
“I can understand that sentiment. But why de-throne your own brother?”
Lottie smiled, as if Sabine had told her a juicy tidbit of gossip. “That’s for me to know and you to find out. Good luck.”
The door slammed shut in Sabine’s face, causing her to jump back in shock. The guards all looked to one another, not sure how to respond to the blatant form of disrespect.
Sabine addressed the sentries posted at Lottie’s door. “Is the princess allowed to have visitors?”
“No, Your Majesty,” the one on the right answered.
“Has anyone attempted to see her?”
“The princes have both visited her, Your Majesty.”
“Does someone bring her food?” she asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Who inspects it?”
“Sorry?”
“Once the food arrives, do you or whomever is on guard check the tray for weapons, letters, or poison?”
He blinked, as if the thought had never occurred to him.
“The princess is in there because she killed Princess Alina and sent an assassin after me. Someone needs to be checking anything going into or coming out of that room in case she’s trying to contact another assassin.” Fury filled her because no one seemed to be taking this threat seriously.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I will see that things are inspected from here on out.”
“Thank you.” She turned and strode away, irate for a host of reasons. The most illogical one was Lottie’s betrothal to Evander. Deep down, Sabine knew that Rainer agreed to the union to get rid of Lottie so he wouldn’t have to put her on trial for treason. It wasn’t fair. And, perhaps, a deeper part of her heart was torn because she had grown rather fond of Evander. While she knew she was married to Rainer and nothing could ever happen between her and the prince from Avoni, she cared for him, loved him even. And Lottie—the woman who’d had Alina killed—was going to get to marry him. The unfairness of it gutted Sabine, making her want to scream.
When she reached the corridor leading to the royal wing, a handful of guards ran by. Drew stepped forward, next to her, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered, afraid to move or raise her voice.
Drew dropped his hand. “Those were King Rainer’s men. My guess is he’s either been spotted in town or he just arrived at the palace. His men are going to greet him.”
With an irritable and heavy heart, Sabine couldn’t face Rainer tonight. If she returned to her room, he would easily be able to find her. If he found her, he’d want to talk to her. She didn’t have the energy for that right now.
Instead of turning toward the royal rooms, she headed the opposite direction to one of the smaller courtyards. Only, when she arrived, several couples were sitting in alcoves or on benches, not affording her the peace she craved.
As she turned to leave, she spotted Axel with his arm draped over the shoulder of a young woman. They were heading across the courtyard to one of the arches leading to the royal wing. Sighing, Sabine exited through a different archway, not wanting to run into Axel and his dalliance.
Back home in Bakley, one of her favorite things to do was ride her horse late at night through the fields when thousands upon thousands of stars dotted the sky. It had always soothed her soul and made her feel content. Lynk had no fields and only a few horses used mostly by the military—but it did have stars.
“I wish to go to the turret with the rooftop,” Sabine said to Drew. “Can you take me there, please?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” He led the way along several corridors, bypassing the royal wing, until they came to a steep staircase. “Please wait here.” He ran up the stairs, returning a moment later. “It’s all clear.” He stepped aside and gestured for her to proceed. “We’ll wait here.”
It surprised her that he was giving her a reprieve from her guards. Instead of questioning it, she ran up the stairs to the top of the turret. The stars shone brightly in the sky. A light wind made a few strands of her hair dance across her face. Tipping her head back, she smiled. It was so beautiful and peaceful up here that she could almost imagine she was at home in Bakley.
Gazing at the stars, she wondered what Evander was doing right now. Maybe he was even looking up at the stars like she was. Then she chuckled, remembering that Avoni had a constant cover of clouds. Most likely, Evander was off on some mission or maybe even at a tavern meeting with members of his assassin guild. She’d mistakenly hoped being here in Lynk with Rainer would have made it easier to forget about the Avoni prince. However, with each day, she felt his absence more acutely.
Going over to the railing, she leaned her arms on it, staring out toward the ocean in the distance.
“I thought I’d find you up here,” Axel said from behind her.
She didn’t bother looking over her shoulder at him. “What do you want?”
