Page 21 of The King's Queen

“What happened to her?” I ask, scanning the letter. “It’s not like Eida to just leave without warning. And resignation? She’s worked here for years.”

“Aw, worried?” Tanja teases. “Maybe you finally drove her away, congratulations! I don’t know, she was old. Maybe she just wanted to retire.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I hum.

“I thought you’d be happy about this? I mean, the old bat drove you crazy.”

“Yeah, I know, just things are changing so quickly- too quickly.” My friend goes quiet at this, shoving her hands back in her pockets as we walk. She wears her hair pinned back today, her loose curls bouncing atop her head as she walks. I smile softly to myself, judging by her effort, I’d say the date went well.

“Don’t be too upset,” she says catching my stare. “I’ve heard your new tutor is very attractive.”

I quirk an eyebrow as we enter the library. The smell of worn leather and fresh pages greets me as soon as we step foot in the ancient room. Rows and rows of books new and old line the walls, with little desks nestled between them for secluded studying.

“Oh, really?” I ask before I can spot the figure in front of us. I hardly recognize him in all his finer garb.

“Really.” Rowan smirks from where he sits perched atop a desk. “Ready for your lesson, Vera?”

Chapter6

Verosa

Of all the ways I thought Rowan would infiltrate the palace, this is not one of them. In my wildest dreams, I saw him barging in as a knight in training, disrupting practice, or posing as a cook and poisoning my meal out of spite. Maybe I had thought he would sneak through my window in the middle of the night to steal me away for training or kill me off to tidy up loose ends. In the more boring of scenarios, he didn’t come at all.

And yet here he is, dressed in a fine pressed blouse, his tailored coat hanging loosely on a chair as he reads a book, sitting on a table in the royal library. He wears that Cheshire cat grin that feels so familiar already, and makes his way over to where we stand, me dumbfounded in the doorway.

“Pleasure to meet you.” I force through gritted teeth, taking his hand so that he may press a kiss atop mine. Tanja watches giddy from the side, fanning her cheeks every so often in mocking.

“You are dismissed.” Tanja curtsies and takes her leave. The moment those doors slam shut and I know we are alone, I snatch my hand back and cast my iciest glare his way.

“What in the Laei are you doing here?”

Rowan raises an eyebrow and dusts an invisible speck of dirt of the lapel of his jacket, making his way back to his previous seat. Ignoring my question, he picks his book up again and begins to read before pointing to a certain word on the page and bookmarking it.

“If I am not mistaken, you were the one who asked me to train you, did you not?” he says without looking up.

“I didn’t think you’d come as my tutor!”

“I don’t see a problem here.” He sighs heavily, slamming the book shut. “I needed a way into the palace and you needed a teacher. That was our deal. This was the best way to solve both of our needs inconspicuously. Trust me, this is not enjoyable for me. You nobles wear such stuffy clothing, no wonder you all walk like there’s a stick up your ass.”

My face flushes at his brazen words, more so because I know he is right. Huffing, I take my seat across from him, in an actual chair rather than a table. I fiddle with my hands at my sides and cross my ankles, waiting for him to begin. He just looks at me as if I’ve started bleeding silver.

“Well? What’s your plan?”

“Ah, well, that depends. I have my plan, but I can’t exactly share that with you-“

“Of course not,” I mumble under my breath.

“-but I have to shape it around your desires, or else you’ll probably out me to the palace guard.” He continues with a wry smile. “So it depends on what you need from me. You said training, but I still don’t know what kind.”

I pause to think upon that for a moment. I am classically trained, having started my royal lessons at only three years old. All my teachers have praised my intuition and skill, and yet I still fell into Woden’s trap.

“Physical, mostly. I can’t fight, I’m good at running but don’t know how to handle any weaponry or defend myself in a fight,” I admit sheepishly. Rowan nods, looking deep in thought.

“We need to work on your reflexes.” He nods carefully before tossing his book at me, which I catch with ease. Before I can open my mouth, however, another one hits me square in the gut. “Your enemy won’t wait for you to recover from the first attack. So that will be our first lesson before we move on to anything else.”

I’m about to bark back a retort when a young maid enters the room, knocking softly and walking even softer as she pads into the library. Her footsteps don’t make a sound as she crosses the room and bows slightly at the waist. Rowan’s eyes rove over her figure, unreadable. She wears the usual palace uniform but has paired it with elbow-high ivory gloves, stark in contrast to her deep-toned skin. Her black curls are pinned tight to her head beneath a bonnet, a few stray hairs poking out before her striking amber eyes. She might be the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.

“You sent for me, my Lord?” She speaks lowly, her voice a melodious alto that reminds me of gospel singing in the church.

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