Page 91 of The King's Queen

Blaine stumbles into the room, an empty bottle ofleechein his hand as he falls against the kitchen table. If he notices our stares, he doesn’t say anything, just sits on the floor.

“Have you been drinking?” I growl, despite the evidence that he waves in my face. The disgraced captain hiccups then falls flat on his back, holding the bottle in the air.

“Waiter!’

“I’m going to pretend you said water.” My mother hums softly, refilling his glass with water. “Here you are, captain, our finest bottle of liquor.”

Blaine kicks his feet out happily, sloppily chugging the drink. Emilie smiles softly and pats his head, then whispers for Kya to go hide the rest of our alcohol for the night. She speaks softly to Blaine, who we learned will only listen to her. If I try to take his drink or even look his way he just shouts “man-whore” and drinks more.

“Are you sure you will be okay with him tonight?” I ask. I hate leaving her to clean up my messes, especially when I know firsthand how hard it can be to look after the Vari man. My mother only smiles as if to say she’s seen worse, no doubt from me, and shoos me out the door.

“If you bring her here tonight, let me say hi to her first.”

I laugh despite my mother’s underlying tone. “I promise I will.”

Amír and Derrín briefly look up from their game of chess to wish me good luck before Derrín moves his queen to overtake Amír’s king. The gunslinger swears and playfully wipes the board. A few of the pieces slam into our packed bags.

I try not to feel anything for the place I know I am leaving for the last time. My own bag is hidden along the inner palace wall, and we will leave Krycolis straight from the ball. My mother knows we are moving in an attempt to help Vera escape and is more than happy to do it. My heart clenches.

When Verosa, Kya, and Amír meet up with the rest of us, Blaine will be there. Her first time seeing him in over a month. After I returned from Belam, I hid him in my room, hoping he would remain unconscious until Vera returned from their mission.

Secrets. All these secrets.

We all saw how Verosa reacted to being kept in the dark about Kya’s past, and that was for a girl she’d only known for a few months. When she finds out I’ve hidden the boy she’s known her whole life, she may hate me.

My steps stumble as the thought strikes my heart. All the air exits my lungs in a single breath.It’s fine,I remind myself, I have my whole life to earn her forgiveness.

Still, the notes in my pocket and dagger hidden in my boot burn holes through my skin. They cry for blood, and I am not one to disappoint. My father can stare into my eyes, my mother’s eyes, as he dies and know he was his own downfall.

The palace is littered with extravagant items of decoration. Soft flowers blooming along the trellises, diamonds trickling from the high arching ceiling among more blooms like a soft rainfall. Gold lines every inch of the palace. Dancing lights and bubbling glasses of champagne are in abundance.

I raise my chin as I show my invitation, granted to me by Lucius. A thank you, he had said, for keeping an eye on Vera.

It is Lucius who finds me once I enter the walls of the inner palace. His silver suit shifts in the lighting, catching every gilded flicker of the light. He beams broadly when he sees me, and I force the same countenance onto my less than willing face. He clasps my hand tighter than he has in the past. His eyes seem to narrow when I appear unaffected, and he drops his vice grip.

“I’m so glad you could make it tonight.” He speaks slowly, but his voice never dips from his friendly tone. “It will be a night to remember.”

“That I am sure of.”

Lucius flinches slightly at my ease. Sweat crawls up the back of my neck, and I force myself to breath. He has figured out, as I always knew he would, that Blaine was never his rival. I am. His intentions for inviting me tonight must be less than cordial. I shift on my feet and allow the soft spring breeze to cool my neck. I don’t have time for his foolish word games, I have things to do.

“Have you seen my fiancé, by any chance?”

I stiffen. “I haven’t seen her since our lesson yesterday.” It isn’t a lie. I did see Vera last night at a lesson. A lesson where she learned how to slip out of binding ropes. I contemplate telling Lucius this for a brief moment, savoring in the image of his face turning puce with rage as the implications.

“Interesting. I suppose she hasn’t told you yet. Oh well, saves the surprise for later.” Lucius twists a new ring on his finger then clasps my shoulder. “See you inside, friend.”

I shrug his hand off and charge ahead. With nimble fingers, I slip the mask on my face and tie it into place. Supposedly the princess’ one request was that this ball be a masquerade. How cliche. How helpful.

Because my father doesn’t need to see my face, only my eyes as I drive my dagger through his heart and into the back of his throne. I quicken my pace to the ballroom.

Tonight I get my revenge.

Tonight I will kill the king.

Chapter37

Verosa

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