Page 28 of Rise of the Vicious Princess

“I’ve known Tal for over a year. And my father chose him.” Charis took a step toward Reuben and imagined it was his head sliding off his neck. Her sword making the fatal cut. She let her wicked thoughts play on her face, and Reuben rolled to the balls of his feet as if sensing a threat closing in.

“Your father is a good man, of course, but he is also from the north.” Reuben sounded regretful, as though sorry to admit that the king couldn’t be trusted either.

Charis had her dagger in her hand before Reuben could react. Pressing it against the guard’s throat she said softly, “If you ever disparage my father’s character again, I will kill you myself. And I’ll make sure it hurts.”

“The queen wouldn’t allow—”

“The queen wouldn’t be fast enough to save you, and I’m her heir.” Charis spat the words at him. “Do you really think you matter more to her than me?”

Silence fell on the corridor. She held his gaze and waited until he looked away. Without another word, she sheathed her dagger and entered the queen’s chambers, Tal at her heels. The door closed behind her with a snap.

Mother lay propped up against her pillows, a scarlet robe wrapped around her. Her hair was pulled back and papers lay scattered on the bedclothes around her. Charis was grateful to note that while she still looked pale and wan, she was no longer trembling at the slightest bit of activity.

Drawing in a slow, deep breath, Charis pushed her fury back into a corner of her heart and reached for the icy calm necessary for surviving interactions with the queen. “Your Majesty.” She bowed. “Before we talk about Irridusk, we need to discuss Reuben.”

“What is there to discuss?” Mother locked eyes with her.

The fact that he reported everything he saw to the queen. The fact that he’d effectively sentenced Milla, Fada, and Luther to death and had then carried out the sentence. The way he enjoyed bloodshed and the censure in his voice when he spoke to Charis.

A list of things she didn’t dare bring to Mother. Instead, she said, “I don’t trust his judgment.”

“Reuben is your head guard.”

“Reuben is a man who craves violence and fear and constantly needs to be reminded that he has no power over me.”

Mother’s smile was sly. “I would think delivering a reminder like that would be child’s play for you.”

“I grow weary of it.” Charis took a seat beside the bed. “I’d prefer for those closest to me to be people I can fully trust.”

Something dangerous flashed in the queen’s eyes. “There is no one you can fully trust. To rule is to be alone. Every person in your life wants something from you. Every person would turn on you for the right price. Everyone loves power more than they will ever love you, and if removing you will give them more power, they’ll do it. You must be the most ruthless, most cunning, most dangerous person in the room. Always. I thought you understood that.”

“I do.” Charis turned away, her gaze skimming the maps on the wall. Of course she knew she wasn’t supposed to trust anyone. Mother had made sure to carve that lesson deep into Charis’s heart. She knew to keep her guard up and her sword sharp. Was it wrong to wish that, just once, she didn’t have to?

“Even your closest friends cannot be fully trusted.” Mother’s voice was cold. “You can never be sure if they love you, or if they love the idea of being close to the throne.”

“I understand.” Charis kept her voice as icy as the queen’s. “But I must be able to trust my head guard’s judgment of others, and I do not.”

“Well, I do, so that is the end of that.”

Charis nodded obediently, despite the anger that seethed within her.

“Now—” The queen coughed and quickly snatched a pillow to press against her abdomen, her mouth tight with pain.

“Can I help?” Charis leaned forward.

“I’m fine.” The queen set the pillow aside, but now her hands trembled slightly. It wouldn’t be long before she would need to rest. “The council members have been summoned.”

“I’m heading to the war room after this.”

“We need a strong response to King Alaric Penbyrn . . .” The queen’s voice trailed off, and she sank deeper into her pillows.

“Don’t worry, Mother.” Charis stood. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Thirty minutes later, Charis left Reuben and Elsbet stationed in the corridor and entered the war room. It was Tal’s afternoon off, and she’d overridden his protests that the attack on Irridusk meant she needed extra protection in favor of sending him to the stables or the kitchens or wherever it was he spent his few free hours a week. Guarding her nonstop had to be a taxing job. She wasn’t going to force him to go without a break, especially when the current threat was so far away.

The war room was a long rectangle with an enormous window at the east end overlooking the streets of Arborlay, where homes with white stone walls and colorful roofs wound down the hill below the palace until they reached the shore. Maps of Montevallo, Calera, and the vast sea with its six other kingdoms, the basilisk cave, and the warren of treacherous islands, outcroppings, and whirlpools that littered the northern waters beyond the kingdom of Embre were mounted to the south wall. Battle plans, known troop outposts, and the locations of Montevallo’s biggest towns were mounted to the north wall. In the center, a long oval table surrounded by chairs sat waiting for the council members to arrive.

The door opened, and Lady Channing entered, her sensible green dress devoid of all frills except for the sea glass brooch she wore at her throat. Lord Everly entered just behind her, his expression as dour as his dull gray doublet and vest. He was Mother’s third cousin. He was also firmly in the group who advocated for annexing the north to Montevallo and being done with the war.

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