Page 90 of Return of the Vengeful Quee

Thunderclouds gathered in Ferris’s eyes, though his expression remained excruciatingly polite. “Perhaps we can sort out the misunderstanding once we’ve finalized the treaty with King Alaric. He awaits us at the head table.”

Charis sensed Tal stiffen at her side, and she glanced past Ferris to see King Alaric at the opposite end of the room, the purple jewels knotted into his long, graying blond hair glittering beneath the chandeliers. He looked at Tal and smoothed his maroon and black dress coat as though his hands needed something to do.

Prince Vahn stood to Alaric’s right, his gaze finding Charis’s and holding. His mouth still held the hint of cruelty she’d seen months before, but there was a shadow in his brown eyes that she couldn’t identify.

On Alaric’s left stood a tall young woman with blue eyes and Tal’s jawline. Her maroon gown was accented by a silver sword sheathed at her waist. She barely glanced at Charis. Her full attention was on Tal, and the relief on her face made Charis decide that she liked Tal’s sister, Zale, a great deal more than she did the rest of his family.

“How are we going to sort out a misunderstanding about Charis’s title after finalizing the treaty?” Tal asked. “You told us King Alaric planned to kill us all once the ceremony was complete.”

Ferris glanced around as though worried about others overhearing and said softly, “Yes, that seems to be his plan. But Father and I have been working to get a different bargain into place, so just go along with whatever happens, and you’ll be safe.”

“Tal is already safe,” Nalani said. “We’re the ones in danger.”

“That’s what I meant.” Ferris sounded impatient. “All of you will be safe.”

Interesting. Charis swept past Ferris and headed toward the Montevallians. Ferris wanted her to believe he was still on her side. Either he was worried she posed a threat—unlikely, or he wouldn’t have even allowed her into the room—or there were at least a few people in the crowd who the Everlys were unsure of. They needed her to be compliant so they could incriminate her before she even had a chance to put up a defense.

Charis planned to be anything but compliant.

The nobles in attendance murmured as Charis, Tal, and Reuben began heading toward the Montevallians. Ferris kept pace beside them. Holland and Nalani had paused to take an appetizer from a serving girl’s tray.

As they passed the middle of the room Charis looked to her left. Servants were taking wraps to the coatroom or delivering goblets of fizzy winterberry wine to each guest. One coat bearer met her gaze boldly and held it for a long moment before looking away.

Charis tracked his progress across the room until he entered the coatroom. Was he simply curious about the princess who’d gone missing after the invasion and had returned as a captive queen? Had he been ordered by the Everlys to keep an eye on her?

When he didn’t reappear immediately, Charis kept walking. She couldn’t afford distractions. Her plan to goad Ferris into exposing the Everlys, shift the Calerans’ loyalty, and convince Queen Bai’elsha to align with her was a stack of cards. A single misstep would send the entire thing crashing down.

Tal cleared his throat as they approached his family. Charis turned her attention to King Alaric. She couldn’t warn him of the Everlys’ planned treachery without letting Ferris know that she knew what he’d been hiding. And even if she did warn Alaric, what could he do? He had four guards with him, plus Vahn and Zale. Not nearly enough to fight off both the Rakuuna and any Calerans who’d decided to swear fealty to Ferris instead of Charis. “Princess Charis, how nice to see you again.” Vahn inclined his head respectfully, but his gaze quickly skipped past her to rest on Tal, a speculative gleam in his eyes. “I see you still have your bodyguard in tow.”

“Someone had to care enough to rescue him.” Charis aimed the words at Vahn but looked to Alaric, whose eyes narrowed as he turned from her to examine Tal. Never mind that Charis hadn’t actually followed through on her plan to rescue Tal. Between Vahn, Alaric, and Charis, she was the only one who’d even entertained the idea.

“Ah, so you know his identity now.” Vahn sounded amused. “And his head is still attached to his shoulders. I guess you aren’t really the formidable opponent he said you’d be.”

“I’m no longer an opponent of anyone from Montevallo.”

She looked hard at Vahn, willing him to be even half as intuitive as Tal. Would he understand that Charis had other enemies circling?

“We should take our seats,” Ferris said, stepping between Charis and Vahn as if to direct the Montevallians to their designated chairs. “The ceremonial feast is about to begin.”

Charis scanned the room once more, heart pounding as her gaze skipped from one person to the next. Not a friend in the bunch. Not even the servants would look at her. Only Bai’elsha met her eyes, but Charis couldn’t read the expression in the Rakuuna queen’s black eyes.

Charis was seated between Tal and Ferris, with Holland and Nalani just down from Tal. Alaric sat across from her, flanked by Vahn and Zale. Lord and Lady Everly sat beside the Montevallians. The head chair was empty. She supposed the Everlys wanted it to symbolize that Calera was without an official ruler until the wedding ceremony and coronation took place after the feast.

“I’d like a real explanation for why you’re suddenly calling me Your Highness when you’ve spent two weeks calling me Your Majesty,” she said to Ferris as the first course was placed in front of them. Let him think she was anxious and wanted him on her side. The closer you kept your enemy, the easier it was to cut them off at the knees.

Ferris’s gaze shot toward his father and then at those seated at the surrounding tables.

“Laws and traditions must be upheld,” he said primly, dabbing his mouth with his napkin. “We can’t afford for Alaric to think we aren’t marrying his heir to the proper ruler of Calera. He could back out of the treaty.”

Except Alaric wasn’t the one worried about keeping up the appearance of following Caleran law. Lord Everly was. And he would only worry about that if he wasn’t sure he had enough support for the coup he had staged.

Maybe no one in the room would meet Charis’s eyes, but that didn’t mean they were all convinced they should support the Everlys. They simply didn’t want to be killed by the Rakuuna as punishment for going against what was planned. This pageantry was for their benefit. To assure their continued loyalty once the monsters had gone back to Te’ash.

If Charis could take the Rakuuna out of the equation, maybe she—as well as the Montevallians, Holland, and Nalani—had a chance of surviving what was to come.

“I’d like to hear more about the bargain you’ve made.” Charis lifted her spoon.

Ferris paused, his next bite of spiced pumpkin soup hovering over his bowl. “What bargain?” His gaze shot to his father and then back to her as a frown pinched his brow.

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