Page 56 of Of Brides Of Queens

“Have them take her to the conservatory,” I ordered.

“I will do so. Do not forget your crown, my queen. And, perhaps a moment to lessen your midnight blush and… agitation.”

I clenched my teeth. “He interrupted the focus of my obsession this evening.”

“I would imagine interrupting a queen’s obsession is very hard to do.”

Valetise curtsied and left.

I did not like that See could push me to this state—nor that I had let him. I must focus again on the matter at hand. I must not believe in the possibility of rekindling romance with him. I must abandon thoughts of destiny and enter again into ancient obsession.

Inhaling, I held my breath. Then—oof—released it in a rush.

Princess Raise.

My pawns had succeeded before their deadline of dawn, though I did wish to know what took them so long.

I walked toward the conservatory, listening to the occasional click of my low heels. I hadn’t calmed as much as preferred, or I would have felt the true weight of meeting another princess.

As it was, I felt the weight the second of meeting her. At the conservatory entrance to be exact.

The princess wore a crisp suit and a wide-brimmed fedora hat, a hat I only knew the name of because the president of Vitale liked to wear the same style.

Otherwise, she had no facial features to speak of. I had always thought her king’s face was blurred because I could not see any kings’ face. Should I assume that he was as faceless as his bride? Or did this princess hold unexpected power?

She laughed, though I did not know where from. “A midnight blush, a distraction of mind and body. Is this the queen that I hear of only this night?” Her voice was clear and unafraid.

She had not known of the new queen, or perhaps even that a new monster had walked into the toothed beast’s yawn. Her confinement had been comprehensive.

My attention swept from the very free princess to Sign, Seal, and Deliver, who lay very unfree. She had them trussed in an awkward roped heap atop the glass entrance to Raise’s kingdom.

Who had delivered whom?

Princess Raise kicked Seal, who grunted. “I had decided against coming, but then Prince Seal mentioned your invitation to bargain. Curiosity got the better of me.”

“Curiosity is a great force,” I replied.

“Why did you send my liege’s princes to capture me to bargain?” Her shoulders tightened. “Howdid you do that?”

“You could have informed your king of the capture attempt.” I ignored her questions.

“Is that what you suppose?” the princess mocked. “He would have tried to prevent this visit, and I did not want the bother of convincing him.” She frowned, yet did not utter her confusion over why she just answered me honestly.

This princess wished to know how I had power over Raise’s princes. Did she wish to mimic this for her own end? “You are in my queendom, and I am glad you came of your own choice.”

“Why do you wish to bargain with me?” She faced my mirror, straightening her tie and inspecting her crisp suit. She adjusted her fedora next.

“I wish to get to know you. There are few female monsters.”

She snorted, dusting her shoulders off. “Right. What do you really want?”

“You might assume what you will. I have given you my answer.”

“Uh-huh. My time is not cheap, especially after confinement. I get extra itchy, and as far as I can see, you have nothing to bargain with. You should have had the princes bargain on your behalf while I was trapped.”

“Forgive me, I had thought that you would not agree to anything at all that you did not wish to, having chosen a three-year confinement over signing an amendment with your king.”

She laughed again, then pivoted from the mirror. Her hands were slotted in the pockets of her waistcoat. “And I will not. What do you have that could interest me?”

---