Page 59 of Of Brides Of Queens

She scoffed. “’Tis warped. Everyone knows. Nothing can fix it.”

The princess did not seem very distraught over this, so did she not care for her king, or was this a cover just like her bravado?

I said, “So your king seeks to fix the warping of your union with amendments? And you will not sign these. You can refuse him because the union is warped, or… can you refuse because the amendments have nothing to do with his purpose?”

The princess sat. “What has my union got to do with you?”

I crossed my legs and regarded her defensiveness. What did it cloak? “I had anticipated meeting a princess who could refuse a king. The idea of losing my purpose has kept me from agreeing to princessdom. That path is closed to me now, but I wish to know if a monster might keep herself among kings.”

“There is a king you yearn for,” she whispered. “King See, I imagine, if he has stopped pining for Take. For you, how could he not? Or do you wish to steal a king?” Her tone gained a steely edge.

I smiled. Here was a princess who did care for her king, which narrowed my theories. “I do not wish to steal your king, Princess Raise.”

She faced the ceiling some more. “That would have made sense. I cannot think why else you would let me stay here for so small a price. And that deal is set in stone, just so you know. Do not think to add to our agreement.”

“I do not think to do that,” I murmured. “What questions have you for me?”

She faced me. “I get questions?”

“Knowing a monster is a two-sided affair at least. You must know other princesses?”

“Yes, yes. Not in confinement, but I see them now and then. We used to meet for regular scares in the beginning.” She waved a hand in the air, and I jerked at the flash of lace.

Of beautiful, fragile, agedlace.

I gripped the armrests of my throne to stop from launching at her. My heart galloped with the sheer want to wrench the prized possession from her delicate wrists.

Only when I could trust my voice, did I say, “Regular scares. How delightful.All of you together?”

“Of course, though we would meet at Take’s or my king’s kingdoms for obvious political reasons.”

Given that these kings both saved and ruined.

“That was a long time ago,” she mused.

Quiet fell then, and I could not find it in me to interrupt the completeness of the princess’s inner reflection. She was used to confinement in recent years, and perhapsunused to waiting to reflect until alone.

So I watched her reflect, feeling grateful for more than a blinking glimpse of her genuine feeling. Her heavy breaths told me that she missed the other princesses. The social interaction. Her low chuckle spoke of her fond memories with them.

This princess was quick-witted, bustling, and confident. She was surely meant for towering purpose.

Raise jerked, and I averted my gaze to a window before she caught me observing her solitude.

She cleared her throat. “Losing my purpose was a heavy consideration for me. I had seen what became of other female monsters. We had all, kings and princesses, started to guesswhat union entailed. Princess Change altered so drastically after union. Everything seemed to alter after that.”

I hummed. “What made you decide on union to King Raise despite that?”

“Love.” She sat abruptly and clapped a hand over the blank space where her mouth might be. Her entire face blushed crimson. “You.How do you do that to me?”

“Do what?”

She thumped the chaise with a fist. “Get me to say that which I should not?”

This was a princess of sharp intellect and calculation. She felt wariness and seriousness, and a monster might never guess as much without peering beyond her laugh and swagger.

“One evening I shall share my theories with you, Princess Raise,” I said. “But what you have confessed stays with me. You married for love, and I am happy for you. Do you love him still?”

She waited to answer, but this time my power did not pull the answer from her. “Yes, and he loves me.”

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