Page 209 of A Queen's Game
“I’m not sure which meeting room he’s in, let alone what meeting.”
“He’s a warmonger in a war—what else would they meet about?”
“He’s also on the King’s Council of Ministers and attends meetings related to those duties.” Amryth sighed again. “I should stop letting you talk me into bad ideas.”
“But then your life would be boring.”
“Or calm.”
“Exactly, boring.” Marietta glanced around the corner, finding a few uniformed guards. “Perhaps they know?”
Amryth swore. “They would, considering they’re all captains and part of the Elite Guard.”
“Like you are.”
“Like I was. Keyain and I agreed it’d be best if I transitioned to a different role a few weeks ago, since we spend so much time together.”
Marietta jerked her head towards her. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“Didn’t seem important.”
“I don’t want to affect your career, Amryth.”
She batted away the words. “It was my idea to switch. I couldn’t stand listening to them,” she nodded her head at the soldiers, “gush about how great of a male Keyain is. I’ve seen the truth.”
Marietta placed a hand on Amryth’s arm. “I’m glad you have.”
“Same.” She sighed and rolled her shoulders. “Wait here. I’ll say you have an urgent message for Keyain, so prepare some doting response. I’m sure they’re expecting it.”
Amryth approached a stocky, dark-skinned elven man. Her heart sank when she recognized the other two guards standing with him. One had ash blonde hair pulled into a tail and a sneer on her face—Adalyn, the guard from the Ertwymer Sculpture Gardens who witnessed the King nearly kissing her. The otherwas Ryder, the guard at the Snapdragon, who Adalyn told about the kissing incident.
Great, just great. The deities had damned her with such luck. All three guards turned their attention to Marietta, who tried to appear as demure as possible with her hands clasped behind her back, head cast down as she looked through her lashes. Adalyn would know, however, that she was less than the doting wife she attempted to play.
Amryth turned with a dour face and waved Marietta over. Marietta kept up the innocent act as she approached, the three guards glaring at her.
“Lady Marietta,” the dark-skinned elven man said with a bow, his bald head catching the light. “It’s been a while.”
“Apologies, I don’t think we’ve met.” Unless they met while Keyain still kept her drugged.
“Oh, we have. I wouldn’t forget the first time I met you back in Rotamu.” He smiled, his mouth wide. “Back then, you were just his partner, not his secrethalf-elvenbride.”
The gods must have been toying with her. Marietta’s smile fell as she remembered the first time Keyain left for six months, meeting hisfriendsfor drinks at a tavern. The bastard had referred to her as a clip.
“Peryn, that was a long time ago. What happened to the woman you traveled with, Rynka?” Marietta glanced in the hallway, hoping not to see the ill-tempered woman.
“She quit as soon as we returned to Satiros.” Peryn gave her a leveling stare, his implication clear. Keyain had crossed a line. “I see you’re still a half-elf.”
“And what else would I be?”
“Well, you’re definitely not good enough for Keyain,” Adalyn said, looking over Marietta from head to toe with her arms crossed against her chest.
Marietta clenched her fists, checking her anger. She needed to persevere, get the information she needed, and she’d never see these people again.
“I don’t know,” Ryder said, running a hand through his auburn hair. He leaned to the side, glancing behind Marietta. “Her ass is as amazing as Keyain said.”
With blinding anger, she was ready to snap as he burst out laughing. Amryth beat her to a response. “Marietta is a lady of this court, and you three will treat her as such. Understood?”
Ryder laughed again, grinning. “That was pretty tame compared to what I usually say about the noble ladies. Like that Lady Elyse—if I could get her to ride me like she did that Chorys Dasian—”
