Page 37 of A Crown of Tears and Treason
If I hadn’t heard their poisoned whispers, I would’ve said Banu and Valuta were doing an excellent job at playing friendly. I wondered how far they would take the charade.
“I was told I’d meet the king and queen,” I said.
Valuta made a dramatic gesture with her fan; I was struck by the overwhelming impulse to snap it in half.
“You know royals, fashionably late.” She let out a trickle of a laugh; it sounded grating. “How are you finding the Blood Brotherhood so far? The throne room must be quite a sight compared to that dingy little cottage hidden at the back of the Citadel.”
Thatdingycottage had more gold in it than the entire Protectorate high command. I didn’t care.
“Very different from the Protectorate,” I said.
Banu scoffed, but he quieted when Valuta placed a gentle hand on his protruding knee. “Yes, we’ve heard you have very different ideals when it comes to proper hierarchy, as you’ve probably seen.”
“You mean the kneeling?” I asked.
“Yes. Such an appropriate show of reverence.” Valuta trickled a laugh. “The Kovetmores are second only to the royal family. Everyone kneels in front of us.”
I raised a brow. I didn’t know enough about my own Clan to argue with her. I also didn’t want to reveal I’d heard their mutters–and tell them what? That I wasn’t livestock? They could have pretended I hadn’t heard right, like my parents did the few times I’d questioned their words.
I knew one thing for sure–nobody had been forced to kneel in front of me back home.
Valuta’s eyes bore into mine. I didn’t back down, meeting her gaze with my steeled one. My little defiant act.
They stared expectantly at me. Waiting for a kneel. At least a curtsy.
The silence around us turned smothering as I held my ground. But I was suddenly struck with a pressure at the back of my head as Valuta’s gaze darkened. Maybe kneeling wasn’t such a bad–
A wooden panel behind the main thrones slid to the side, breaking the uncomfortable staring contest. My gaze slid away from Valuta’s and I shook my head, dislodging the curious sensation.
Out came two of the most beautiful people I had ever seen. No cloud of pomp and circumstance around them, but they were obviously royal, from how their crowns glistened, down to thegraceful way they carried themselves. Backs straight, shoulders wide and taking as much space as they pleased. They had an air of power and weren’t afraid if people sensed it. Like my cousins.
But…there was something off about them. They seemedyoung. A-few-years-older-than-me young. But…that didn’t make any sense.
The same guard who had announced the advisors stepped forward. “King Eldryan and Queen Zavoya Rohenstorm, of the Rohen Dynasty.”
Quick, easy, and to the point. They both had stark black hair that fell straight down their backs, with cheekbones as high as their crowns. Zavoya had the kind of face that people paid good money to the Morgana Clan to glamor their features into, but hers seemed devoid of magic. Eldryan had strong eyebrows that slanted upwards, just like–
“–and Crown Prince Zandyr,” the guard finished before stepping back.
Another shiver raced down my back as Zandyr stepped through the secret door. The king and queen walked to their thrones hand in hand, poised and light as the air that surrounded them. Meanwhile, Zandyr strode down the steps toward me with quick, powerful strides. His eyes slashed toward the advisors, who had risen and bowed dramatically to the royals.
He sent them that same edged grin he’d used on the guests at my wedding. “Banu, Valuta, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Well.” Valuta fanned herself, giddy with the prince’s attention. “We know your training sessions can go on longer than you plan. We wanted to make sure our guest felt welcomed.”
“How attentive of you,” Zandyr said. “I didn’t know this meeting was public knowledge.”
“Now, Your Highness, we have to know everything that goes on in our great Capital, after all.”
“Of course.” Zandyr’s grin vanished as soon as his back turned to the advisors. Instead, his gaze narrowed on me.
“Why do you look like that?” he mouthed.
I narrowed my gaze right back. What wasthatsupposed to mean? “Like what?”
“Like you’ve seen a ghost,” he muttered as he came to stand next to me, shoulder to shoulder, facing the royals and the advisors.
I didn’t know what had gotten into me, but there was something unnerving in this room. Either the way the advisors had sized me up or whatever the underworld was going on with the king and queen, I couldn’t decide.
