Page 37 of The Queen's Crown
The steward led her into the royal quarters. They passed by several sofas and chairs, all lightly colored. If this was considered the king’s personal sitting area, it lacked a fireplace. Come to think of it, her room did as well. Perhaps it didn’t get cold enough for one. She had a hard time imagining that.
Gunther stopped before a small, private dining room where the king sat at the head of a rectangular table with six chairs. Four archways adorned the wall to the left, sheer curtains hanging next to them, gently blowing in the breeze, revealing a narrow balcony, only three feet wide on the other side.
The king stood, commanding her attention. “Princess Sabine Ludwig. Welcome.” He wore a sleeveless vest that exposed his tanned, muscular torso and arms. It looked as if he spent his days training with the army. Maybe he did. After all, Lynk was known for its military might.
“King Rainer Manfred,” Sabine said as she stepped into the room.
Rainer motioned for her to take the seat to his right, so she did.
A servant rushed in, placing several trays laden with food on the table.
“Help yourself,” the king said.
Sabine scooped some fruit on her plate and a piece of bread drizzled with honey. Examining the food, she didn’t notice anything of concern. However, she kept her focus on her plate instead of the man sitting next to her. The king. Who made her slightly uncomfortable. While he was the same age as Alina, Sabine felt the gap in years acutely between them. Physically, he felt much older than her, older than Rolf and Karl even. Perhaps it was the wide set of his shoulders, his towering height, or the light dusting of hair on his chest.
“Thank you for meeting with me this morning,” he said, his deep voice rumbly like horse hooves racing across the field. “I would like to first offer my condolences. Alina—Princess Alina—was a remarkable woman who didn’t deserve to die as she did. I hold myself fully responsible and vow to find the murderer.”
Stunned by his words, Sabine set her fork down, observing him. “Thank you.” His eyes held hers, making her face feel warm. “I want nothing more than to discover the person who killed my sister.” She hadn’t expected him to care about Alina’s death since he barely knew her. If they worked together, they could solve her murder.
“I hear you had a dangerous encounter on your trip here.” He reached out as he spoke, placing his large, calloused hand on her forearm.
“I did.” She blinked a few times, not knowing what to make of his touch. In Bakley, such an intimate gesture was something only two people who were familiar with one another did. But they were to marry soon, and such things were common among couples. It was just that his warm hand felt like boiling water, searing her with a burning warmth she didn’t understand. Over the years, she’d danced, walked, and even conversed in dark corners with men. Well, technically boys her own age. This, whatever this was that she felt toward King Rainer, seemed different. Somehow more potent and it scared her.
“When my men and I met up with your carriage and soldiers, I was stunned to learn what had transpired and that you had gone on ahead with a single soldier for protection.” He removed his hand from her arm and leaned back in his chair, watching her with his dark eyes.
Axel had told her Rainer was out investigating Alina’s death. If that were the case, he had no business being anywhere near her carriage. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had something to do with the attack. She licked her lips, trying to find a way to ask him what he’d been doing there in the first place. “Is my carriage here at the palace?” she asked, pulling off a piece of her bread and eating it.
“No. It’ll be here in a day or two. After I spoke with your soldiers, I returned home, hoping to arrive before you did. I’m sorry I was not here to greet you.”
“Why did you meet up with my carriage?” she asked, needing to hear his explanation. Her hands began to shake, so she set them on her lap where he couldn’t see them. Maybe him touching her and looking at her as if she were important was his way of trying to throw her off. She’d done the same by flirting with men to learn a bit of gossip or to get something she wanted. Right now, it seemed like Rainer was trying to get her to trust him, which meant she needed to keep her guard up. While she wanted to believe he was sincere, they’d only just met, and she was no fool.
Rainer took a drink from his goblet before answering. “I had to travel to Carlon to meet with the League. When your father wrote to me, telling me you’d take your sister’s place, he changed a few minor details of the contract. I had to give the League the new contract for approval.”
His answer only caused Sabine to question even more. However, she didn’t want to appear like a simpleton, so she refrained from speaking.
“On my way back to Lynk, I came across your carriage as there are only two main roads leading to my kingdom.”
She was certain Axel told her that Rainer was out investigating Alina’s murder. Which meant that either Axel had lied, or Rainer was lying right now.
He was staring at her, as if waiting for her to say something.
“My father didn’t mention that he’d altered the contract at all.” She would have to write to him to ask if he had and if so, why.
“Minor details. Regardless, I am required to follow protocol.”
She nodded as if she knew this already.
“I’ll be honest,” he said as he propped his elbow on the back of the chair, pulling his vest wider and exposing his entire muscled stomach to her. “I was disappointed when I learned you weren’t with your carriage.”
“Why?” The question slipped out before she could stop herself.
He stared at her for an uncomfortable minute before replying. “I wanted to meet you to make sure we are aligned in our goals.”
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and Sabine felt danger rising like a lake during a downpour. “Please explain.” It sounded an awful lot like he could be her sister’s killer. As if he would have done the same to Sabine if he found them not aligned. Maybe he’d kill her now if he discovered that to be the case. She needed to tread carefully.
“Alina and I exchanged letters before we agreed to marry one another. I am intimately aware of your kingdom’s troubles, just as Alina knew about mine. We…agreed on several issues.”
Markis had mentioned something about Alina and Rainer’s letters. He wanted to find them so her brother Rolf could read them to see if there was anything important in them.
