Page 30 of The Queen's Crown
“I agree,” Axel replied.
“We don’t want gossip to start before our dear brother has a chance to present her to his court the way he wants to,” Lottie said. “He’ll need to figure out how to introduce this sister when he just introduced the other one not long ago.”
“People are still jittery about the murder,” Anton said.
Sabine realized that the palace was very different from her home in Bakley. At her castle, only the royal family resided there. “How many people live here at the palace?” she asked.
“Anyone of importance has rooms here,” Lottie answered.
She had no idea how many people that would be. Lynk had dukes but she couldn’t remember how many or if anyone else was considered important.
“At any given time, I’d say there are usually around twenty families here,” Anton clarified. “And I’d say probably fifty servants and at least that many guards, though I’ve never counted before.”
“I’m shocked you don’t know the exact number,” Axel mused, swirling the wine in his goblet before taking a sip.
This supper felt like being back home with her own family. The familiar banter carried on throughout their meal. While she didn’t know these siblings well, it pleased her that they were comfortable enough to tease one another in front of her.
Once done eating, she excused herself. Her guards escorted her back to her bedchamber. When they reached it, Markis went inside and checked the room, making sure it was safe.
“All clear,” he said. “I’ll be out here in the hallway if you need anything.”
“At some point, I hope you sleep.” He had to be exhausted and he couldn’t watch over her all the time.
“Yes, Your Highness,” he replied, bowing his head.
“Goodnight.” She closed the door and locked it.
After putting on bedclothes, Sabine climbed into bed and fell fast asleep.
When Sabine awoke in the morning, a letter had been slid under her door. It instructed her to remain in her room until the king returned. She groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was waste time holed up in her bedchamber when she could be exploring her new home and trying to find information about her sister’s assassin. She wouldn’t be able to discover the killer unless she questioned the inhabitants of the palace.
Not wanting to upset the royal siblings, she did as they asked and remained in her room. She spent the day going through Alina’s belongings and remembering some of the good times they shared growing up. A few bad memories managed to resurface. Like the one birthday when Sabine had asked for a white pony like Alina’s. When she didn’t get it, she was so mad she went out to the barn to take Alina’s. Only, when she got close to the horse, it nipped at her, breaking the skin on her hand. Sabine had accused Alina of teaching the horse to do that. Alina cried and Sabine was punished for it. She was so furious she refused to come down for her own birthday celebration. Funny that she remembered that event now of all times.
After closing the last trunk, she stood and ventured out onto the balcony. The wind whipped around her, tossing her hair, and making it difficult to see. She pulled her hair back, knotting it at the base of her head. Breathing in, she reveled at the warmth of the air. It smelled lovely here. No horse or cow manure, only exotic fragrances from the plants. She made it half-way out onto the balcony before she froze in place. She could have sworn the balcony swayed ever so slightly. That was enough for her—she ran back inside.
It amazed her that someone had managed to construct a balcony sticking out over the edge of solid ground like that. Especially from so high up, over a hundred feet from the bottom of the valley floor. At least the palace itself was built on top of the mountain. Granted, it would be nice if there was some sort of perimeter around the palace instead of it going straight down.
Meandering through her room, she didn’t know what else to do to occupy her time. She really wanted to start tracking down her sister’s killer. With the murderer still loose, she couldn’t feel at ease in the palace. Not only that, but her sister deserved justice. A thought occurred to her. Maybe the royal family had something to hide and that was why they insisted she remain in her room. It would give them time to get rid of the evidence. She glanced at the door. If she insisted on leaving her room, there wasn’t much her guards could do to stop her. At least, she didn’t think there was anything they could do.
Her sister would have followed the rules. Sabine was inclined not to. However, for now, she decided to stay put. She was used to doing things before thinking them through. This time, she needed to make sure she had a solid plan in place before she acted.
That night, Claire brought Sabine her supper. The three siblings seemed to be quite serious about not letting her step foot out of her bedchamber.
Frustrated, she took the tray and went over to her bed, setting it on there. “Do you know why the princes and princess wish for me to remain in here until the king returns?” Sabine asked before Claire could leave. She knew the siblings didn’t want her to be introduced to the court before the king returned, which she accepted, but she didn’t understand having to hide in her room.
“Oh, I, uh, assume they…”
“They what?” she prompted.
Claire’s face turned red. “I think they’re concerned about you looking queenly in case any of the Lynk people see you. They want to make sure everyone accepts you as their ruler.”
Sabine sat on the bed, dumbfounded. She’d always taken pride in the dresses she wore and how she presented herself. “What does a Lynk queen look like?” It had been years since the late queen died. Regardless, people would compare Sabine to the royal siblings’ mother.
“Beautiful and seductive. As a queen should be.”
Sabine almost choked on her own spit. Not once had she ever thought a queen should be seductive. Elegant and refined, yes. Seductive? Absolutely not. Her sister must have been horrified when she came here.
“No offense, Your Highness, but right now you look like a foreigner.”
