Chapter 163

Waking up to an empty bed didn’t surprise Kit too much, though it did disappoint her. She had a feeling Eli wouldn’t be there when she awoke. Unlike the other Representatives, he usually wasn’t. She knew it was because his duties had never allowed him to sleep much, and by the time she awoke, he was usually hours into fulfilling whatever tasks needed to be done in order to ensure her safety. Still, this particular morning, finding the other side of the bed empty alarmed her, and Kit had a sinking feeling in her stomach that something was the matter before her feet even hit the floor.

Kit gathered her discarded clothing from the night before and put it on thoughtlessly before she headed back down the hallway to her regular chambers. The hall was mostly empty, save the two guards who walked along with her in silence. She looked into their eyes to see if either of them might give away a secret, something awful that might’ve happened while Kit slept, but neither of them looked particularly knowledgeable.

Once in her room, Kit’s ladies dressed her with tight lips. Despite her questioning as to what was wrong, they all three insisted nothing was amiss as far as they knew, but they were either lying or all had a similar feeling in their gut as the one Kit was having because it wasn’t like them not to chat and giggle while they prepared her for the morning meal.

Kit took her place next to her mother on the dais. Even the scent of the food set on the table before her was unappetizing and made her stomach churn. A brief glance around the room told her immediately her intuition had been correct. Nearly all of the Representatives were in attendance, but not all. She’d seen Gavin and Zane coming down the hall and knew they’d be there momentarily. But Eli’s chair was empty. And he’d never arrived at the morning meal later than Kit—ever.

An overwhelming sense of panic began to well up inside of Kit, but she wasn’t sure what she should do. Was now the time to pull the wool off of her mother’s eyes? To let her know Kit and several others were on to her games? Or should she try to remain calm and sort it out civilly? The latter would be difficult, particularly if her mother admitted to knowing anything about Eli’s whereabouts and she had done something to him.

A quick sip of water did nothing for the lump in her throat or her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth. Kit tried again, clearing her throat with a hand pressed to her neck, but the lump remained. She’d have to learn to speak around it.

The queen was blathering on about something inconsequential, décor for an upcoming ball. Kit wasn’t listening at all. She was looking for an opening. Finally, one came, not because the queen was done listening to the sound of her own voice but because she paused to take a bite of egg. Kit tried to keep her voice calm as she asked, “Do you happen to know where Eli is?”

For a brief moment, she saw a flicker across her mother’s face before her expression morphed into her usual snarl. She did know something, whether she cared to admit it or not. The queen finished chewing before saying, “Do you think it’s polite to interrupt our discussion with such questions? How should I know where he is?”

Kit’s best efforts to keep her pulse from racing were losing out. Still, she needed to try harder. Without any tangible proof that her mother had done something to Eli, she could do more harm than good by calling the queen out in front of everyone, particularly if there was another reason for his absence. Despite the flicker on her mother’s face, Kit had no evidence.

“You weren’t pleased that he was crowned the victor yesterday. You didn’t call him to your chambers to discuss it?” Kit tried to keep her tone light and innocent but even she could hear the accusatory tone underlying each word.

“Why ever would I want to do that?” Rona asked, scoffing. “No, I wasn’t pleased. You know how I detest the man. But... he won. That’s that. Wasn’t he with you last night?”

“Yes, but....”

“And was he not there this morning when you awoke?”

Kit shook her head. No reason to explain to her mother that Eli usually wasn’t there when she woke up.

Rona shrugged. “How should I know? Perhaps he’s off pleasuring one of your ladies.”

“All of my ladies are here!” Kit’s tone lost any pleasantness.

Once again, Rona snickered. “Then maybe he’s found a chambermaid, or a scullery maid. Who knows? You can’t honestly think he isn’t stepping out on you, can you? He has a reputation, you know.”

Kit’s blue eyes narrowed of their own accord. The queen was just making things up now to upset her. How could someone’s own mother be so cruel? Unable to look at her anymore, Kit turned her head back to the Representatives seated in front of her, thinking perhaps a wink from Cassius would make her feel better, or a smile from Jate. But when she looked up, neither of them were present either. When they’d left, she didn’t know. They hadn’t asked the queen’s permission.

Rona noticed, too. “Where are Cassius and Jate?”

It took a few seconds for her question to make it down the table, but eventually, Kit’s grandmother, Junno, replied, “Oh, they asked me if they may be excused for a moment, since you and the princess were in conversation, Your Majesty. They shall be back shortly.”

Rona wasn’t happy with that response but she said nothing, only went back to her eggs. There would be no more discussion of the ball as clearly the queen was no longer in the mood to talk about such happy affairs.

Kit held her breath for several minutes, trying to decide what to do. Her eyes met Reeve’s, and he gave her a supportive smile. Landon’s expression was reassuring as well, and she hoped that wherever Cassius and Jate had gone, they’d told their friends, thus the explanation for their contentment.

It seemed like an eternity passed before they returned—and when they did, Eli was with them. Kit could tell immediately something was wrong. He wouldn’t look at her, didn’t even lift his eyes as he walked in, and when he took his seat, Cassius was more than a little accommodating, helping him sit down.