Chapter 209

The sun was barely up when there was a knock on Kit’s chamber door. She knew who it was before Isla even answered. Even picturing his hideous face in her mind before seeing it over her cousin’s shoulder had her stomach churning.

Vin seemed wide awake for as early as it was, especially since Kit imagined he’d been up half of the night at least. His gray eyes were brighter than usual, and the snarl on his face seemed to pull his thin lips into as much of a smile as she’d ever noted. “The queen would see the princess,” he said with no formal greeting or as much as a tip of the head at the duchess.

Isla turned to look at the princess who was already standing behind her. Three of her Representatives had chosen to stay with her, sitting on the settee while Kit pretended to try to sleep. All three, Jate, Cassius, and Danyen, stood and walked her direction, but Kit waved them off. “I’ll be back soon.”

Cassius tipped his head to the side, his green eyes narrow, and Kit could sense he had the same unsettled feeling inside of him that swirled around in her abdomen. “Be careful, Kit.”

She nodded, wondering if maybe the red dress she still wore was too bold a move at this juncture. It was too late now. Exchanging glances with the others, including her ladies, she followed Vin out the door and jumped slightly when it jarred closed behind her.

Two of her own guards started to follow, but Vin insisted, “That’s not necessary. My men can handle it.” There were four other members of the Queen’s Guard with him, and by the size and shape of them, she imagined they could handle just about anything.

“Sir,” one of her guards, a short man with a broad nose, began, “on orders from our own commander, we are not to let the princess out of our sight.”

“Well, I guess you’ll just have to disobey those orders and replace them with my own,” Vin replied, turning on one heel to look at the two.

The men hesitated, not knowing what to do. “It’s all right,” Kit assured them, though she doubted that very much. If only Eli were there. He’d find a way to put Vin in his place and make sure the princess was followed.

At the princess’s request, the two dropped back. Kit prayed they would at least go speak to Galter and let him know what had transpired. If she did end up needing assistance, it would be better if someone knew who had taken her.

She followed behind Vin, two guards on either side of her and two just behind, not a word spoken by any of them. The castle was beginning to wake, and the servants she passed in the hallway did not speak, only caught her eyes, fearful looks in each of theirs, as if they could somehow sense something was amiss.

Kit studied the soldiers’ boots and noticed many of them had more dirt than would be expected if they had only been in the gardens surrounding the castle. She wondered if some or all of these men had been there when Gy was tossed into the bog and decided they likely had. She could only assume Vin had been overseeing the operation. It seemed where death and destruction lay, he was always involved.

The guards at her mother’s throne room door stepped aside as Vin approached. He pulled the door open for Kit and followed her inside, which she thought highly unusual but did not comment on.

Also unusual was the fact that Pierce was standing near the throne, dressed in the most regal outfit Kit had ever seen him wear. His presence was startling enough to make her forget to bow for a moment. Dropping her head, she recited the same speech she’d said to her mother thousands of times and kissed the ring when offered to her, waiting to be told she could stand.

Rona took her time. Other than Pierce and Vin, there was no one else in the throne room save the mother and daughter. Still, Rona seemed to relish the fact that her daughter could not look up until she gave her word, so she left her staring at the carpet runner for far too long before nonchalantly saying, “You may rise.”

Kit’s eyes flickered back to Pierce. He had a smarmy look on his face, as if she’d tried to take his dessert, and he’d ended up with an entire cake all to himself. While it didn’t matter much to Kit what he was doing there, it did break the rules of the Choosing since he was to have left the castle the night before, as soon as she dismissed him. She remembered her mother mentioning he might be back, but there hadn’t been enough time for him to leave and return already.

The queen didn’t seem too interested in explaining the former Representative’s presence. Instead, she let out a mournful sigh and said, “I’m afraid I have disconcerting news, Princess Katrinetta.”

Stealing herself, Kit asked, “What’s that, my mother the queen?”

“I’m afraid your Eliason has gone off and done something disappointing once again.”

Fear bubbled to the surface, lodging in her throat as Kit considered if her mother had an idea that Eli had fled the castle in the middle of the night in order to stay safe from her fury. “Wh-what’s that?”

“He was seen leaving the castle last night.”

Kit’s eyes widened. Had Eli been caught and dispatched? Wouldn’t Cassius have somehow known? Or Galter?” “He... was?”

“Yes, along with one of the servant girls. He didn’t even take his own horse. I have heard rumors he was even dressed in lady’s clothing, though I can’t be sure.”

Kit’s heartbeat began to settle slightly as she realized this was all her mother’s crafty scheme to pretend she hadn’t sent her henchmen in to dispatch the Representative from Eastbury. “That seems unusual,” Kit muttered, not sure how to take all of this.

“Yes, well, I’ve been telling you all along he was not one to be trusted. And yet, you continued to put your faith in him. Really, it must’ve been the fear of being tied to you indefinitely that sent him scurrying on the very night that you Roomed him.”

Kit ran her tongue along her bottom lip, contemplating an answer. “It doesn’t seem like Eli to leave his duties behind. Are you certain it was him? There are others in my guard who have a similar build.”

“I’m certain, Katrinetta. Vin saw the man himself, and you must know I can trust my guard wholeheartedly. Besides, have you seen Eli this morning?”

It seemed like a test, a validation. After all, the time that the queen had attempted to set Eli up pleasuring Seph in his chambers, he had been with Kit. “No, Mother, I have not. But it’s quite early.”

“But you weren’t alone in your chambers, were you? You were already dressed. Shocking choice of gowns, I must say.”

“She had three Representatives in her chambers, as well as her ladies, when we arrived,” Vin offered.

Kit fought the urge to turn and look at him. “Yes, I did. A few of the men heard something odd last night and wanted to check on my welfare, that’s all.”

“Something odd?” The queen cocked her head to the side. “Whatever might that be?”

“I haven’t any idea, Mother. They just said it sounded like hurried, heavy footsteps in the hall near their rooms, possibly items falling on the floor in one of the rooms.”

“Hmmm. Perhaps it was Eli packing up whatever valuables he sought to take with him.”

“Perhaps.” It was a difficult word for Kit to get out seeing as though she wanted to lash out at her mother, to accuse her of killing Gy, poor Ras, and the others. If only she knew for certain the revolutionaries were ready, then she would let her tongue fly. But facing her mother alone, with Vin standing so closely behind her, and knowing what he’d already done to Eli, Kit was complacent to bide her time.

The queen let out another sigh as if she could hardly bear to be the one to tell her daughter the man she’d loved for so long wasn’t what she’d believed him to be. “I suppose you’ll have only six Roomed, then. It’s far too late for Eastbury to send anyone else.”

Kit considered the information she’d received about Eastbury sending lots of people, men ready to fight on her behalf. “I suppose so.”

“As soon as you are ready to announce the final Roomed, we shall move on to the next stage of your Choosing. I am ready for this to be over.” Rona rubbed the middle of her forehead as if she could feel a headache coming on.

“Yes, Mother.” Kit’s eyes flickered to Pierce. While his nose was still in the air, he had a pained look on his face whenever the queen mentioned the Choosing. “Will there be anything else?”

Rona began to shake her head, and Kit could feel a dismissal coming and was glad for it, until the throne room doors pushed open and a number of guardsmen poured in. With bowed heads, the leader said, “Pardon us, Your Highness, for the interruption. It seems Remont is not in his chambers. We’ve done a search of the castle and have not been able to locate him.”