If Vin had said anything to the queen about their run in in the kitchen, Rona kept it to herself. Kit assumed her mother knew, though. There wasn’t much that escaped the queen. During the dinner before the ball, Rona was particularly quiet, her eyes slightly narrowed, and a knowing grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. Kit wasn’t sure if the queen was up to something or just wanted to pique Kit’s suspicions. The princess didn’t eat much. She’d come up with a plan the night before regarding how to track Pierce, but it would take help, and she wasn’t exactly sure who she could trust. Danyen would assist her and keep his mouth shut about it, she was certain of that. But she needed another accomplice, and all of the usual suspects were out of the question because she knew they would only tell her not to go through with it, that it was too dangerous. Perhaps they were right. Perhaps following Pierce would be the catalyst that set the world on fire. But... looking acro

 Reeve was waiting for Kit, so she released the commander with a fond smile and turned to the other man. The Representative from Erast Hollow wasn’t one to call attention to himself, so she imagined the fact that he was waiting for her meant he was desperate for some time with her. It had been a while, and she knew she needed to remedy that.“Are you enjoying your evening? You look troubled,” he asked as they began a slow waltz.“Not anymore troubled than usual. Yes, it’s been lovely so far, thank you. And you?”“It’s better now.”Kit smiled at the compliment. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to spend much time with you recently. So much has been going on. I’ve missed you.”“Don’t apologize, Princess. I understand. I’ve missed you as well, but when you have several duties to perform and many men to spend time with, it’s bound to come to

The morning meal was over, and Kit was on a mission, though she was trying not to project her duplicitous actions as she shot off of the dais and out the door without so much as a “good morning” to any of her Representatives. Perhaps saying something to someone would’ve been less suspicious, but the thought didn’t enter her head until she was halfway to the kitchen. She fully expected someone to come running after her, but when no one did, other than her two guards, which was unfortunate because they may very well tell Eli what she was up to, she prayed to the goddesses she could complete the task at hand and make it back to her chambers without anyone asking her what was going on.The kitchen was bustling with dishwashing and preparation for the midday meal. It seemed this place was always busy, except for perhaps in the wee hours of the night. Lots of servants hustled by, most taking the time to nod or bow their heads in her direction. She didn&rsquo

Kit led Reeve down a narrow path, unsure if she was going the right direction or not, but thinking the babbling brook that led away from the spring had to be somewhere nearby, particularly when the foliage turned an even darker shade of green. Then, she heard it off in the distance and knew if she followed the lane deeper into the forest, she’d find the creek and then the spring.The closer they got, the louder the water grew. Kit loved the sound of its melody, singing through the trees and bouncing through the bushes. The water was flowing quickly over the tops of craggy, moss covered rocks, and Kit pulled Belle to a stop to watch and listen.The horses dipped their heads to draw refreshment from the shallow pool on the shore. The water was no more than a hands-length deep at any part of the brook, but it glistened in the sunlight streaming through the canopies and seemed as alive as the birds that echoed its refrain.“This is spectacular,” Re

Danyen was quiet all the way to her room. Kit could only imagine he was thinking about their plan, that or he was also worried she’d irritated the queen to no good end. Once in her chambers, her ladies dismissed for the night, they did not proceed the way she normally would when sharing her bed with a man. Instead, Kit sat on her chair by the window, and Danyen sat on the stool in front of her dressing table. It was the safest way to make sure they did not grow distracted by each other’s company.“You do realize it’s not even the middle of the night yet, don’t you?” Danyen asked, his voice enlightening her to the fact that he was having trouble keeping his distance.“Yes, I know. But I always grow sleepy after a good pleasuring, and I would hate to think I might be unable to get out of bed and carry out my plans.”He chuckled. “What if I promise to keep it quick and to do all of the work?”She jo