A Kingdom of Frost and Malice: Crowns of Magic Universe (The Winter Court Series Book 1) by Ashley McLeo & Crowns of Magic

Author:Ashley McLeo & Crowns of Magic [McLeo, Ashley & Magic, Crowns of]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781947245815
Publisher: Meraki Press
Published: 2023-08-31T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

Roar wasn’t in our suite when I rose to eat breakfast, or perhaps more aptly, lunch, as it was nearing midday.

Although his absence made me worry that I’d wounded him, a part of me also felt glad to put off any serious conversation between us. Though I hadn’t felt drunk, or even tipsy, when I returned to our suite the night before, drinking Dragon Fire had resulted in me tossing and turning all night and given me a pounding headache. Lesson learned. I should have eaten at least twice the amount of dinner I’d inhaled. Or better yet, not allowed Sayyida to pressure me into overindulgence.

“Juice?” Clemencia asked, just above a whisper.

I’d admitted I felt poorly, and while she was acting sweet and spoke softly while I tried to eat, my lady-in-waiting also looked anxious. Our first full day in the capital had come. The Courting Festival would not officially start until tomorrow, but others would expect me to make an appearance around the castle.

Would the warden be with me? I fingered the golden vial of his blood that I’d tucked into the pockets of my lounging trousers. Normally, I didn’t carry it around with me—it was blood, and I found that far too reminiscent of something the vampires would have done—but today I’d plucked it from its hiding spot in the bottom of my sewing basket. Perhaps I feared that after denying him, Roar would go back on our deal, but the vial helped to remind me of why he would not.

Crippling pain. No one wanted that.

Plus, he might be upset, but we were still in this together. We’d already lied to the king, a punishable offense, and now we had to see our charade through.

“Yes, please.” I nodded to my empty juice glass.

“The more you eat, the better off you’ll be.” With a warm smile, Clemencia filled the glass and nudged my plate, which I’d been picking at since it arrived.

Taking her advice, I continued to eat slowly, and with each bite, I did indeed feel a little better. I’d managed to eat most of the food on my plate before someone knocked.

“Oh, stars.” I groaned. “If it’s Princess Saga, or worse, Lady Sayyida, do not let them in.”

Clemencia shot me a look that plainly said she would do no such thing. As it turned out, my worry proved unfounded. At the door stood a servant bearing a letter. “For Lord Lisika and Lady Neve.”

“Thank you.” Clemencia shut the door. She turned and looked around, as if expecting to see Roar materialize.

“I’ll take it.” I reached for the message.

Clemencia furrowed her eyebrows. “Are you sure?” I didn’t take offense to Clemencia’s question. In matters pertaining to court, I always deferred to Roar. But he wasn’t here, and I wanted to know what the letter said.

“The messenger said my name too.”

“Of course.” She handed the missive to me.

I opened it, scanned the first line. “There’s a tourney today! Very soon, in fact.” My eyes traveled down the page and when I hit a certain name, my mouth fell open.

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