Throne of Shadows by Emma Fenton

Author:Emma Fenton [Fenton, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781732116528
Publisher: Blue Morpho Books
Published: 2018-12-29T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Ria had not seen or heard from Peryn for nearly two weeks and her nerves were only climbing. There was little she could do about the matter. Somehow, the demon always seemed to find her with ease, but trying to find him was proving impossible. She couldn’t exactly go shouting his name around the palace. Asking anyone if they’d seen a beautiful man lurking in the shadows was out of the question.

She had busied herself with the budget reports and analyzing the patterns in imports and exports. There were dozens of poorly-written documents to go through, but she’d done it. There were places where costs could be cut or redistributed in a way that would allow her to lower taxes, which was comforting, and though she did not have the full report on the state of the vaults—despite nagging Vili about three times already—she felt fairly confident that the country wasn’t destitute at the very least. And with her newly acquired understanding of Helhath’s trade trends, Ria could estimate the flow of new goods into the economy and adjust for ever-shifting prices. It was, all in all, a solid accomplishment.

And yet none of her satisfaction at getting a grip on her country’s economy was enough to overpower the dread she felt. Duke Keffleton was due to arrive any day now, with Prince Feodor not far behind. She hadn’t ever gotten around to picking out a third suitor, but that was just as well. Once everyone arrived, Ria would be playing full-time hostess, and that would be exhausting. Already she was subjected to Izan’s company more than usual. It was occasionally a struggle not to just out the man’s treasonous plot, but Ria knew she had to be careful. Despite the conclusion she and Peryn had come to that night in the Elder Scholar’s study, they didn’t have the proof to back it up. It was nothing more than speculation.

Not that she doubted it for a moment but getting solid proof that she was right would make her more comfortable in pursuing justice. Peryn might have been okay with just doling out punishment whenever he saw fit regardless of evidence—or the lack thereof—but Ria was not.

The door to her chambers opened and Sofi hurried in, a faint blush across her dark cheeks. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, slightly out of breath.

“Sofi?” Ria asked. Hopefully nothing disastrous had happened, but the not-knowing was sending Ria into a small panic. If Peryn’s caused a catastrophe…

“We must get you dressed,” Sofi said, ushering Ria from the spot at her desk towards her dresser.

“I am dressed,” the queen protested mildly. What was wrong with the pale blue gown? It was simpler than most of what the other noblewoman wore, but Ria was not as taken with fashion trends as many of the other women. Not that she couldn’t appreciate the beauty of the gaudy, glitzy gowns. In fact, sometimes she envied them. But at the end of the day,

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