Twisted Beauty by Amelia J. Rivers

Author:Amelia J. Rivers [Rivers, Amelia J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Up Current Press LLC
Published: 2024-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Rosella tossed in her bedroll, the hard ground not the issue, but her reeling mind. Lucien’s words played in her mind. The prince wasn’t benevolent, but he wasn’t horrible, either. He allowed her sisters to stay in a wing, fed them, and they were warm.

They hadn’t officially taken anything, but Rosella knew they’d have pocketed something if they could. It wasn’t to rebel against her, but their attempt to help. Giselle kept them warm with timber and fed with fruit. Camilla managed to get them meat several times a month, even if the cuts were low-end. Bridgette kept them in good standings with the commissions. She’d transitioned them from buying the more luxury items to selling them on commission. It kept more product in the store, even if it didn’t sell, and made them appear more well-off. Even if they weren’t and the town didn’t believe the illusion. It did bring in lookers who sometimes bought basic staples.

The four of them had broken into his house. Abandoned or not, they’d gone past a locked fence and opened a door to a home that wasn’t theirs. They’d built a fire and slept on the furniture. They should have left when she noticed it was clean. He could have held all four of them for breaking in. It’d have been his right, and yet, he’d offered her freedom.

“I can hear your thoughts over here,” Lucien’s sleepy voice called out.

“What?” she asked, worried that he could be a mind reader, especially as a sorceress existed.

“You’re tossing around and sighing loudly,” he said, propping himself up on an elbow. The moon reflected off his golden eyes. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” Rosella said. She scooted around on her roll, getting more uncomfortable.

“It’s just the two of us. It could help you feel better to talk about it.”

The night stirred around them. Insects hummed. The trees swished in the gentle breeze tinted with a chill.

Rosella shook her head. “Just thinking about my sisters.”

“It was cruel of him to lock them up,” Lucien said. He stretched, resting his hands behind his head. “They hadn’t actually taken anything, just moved stuff around.”

Rosella shrugged. Their intent was to steal, and they proclaimed it loudly and in great detail.

“The castle looks abandoned from the outside,” Lucien offered. “It looks in disrepair, the courtyard is overgrown, and everything is broken. The temptation is justified.”

Rosella looked to him, uncertain where he was headed.

“I think he overreacted.”

“Doesn’t matter at this point,” Rosella said. Uncertainty twisted her stomach. She could bring up that he was Grayson’s attaché, but he was allowed to have his opinions. He didn’t have to blindly follow. He was cursed because of the kingdom. He had a right to not be happy. “You should sleep.”

“I’m up now,” Lucien said and smirked at her. Something flickered behind his eyes.

“Then let’s move,” Rosella said, standing up. She dusted her pants off and rolled up her bedroll.

His smile faltered as he looked around the dark forest. They’d found a clearing a few paces inside the forest line.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.