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I paused, fingered the brooch I’d taken, and wondered if it was the same one. And if so, would Leyv Riis say as much when I asked? Pushing aside my questions, I continued reading.

But Inga is married to Lord Magnus Aaberg, and if he finds out about his wifeand Leyv, he will not stand for it.

I wish she’d be more careful. In these troubled times, I would like to keep my most favored lady, and friend, at court, but if Magnus discovers what she’s doing, he’ll remove her. With so much unrest in the realm, who knows when I’ll see her again?

There are bright spots in my world, though. Isolde and Thyra are walking now. The twins are beams of joy during a tumultuous time. Though it may seem frivolous, I so look forward to celebrating their name day on Winter Solstice.

The diary went on, but I leaned back, unable to proceed after what I’d read.

Lord Riis, once a merchant before King Magnus titled and elevated him to the ranks of Sacred Eight, and Lady Inga, now the queen, had been . . . what? Lovers?

Or was Queen Revna misinterpreting things?

Surely, if Lord Riis rose to Sacred Eight status, it was because he’d helped King Magnus in his rebellion in some great way? And since then, Lord Riis had been close to the family. Saga had called him an uncle, of sorts.

Perhaps Lord Riis passed information on to the White Bear’s Rebellion under the guise of an affair? He was the spymaster, after all. I glanced down at thepage again, unable to believe what I’d read, what the castle had wanted me to see.

Queen Revna lost so much. Had dealt with so much. She’d known that something was corrupting her husband and tried to heal him.

But it hadn’t worked. The Cruel King had only become more cruel. Perhaps mad? And eventually, the lords and ladies of the realm banded together to unseat him. Even the commonborn helped.

How horrible it must have been for the queen. From this reading, I got the sense that she was good—kind and wanting peace.

Instead, her family had been torn apart, murdered, and even those in her extended family killed for their family name. For the actions of one cruel male.

A lump rose in my throat and I leaned back, not ready to read more. Did I have to?

I tilted my chin to the ceiling. “Anything else you’d like me to read?”

In answer, the book slammed shut. I was done. Thank the stars.

“Then I’ll be going.”

Vale might have already returned to his rooms and was wondering where I’d gone. I hoped he remembered the hidden door and kept quiet. But would he? Within days, vampire assassins would show up to kill me. Perhaps hoping he’d be calm was asking a bit much.

That in mind, I left the queen’s chambers, the phoenix opal heavy in my pocket, and rushed through the corridors.Finally, I spotted the knob on which I’d tied the pink ribbon.

I grasped the knob and turned, hoping I’d find Vale’s rooms empty. That he wouldn’t have been worried or looking for me. Instead, as I entered the prince’s suite, I found him at the door to his rooms too, just entering. Quickly, he shut the door behind him, his eyes wide.

“It opened for you again.” He rushed to my side. “How?”

Excitement glinted in Prince Vale’s eyes, and despite the information I’d learned, I smiled. It was sweet to see such excited innocence in him. I suspected that as a youngling, he’d tried many times to get into the hidden parts of the palace. What little one could refrain from that pull?

“I needed refuge. Again,” I admitted.

The wonder fell from his face. “What? How so? My quarters are secure and there’s no way they could have already sent assassins. The vampires only left this morning.”

“Not vampires. Your brother stopped by.” I shuddered. “I know you don’t want to talk about what he can do, but I figured if you were worried about him touching me, I should be too. The door opened for me right before he came into your suite.”

Vale spun toward the door, face set in hard lines. “Sir Arvid let him in?”

“He’s the heir,” I whispered lamely. “It didn’t sound like Sir Arvid had much choice. I heard it all.” I pounded on the wall. “From inside.”

“Of course he didn’t have a choice! Rhistel . . .” The prince trailed off; his lips sealing shut as if he had been about to reveal information about his twin.

For a second time, he’d protected Rhistel. Even though he was furious with him. Why? What could Rhistel do that was so bad?

“He didn’t see me. Or do anything,” I continued, wanting to calm Vale down.