Page 18

“The High Vales need no ports. Do not underestimate their resourcefulness.”

Lawrence offers me his hand, and I scurry from my seat. Together, we leave the room. Chairs scratch across the floor as his knights hurry to follow.

Just in case someone in attendance missed his subtle signal, Lawrence announces as we walk through the door, “The meeting is over.”

We continue down the hall, closely followed by his guard.

“I need to speak with Clover a minute,” Lawrence says, gesturing into a small study in which he obviously wishes to disappear.

“Allow us to search the room, Your Majesty,” Miguel says, stepping inside with Denny. Xander and Alfred wait with us in the hall as the two make their sweep. Once it’s deemed to be safe, the pair returns.

“Was that really necessary?” Lawrence asks dryly.

Miguel laughs. “Whether it was or not, the room is clear.”

Lawrence rolls his eyes as he escorts me inside. As soon as he closes the door, he sags against the wall, resting his head back as he groans.

I join him, standing shoulder to shoulder. “You did well.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“I’m sure no new king ever does.”

He groans softly. “If I could pluck Camellia out of Revalane without casualty…”

“But you can’t.”

Peering at me from the corner of his eye, he says, “I know.”

We stand in silence for several long seconds, and then I turn to face him. “Is Henrik actually acting as your shadow rogue, or was that an excuse to keep his reputation intact?”

“No, it’s true. But our plan was concocted in less than a minute, and we were far more concerned with your safety than espionage at the time.”

“You work well together considering you both claim to hate the other.”

“I cannot tell you how frustrating it is that so much currently relies on Henrik’s return.” Lawrence shakes his head as if disgusted, but there’s a smile in his voice. “What a truly wretched turn of events.”

“Camellia has done an excellent job of protecting herself,” I say darkly. “What kind of monster do you have to be to use innocent women as a shield?”

“She is a master manipulator. Though we both knew that, didn’t we?”

I let out a mirthless laugh. “It’s too bad no one ever listened.”

Lawrence takes my hand, grasping it in a friendly way. “They are now.”

“They are,” I agree softly.

He turns his head to look at me. “I suppose I should return you to your ladies.”

I roll my eyes. “Speaking of that, I don’t remember asking for an entourage.”

“I knew you’d hate it.” He laughs as he pushes away from the wall and walks to one of the windows. The drapes are pulled back, letting in the late afternoon light.

“I’ve asked Father’s steward to see to your new suite of rooms,” he says after several seconds. “They should be ready soon.”

“My new rooms?” I ask, startled. “Why do I need those?”

The setting sun brings out the red in his hair, and it catches my attention as he turns to look at me. “You’re the queen-to-be, Clover.”