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Chapter fifty-one

Nerys

O n Nerys’s last morning at the Ca’mailian court, Adelyna dismissed her other High Maids and summoned Nerys into her inner chamber.

Alone. Few seemed surprised and—shockingly— all seemed relieved.

The Kor’yitz had been restless all morning.

Alright—downright bitchy, to be frank. The High Maids whispered that she was ill and started the wrangling of which one of them would be the unfortunate one to suggest to Adelyna that she needed to summon the physician.

Apparently, Adelyna’s normal course of behavior was to pretend she wasn’t sick until she began oozing substances from various places, and none of the women wanted to be the erstwhile ooze catcher.

Once alone with Adelyna, Nerys dropped her blank expression, her features suddenly overcome with worry.

“It’s happening soon, isn’t it?” Adelyna asked, crossing her arms. Adelyna didn’t need to clarify what the “it” was.

“Yes.”

“I guessed as much—I received a rather blunt message from my father asking if I could spare you this week. There aren’t too many things the R?ll could want one of my women for.”

“A whole week?” Nerys’s stomach twisted.

“Apparently.”

Adelyna’s gaze drifted to the uncovered window. The bright sun did little to lighten what was going to happen to the kingdom. To the R?ll. For all that Nerys’s life was about to change, Adelyna’s was going to change even more. Tomorrow morning, Adelyna was going to be the ruler of this kingdom.

“It’d be better if I do not know when or how it is to take place,” Adelyna said. “Or what is going to happen to you after. I just…I want to say I’m glad I met you, Nerys. The real you. ”

“Me too. Adelyna” ?Adelyna turned to look at her? “I think you’re going to make an excellent R?ll. I mean it. I have no reason to lie. Not anymore.”

Adelyna smiled. Why did such a small action make her heart leap so?

Adelyna was a beautiful and kind Kor’yitz, who Nerys was never going to see again after today.

They wouldn’t even be able to write to each other—their parting would be final.

Worse—after today, Adelyna would be the enemy of her new home.

“Thank you,” she said, giving a little nod.

“You will. You put your people first.” Adelyna snorted and Nerys ignored her. “You at least want to do what is best for them—our kingdom is lucky to have you.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Adelyna said softly. A silence descended as the two of them looked at each other. There was so much Nerys wanted to say. And so much that there was no point in saying.

Suddenly, Adelyna blinked like she had stirred herself from a dream. “Qiana told me she has a plan for you, but whatever happens next, please…be safe. And take care.”

“Will you be alright?” Nerys asked.

“No. But I will have to be.”

What was Adelyna going to be able to do, to keep the curse from consuming her the second the crown was hers, like it seemed to have done to her father?

There was no reason to think it would spare her when it affected every other ruler.

Then she had Aherin to deal with, who was unlikely to roll over and let Adelyna have the crown, especially with the R?ll being murdered by one of her own women.

But Adelyna was going to have to figure that out on her own.