Page 14 of Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate #1)

Chapter Seven

The Princess

D ane has been yelling at me for an hour.

It’s been going on for so long that my ladies eventually held up a sheet so they could help me change out of the maid uniform and into something more appropriate for a princess. Now I’m at my dressing table while two of them braid my hair, Charlotte supervises, and Dane continues ranting behind me.

I have no idea what he’s saying. I stopped listening forty-five minutes ago.

Instead, I’m thinking of Maddox Kyronan. His oddly compelling accent. His golden-brown eyes. The way he ordered Dane to let go of me—after I basically accused him of torturing his people.

Did he hurt you?

My heart skips a little, and I tell my heart to knock it off. He’s a rough-edged soldier with a reputation for violence. I don’t know him. He doesn’t know me. But no one other than Asher has ever given a passing thought to the way my brother addresses me.

I simply can’t imagine that a man known for eviscerating his enemies would care .

“ Marjoriana ,” my brother intones. “Are you even listening to me?”

I pick at my fingernails. “I think the entire kingdom is listening to you, Dane.”

One of my ladies stifles a laugh, and Charlotte clears her throat, trying to cover for her.

Dane storms forward, and my ladies jump. One braid goes spiraling loose.

No one is smiling now.

A sharp knock sounds at the door.

My brother draws back and folds his arms. “ What? ” he calls flatly, but no one answers.

I scowl at him. “It’s my room.” I glance at Charlotte in the mirror. “Please see what requires my attention.”

She bobs a curtsy and moves to the door. A moment later, she gasps, then closes it.

“Your Highness,” she says to me. “His Majesty has asked to speak with you alone.”

I look at her sharply. “Father?” I whisper.

Even Dane takes a step back. I was ready for my brother’s wrath, but I didn’t consider how our father would react to my transgressions this morning.

I still haven’t seen him since Dane spoke of his illness.

Dane warned me not to go rushing to his side, but now I wonder if my reaction to his presence will give it away.

But Charlotte shakes her head. “The king of Incendar.”

That’s worse. I go rigid, unsure how to react.

Before I can figure it out, Dane declares, “Absolutely not. Have his herald send back a refusal immediately.”

Charlotte inhales sharply. “But—it’s not—”

“ No .” Dane cuts her off, making a decisive motion with his hand. “He may have tricked the porters at the gate to slip into the palace unnoticed, but we agreed upon a set chain of events. Father and I will meet with him at—”

“I tricked no one,” Maddox Kyronan says clearly from outside the door.

“And you are correct that we agreed upon a set chain of events, which Astranza has already abandoned. So before we proceed, I would like to speak with the princess alone, as our conversation was interrupted this morning. Otherwise, Prince Dane, I will take my people, and I will be on my way.”

Dear lord, he’s here ? The king came to my door himself ?

Charlotte’s eyes are as wide as saucers in the mirror. Mine match.

Dane appears at my side in an instant. His eyes are like fire, and he grabs hold of my wrist to jerk me around to face him. My hair yanks hard as one of my ladies gets knocked out of the way, but I refuse to make a sound.

“You will undo whatever mess you have made,” Dane hisses at me. “You will do whatever he asks, and you will—”

“You have three seconds to accept,” says the king, and there’s nothing soft about his accent right now. He immediately begins counting. “One. Two. Thr—”

“ Open the door, ” I call to Charlotte. “For goodness’ sake, let him in.”

She draws open the door.

The king is in the shadowed hallway, and it looks as though several of his men have come with him. My own guards are against the wall behind him, looking alert and prepared—and unsure how to proceed.

But Dane still has hold of my wrist, and he’s practically looming over me. This becomes sharply apparent when Maddox Kyronan’s gaze locks on us both.

“Let her go,” he says.

Dane snatches his hand back as if he’s been scalded. But he stands his ground. “You will not come here and make demands of me or my sister,” he says evenly.

“I agreed to your terms,” the king says. “I traveled to your kingdom. I yielded my magic for your comfort. I demanded nothing. I asked for a moment of privacy.”

They glare at each other, the tension thickening to a point where I’m almost glad I wasn’t part of their negotiations. I wonder if every meeting was like this.

I turn back to the mirror. “Come in, Your Majesty,” I say. “If you’ll forgive me, I was in the middle of preparing for the day. My ladies hadn’t finished.” I shoo them away and pick up a hairpin myself.

The king steps across the threshold, but his men remain in the hallway.

Dane looks between us. “You should have guards, at the very least, Marjoriana—”

“I’m fine,” I say breezily, jabbing the pin in place and reaching for another. Inside my chest, my heart is hammering. My ladies have scooted through the doorway, but Charlotte is still hovering, waiting to see what transpires.

Dane glances through the door, and then at Maddox Kyronan. “I am not leaving you alone and surrounded by Incendrian soldiers before our alliance is finalized.”

I expect the king to argue about that, but he turns his head to look back at his men. “Roman, remain in the hallway. Sev, take the others and withdraw to our quarters.” Then he looks at my brother and raises his eyebrows.

Dane’s jaw is clenched. His eyes find mine in the mirror, but I say nothing to him. My stomach is churning, but I simply pick up the dropped braid and reach for another pin, carefully tucking it into place.

“Go ahead, Charlotte,” I say. “We shouldn’t make the king wait any longer. Given why he’s here, I’m sure we can have a few moments to speak.”

She dips a curtsy to me, and then, to my surprise, she offers a trembling one to the king before dashing through the doorway.

My brother is the only one left. His jaw twitches, and he moves to stalk past the king, too.

But Maddox Kyronan puts out a hand to stop him, and he leans in to say something low and private before Dane can pass. A chill rolls down my spine as I suddenly remember my brother saying just how specifically they arranged for every detail. Could this be about that?

Dane doesn’t respond, but I watch their interaction in the mirror. I can tell from the set of his shoulders that my brother is not happy about whatever is said.

But then he’s gone and the door falls closed, leaving me alone with the Incendrian king.

The man is still trussed up like he’s ready to fight a war, while I don’t have a single weapon on me.

Not that it would matter—he’s pretty big, and his hands look like they could snap my bones as an afterthought.

I study him in the mirror as I slide a hairpin into place, securing a lock of dark hair.

When I reach for the next one, I take two, tucking one into my palm.

When my eyes shift back to his, he says, “I’m not here to harm you.”

I wonder if he saw me hide the pin, or if he’s just offering reassurance. “We’ll see,” I say. “I’m not used to men forcing their way into my chambers while I’m still dressing.”

“You’re not? Your brother was welcome, then?”

That strikes with a bit more precision than I’m ready for, and I have to glance away.

I fuss with one of my braids, smoothing a strand into place.

“I understand the terms of the alliance were well negotiated. Are you here to inspect the goods? Or do you have an inquiry about the prescribed services?” That hidden hairpin feels hot against my palm.

“You’ll have to forgive me. I haven’t reviewed the contracts.

If you’d like for me to perform a demonstration, I’m not sure if I belong on the bed or the floor first.”

His eyes narrow. “Is that truly why you think I’m here?”

My heart is pounding so hard. “I have no idea why you’re here.”

“I wanted to talk to you without the added weight of your brother’s presence.” He folds his arms. “But if you’ve prepared a demonstration, feel free to begin wherever you like.”

I whip around, because I genuinely can’t tell if he’s mocking me or if he’s calling my bluff.

The king looks back at me implacably, and honestly, it feels like he’s issued a challenge.

I’ve met some of Astranza’s most decorated warriors, and they’re usually slobbering brutes who talk with their mouths full and sweat too much.

All the rumors about Maddox Kyronan and his victories on the battlefield led me to believe he’d be the same.

I wasn’t ready for this honey-voiced soldier who somehow has the talent to make even my brother scurry.

I thought his magic gave him an edge in this war against Draegonis, but now that I’ve had the chance to meet him, I sense there’s something more.

I’d never say these words out loud in the palace, but I can tell that this man does not fuck around.

I like it.

It scares me how much I like it.

He nods at my hands, which have fallen into my lap. “Why don’t you start with whatever you meant to do with the hairpin.”

That’s unexpected again, and I’m off-balance. The small length of metal is still tucked under my knuckles, and this feels like another challenge.

“What hairpin?” I say lightly.

He smiles, but it’s cunning. “Shall I show you what hairpin?”

My heart skips, and a little thrill races through me.

But no. That’s terrifying. I have no idea what’s happening here. My mouth goes a bit dry, and I twist the pin between my fingers until it’s visible, glinting in the light. “I was going to stab you in the eyes if you got too close.”

“Right for the eyes? That’s vicious, Princess.” He doesn’t sound too upset about it, though.

“You’re the one who forced your way in here.”

“You keep speaking of force. I made a request.”

“You made a demand .”