Page 107 of Wicked Prince of Frost

This time, she takes my hand and rises to her feet, holding her head high.

I turn and stalk halfway up the dais steps before facing the room, pulling Violet along, refusing to let her go.

“I am still your Crown Prince. I am not so easily tricked by words or schemes,” I announce to the room. “I alone will decide her guilt as well as any punishment.”

Violet’s grip on my hand tightens. Her skin is cold to the touch. I can feel the small tremors that vibrate through her.

Her fear infuriates me.

“She is first and foremost my wife, and she is to be treated with the respect of her position. If anyone dares to speak out against her or attempt to harm her in any way, then expect to meet the same fate as Minister Ilseong.”

With that, we make our way down the center aisle. Each official and noble bows deeply as we pass.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

VIOLET

Anger rollsoff Joon in palpable waves as he half-drags me all the way to his apartments, only releasing me when we are inside.

I remain where I stop and stare blankly toward the curtained window. My heart hammers against my ribs. I’m shaking from the bone-deep chill of fear of the past half hour. Somehow, it was worse than the demon attacks.

The door slides shut with a gentle click. I hear Joon’s footsteps approach. He sighs but doesn’t speak for a long moment.

The walls and ceiling darken the edges of my vision. It feels as though they are closing in on me.

“Violet, I…” he begins, his voice is a hoarse whisper.

Heat gathers behind my eyes with a pressure that blurs my vision. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I am in shock. I’ve lived most of my life expecting it to be short. Yet, it is one thing to wait for my heart to stop and another thing entirely for someone to actively plot my murder.

And for what? A crime I am not guilty of.

“I would not blame you if you hated me for this.” I blink. Hot tears spill down my face, only to have more well up, replacing them. It’s a flood I can’t stop now that it has started.

Strong arms wrap around my shoulders from behind—the warmth of Joon’s body at my back seeps into me, and with it, my pulse slows. He rests his cheek against the top of my head.

“I am sorry,” he whispers into my hair.

I twist in his hold. He must think I want to push him away because he shifts backward, letting his embrace slacken. I reach out and grab his hand to keep him from retreating.

I’m not ready to lose his warmth.

The tension in Joon’s stance melts away. He hooks a finger under my chin and tilts my face up.

Joon wipes the tears from my face. A wild storm swirls in his eyes as pain and guilt war within those deep blue depths. “I failed you. I was silent, and for that, you could have died. It would have been over in minutes if I had just told?—”

When I found the pearl, I sensed there was more to it than it being a simple trinket. But I never could have guessed its existence could be such a serious crime.

“You said what you could. Telling them any of it only would have made things worse.” I understand that now

A muscle in his jaw ticks.

Joon murdered one of the highest-ranking officials because of our bargain. Anyone could see the long-standing conflict between them by the way they looked at each other. Minister Ilseong went after Joon in any way he could, using whatever and whoever was necessary to achieve his ends.

“You—” my words crack on a hiccup. “You stopped him.”

Joon cups the back of my neck. Anger distorts his expression as he speaks, “I murdered a man.”

“You had to save me because of our bargain.”