The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen, #2)(105)

She blushed again, glancing from me to Melanie and—barely—to the pile of visitor logs on the table. “I haven’t had the courage to talk to him yet, if that’s what you mean.”

“I don’t want to pry into your personal life,” I said. “Just . . . tell me what you know about him.”

Her mouth formed an O as she finally understood the question. “He comes from a good family, Your Majesty. His mother is a magnificent seamstress. I never knew his father, but by all accounts he was a good, loyal man. Sergeant Wallace was gone for a while, first to the wraithland front, and then with the Red Militia. I’m sure it’s been quite difficult for him. Some people think he’s a Red Militia sympathizer, because he’s kind to the prisoners, but I think it shows he has a good heart. He’s loyal to you, Your Majesty. Very loyal.”

“I’m sure he is.” I smiled and reached for my silverware. “Thank you, Danie. That will be all for now.”

She curtsied and left the room.

“You just let her go?” Melanie stared after her, expression like steel. “You know she’s Patrick’s source, right? You picked up on that?”

“Being queen hasn’t made me stupid, Mel.” I grabbed a buttered roll. “I noticed her in the visitor logs, and the way she made sure to throw suspicion on Wallace for being kind to prisoners.”

“They could be working together,” Melanie said.

“I don’t think so. She wouldn’t have tried to make him look guilty. No, she invented her affection to give her a reason to go to the prison. She could easily say she was looking in on someone for me, or plant a note on Patrick’s meal tray. There may be more involved.”

Melanie blew out a breath. “I’ll alert James and have him look into it.”

“It’s a good disguise. Who would suspect the queen’s own maid of treachery?”

“Not the queen.”

I flicked my little finger at her. “And not the head of secret intelligence.”

She smirked. “You’re the worst best friend.”

“I know. Just make sure James moves quickly on this. Whatever Patrick has planned, it will be big. The bridge was just a warning. The real event will happen tomorrow.”

As tempting as it was to postpone the coronation and deal with the Red Militia first, that would send an undesirable message to the rest of my enemies, Prince Colin included.

“What can I do for you?” James asked when he arrived at our summons. His eyes cut to the notebooks on my desk, lifeless now.

“Do you have any proof?” he asked, after Melanie caught him up.

Melanie crossed her arms. “Isn’t the queen’s word enough?”

“No, James is right.” I leaned back in my chair. “I won’t be the sort of queen who makes arrests based on suspicion and fear. But I want her watched. I want to know where she goes, who she speaks with, and every detail about her history with the Red Militia.”

“Do you want her replaced?” Melanie asked. “If she’s a traitor and spy, you can do better for a maid.”

“She is a good maid. Aside from possibly being a traitor and spy. She keeps my rooms immaculate.” I did wonder if the frightened-maid act had been just that—an act. Or maybe she’d been afraid of being caught. “No, leave her until we know more. If she’s working with other staff around the castle, I don’t want to hire another spy.”

“We must act quickly, though,” Melanie said. “The anniversary and your coronation are tomorrow.”

“As if I could forget.” I stood and straightened my dress, breathing through the reminder of friends not here, and the king whose death meant I would be crowned queen. “There’s another thing I need to do. I’m going to invite Chrysalis to the coronation.”

Both their eyes went round. “Are you sure that’s wise?” James asked.

After the memorial, when he’d collapsed the cathedral.

After the wedding, when he’d killed Meredith.

“No, I’m not sure. But he’s had moments of usefulness. At the bridge, during the first Red Militia riot, and he’s been quiet since. I’ve kept him in his room, and he’s done nothing but obey. He isn’t safe. He isn’t to be trusted. But I can’t keep him caged forever. He needs to be given some movement, and this will allow that.”

James muttered he was going to triple security. As if tomorrow wasn’t going to be stressful enough.

After they were gone, I headed for the wraith boy’s room, a pair of silent guards trailing after me. They waited in the hall with the guards assigned to the storage room.

“I’m pleased you’ve come to see me.” Chrysalis grinned as I drifted toward his sleeping pallet where piles of folded clothes waited.

“I need you to pick something nice to wear tomorrow.”

His smile dropped. “I like this.” He pinched a corner of his tattered, dirty blue jacket between his fingers, and held it up as though for me to see. “Can’t I just wear this?”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Do you really not know?”

“Know about what?” He rubbed the dirty jacket between his fingers, still pouting.

I picked through the clothes for something both clean and acceptable, and pulled out a jacket and breeches, both white. “When you first transformed, you were completely white. Maybe these, to remind everyone how far you’ve come since then.”