Protect the Prince (Crown of Shards #2)(85)

“What are you thinking about?” Heinrich said. “I can almost see the wheels turning in your mind.”

“I—” I started to tell him my suspicions, but at the last second, I held my tongue.

Heinrich had already lost one son. He wouldn’t like the news that there was a traitor in his ranks, especially since that traitor had to be someone close to him, someone with access to him on a daily basis. Captain Rhea, Helene, even Dahlia. They were all potential suspects, along with dozens of guards, servants, and nobles.

Since I had no idea who might be plotting against the king, I decided not to tell him about it. After all, I had no real proof, just my own instincts and experiences with Maeven, and Heinrich didn’t strike me as someone who would believe a stranger over his own people. Besides, the king and I were on somewhat friendly terms now, and I didn’t want to ruin our tenuous truce.

“Everleigh?” Heinrich asked again. “What are you thinking about?”

“Your proposal,” I said, an idea popping into my mind. “I’m thinking about your proposal.”

His eyebrows drew together in confusion. I turned over my hasty idea in my mind, but the more I thought about it, the more I believed that it would work. And right now, it seemed like the only way—the only way—I could figure out who was trying to kill us all.

“I agree.”

Heinrich frowned. “What?”

“I agree to your terms. I will marry Dominic.”

He stared at me in disbelief, clearly wondering why I had suddenly changed my mind, but I kept my gaze steady on his.

“You’re serious?” he asked.

“Absolutely.”

He kept staring at me, but pure, genuine happiness quickly replaced his confusion. He leaned forward and clapped his hands together loud enough to make me jump in my seat and almost slosh tea all over my tunic.

“Excellent! We’ll announce the news at court later this afternoon, and we’ll have a royal ball to formally mark the occasion,” he said. “Of course, a ball was already planned as part of your visit, but now, we will really go all out with it. I’ll get the servants to start working on the food, the guest list, and the invitations immediately. I want everyone to see this grand celebration and realize that both Andvari and Bellona are strong allies once again . . .”

He kept talking, going on and on about all the things that needed to be done between now and the ball. I let his happy, excited words wash over me as I drank some more of my cooling tea. Heinrich didn’t realize it, but I had just discovered another piece of what it meant to truly be a Winter queen.

Lying.

Despite what I’d told Heinrich, I had no intention of ever marrying the crown prince. Rhea was right. We should all just love and marry whomever we wanted, duty and politics and money and power be damned. But that was a debate I would have another day with the Seven Spire nobles—provided that I survived my own scheme, of course.

I wasn’t going to marry Dominic, but pretending to do so just might help me flush out the traitor. Someone wanted Heinrich and Dominic dead, and I was willing to bet that they would happily add me to their list once my engagement was announced.

Bellonans were very good at playing the long game, and I couldn’t think of a better game to play than this one. Heinrich had said that his nobles wanted blood. Well, they weren’t getting mine—or my throne.

But I would be more than happy to give them a traitor’s blood.





Part Three

The Third Assassination Attempt





Chapter Nineteen


Heinrich summoned his secretary and informed the other man about his plans to turn the upcoming ball into an engagement celebration.

The secretary’s eyes almost popped out of his head, and the man was practically salivating at the thought of sharing the juicy gossip. No doubt word of my engagement to Dominic would spread like wildfire through the palace. Good. Hopefully, the news would upset the traitor’s plans, whatever they might be, and force that person to tip their hand. Although the downside was that I would have to be on guard until the traitor was caught—or I was dead.

Heinrich and his secretary were deep into their planning when I left the library. I looked for Rhea, hoping to break the news to her before she found out from someone else, but she wasn’t standing outside.

I started to head back to my chambers when a thought occurred to me, so I asked a servant for directions and went to a different part of the palace. Ten minutes later, I knocked on a door. A muffled voice told me to come in, so I turned the knob and stepped through to the other side.

These chambers were similar to mine, although not as large and grand, but I focused on the woman sitting in a chair next to the fireplace. Her silver ogre cane was propped up against the table beside her, which boasted a decanter of Ungerian apple brandy and some glasses.

Xenia was sewing what looked like a small blanket, and she didn’t look up from her work as I shut the door behind me, walked over, and dropped into the chair beside hers. A tea set was laid out on the low table in front of our chairs, along with trays littered with cake crumbs.

“Did your entertaining go well?” I asked.

Xenia shrugged, still focused on her sewing. “So-so. I learned a few new things, but nothing particularly noteworthy.”

“Nothing to pass along to your cousin, the Ungerian queen?”