The Queen's Assassin (The Queen's Secret #1)(93)

He doesn’t want to see Shadow—Princess Lilac—no, Queen Lilac—with King Hansen, and he’s already had so many shocks that morning, he doesn’t think he can handle any more. None of it seems real. He’s gone from certain death by hanging to uncertain death by battle to . . . well, practically wishing the first had come true so that he won’t have to witness Shadow’s union to another.

He’s alive and may return to his home in Renovia, but he must return without the only thing he cares about. He must leave Shadow behind.

The vizier told Cal that King Hansen would want to winter here in Montrice and set out to Renovia in spring, to summer there. The king has never even been to Renovia. Now, along with Shadow, he will rule it. He will be Cal’s sovereign.

The duke’s body has been spirited away to the catacombs, and there is no sign of Jander. If Cal is to burn the body, he must do it soon, but how?

There is a knock on the door.

The door opens. Queen Lilianna walks inside. Cal leaps off the bed and bows quickly. “Your Majesty.”

She nods in greeting. “Caledon Holt, you uncovered—and eliminated—the Aphrasian spy, and more important, you brought my daughter to Montrice safely. Without you, this alliance would never have been possible. Our two kingdoms no longer need live under constant threat of warfare and strife.”

Cal bows reluctantly. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Caledon Holt, the greatest assassin of our time, it is I who must thank you for your service. There has been a plot against my daughter’s life since before she was born. My spies told me they would strike before her eighteenth birthday, so I called her to the palace for her safety. But I knew she would never come to court willingly, and that she would seek you out in Deersia. She has idolized you since she was a child.”

Cal is startled. Unbeknownst to Shadow, her lies were made of truth. “After all, there is no place safer for the princess than with the Queen’s Assassin.”

He bows, even as he has chills all over his body.

But the queen is not finished. “Love is useful, is it not?” she asks.

“Pardon?”

“She refused to marry King Hansen, even when I told her it was her duty to the kingdom. But you made the choice for her when she learned the only way to save you was to marry him. We were able to broker peace without war or bloodshed. All it took was a spark between two young people, and the kingdom is saved. She could not bear to see you die in prison. Her love for you is the kingdom’s gain.”

Cal’s mind is reeling.

Shadow is marrying Hansen to save his life.

Her love for him has saved him and the kingdom, but doomed herself.

They have been betrayed. They are pawns in the queen’s game, caught in a trap they willingly walked into, both of them. Their heroics and bravery only led them to a gilded cage.

Yet Renovia has no need of heroes; Renovia needs peace, and his sworn duty and loyalty lie in what is best for the kingdom. He is the Queen’s Assassin and he will do his job best by murdering what is in his heart.

“Your Majesty, the duke—the Aphrasian—or whoever he is—he is more than a shapeshifter. His body must be burned with the fire of Deia,” he tells her. “There is little time to waste.”

She shakes her head. “It would be wrong to draw so much attention to yourself or to alarm our Montrician hosts. Regardless of his treachery, the duke lies in state in his chapel and to take the body now would be unseemly. See that it is done on the morrow.”

“As you wish, my queen.”

“When you have fulfilled your duty and returned the scrolls, I have set aside some land for you near Serrone. A barony would suit, don’t you agree?” the queen asks.

He bows his head. “You are too kind, Your Majesty.”

“A word to the wise. Forget my daughter. Let her find some happiness in this marriage, which will be impossible if you remain in her thoughts. When you reclaim the scrolls, you will be titled and landed and can live the rest of your life in our peaceful countryside.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” says Cal.

Fireworks burst into the sky over the castle. They both look out the window to see them light up against the black night, green and purple of course, intended to represent the joy of the union, but instead it mirrors the breaking heart inside his chest.

“Time for me to return to the festivities,” Queen Lilianna says. He nods and bows, looking down at the floor, glad that he will soon be alone with his sorrow again.

As she reaches the doorway, she turns and lifts her chin into the air. “Shadow is a princess. Even if she was not betrothed to Hansen, she could never marry you. It was never meant to be, my son.” The queen’s eyes soften. “Perhaps you will meet another maiden, marry, and have children of your own. You are the son of my husband’s greatest and most loyal friend, and I wish you nothing but happiness and contentment.”

“My deepest gratitude, Your Majesty.” He bows again.

She nods curtly. “Good.” With that, Queen Lilianna floats out of the room, the folds of her gown billowing around her.

The door clicks behind her. Outside, an enormous purple heart erupts in the night sky, followed by a green arrow that shoots up and pierces it right before it falls apart and turns to ash on the ground.





CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE