Four Dead Queens(49)

Stessa pushed Lyker away with such a ferocity that he stumbled. “This isn’t what you think!” she cried to the Eonist queen.

Corra shook her head in disbelief. “Do tell me, then,” she said, finding her words, “what your advisor is doing in your bedroom, without a shirt and with his tongue shoved down your throat.”

Before she replied, Stessa made the mistake of looking at Lyker.

“Stessa,” Corra said. “How could you? You know Queenly Law.”

Stessa let out a resigned breath. “Lyker was my boyfriend from home.”

Corra took a step back, remembering the day Lyker had arrived in the palace, and Stessa’s warm embrace, claiming that was how Ludists greeted each other. “You lied to us?”

Lyker quickly buttoned up his shirt. “I’m sorry, Queen Corra. We tried to stay away from each other, but we couldn’t. Young love and all that,” he said with a grin, aiming to lighten the mood.

“Don’t.” Corra held up a hand before addressing Stessa. “You know it’s illegal to be in a relationship, let alone with your advisor. You spend too much time together, time that should be spent focusing on your quadrant, not on this—” She gestured between them. She was angry. And it felt good, the weight of her grief shifting into something purposeful. But still, she had to be careful, and not let the anger show.

“Please, Corra,” Stessa said, her bottom lip quivering. “Please try to understand. Love is powerful. It’s not easy to shut it out once you’ve let it in.”

“How did this happen?” Corra asked. “How did he get here?” The less she looked at Lyker, the better. What was the girl queen planning?

Stessa’s eyes wouldn’t focus on Corra when she replied, “There was an opening for a Ludist advisor. Lyker applied. That’s all.” But the way she’d said it—that’s all—it was as though she was trying to cover up something.

“Demitrus . . . He fell ill, out of the blue,” Corra said, speaking of the previous Ludist advisor. The one Lyker had replaced soon after Stessa had entered the palace. “Queens above! Tell me you weren’t involved!”

“I wasn’t! I mean, I never meant to hurt him,” Stessa replied, pulling at one of the beads entwined in her short hair.

Corra wasn’t sure if she was more shocked by her admission or the fact that she wasn’t trying to hide her wrongdoings. “You poisoned him.”

Stessa nodded, although it hadn’t been a question. “I didn’t know how badly he’d be hurt. I wanted him to fall ill and leave. That’s all.”

That’s all.

“He never recovered,” Corra said with a heavy sigh. “He is still unable to leave his bed.” The old advisor had been a kindly man, a Ludist who’d tired of the partying scene and his quadrant’s focus on appearance. He wanted to give more to his nation. And Stessa had gotten rid of him. “How could you?”

Before Stessa could reply, Corra blurted out, “Did you kill Iris?” Seeing Stessa in the arms of Lyker and hearing the truth about Demitrus, she was certain she’d uncovered the truth. “You wanted her gone. You can’t deny it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lyker said.

Corra’s eyes flashed to him. She’d almost forgotten he was there, but Stessa spoke up. “Don’t speak to Queen Corra like that.”

A small part of Corra softened at Stessa’s defense. But that was all it was. Defense.

Did Iris also know about Demitrus? Had Stessa killed her to defend this secret?

“I did not kill Iris.” Stessa’s expression shifted. “And I didn’t mean to make Demitrus that unwell.”

“You hated Iris,” Corra said. “And she knew your secret, didn’t she?”

Stessa had always made it clear she wasn’t a fan of Iris’s. It doesn’t make her guilty, though, Corra thought. And she had no evidence. Even though there was motive, it didn’t mean she had anything to present to the inspector. After all, he’d said a trained hand had sliced Iris’s throat. Poisoning Demitrus was careless; an act of passion, the inspector would deem it. Stessa was no trained assassin, nor was Lyker. Unless they had managed to fool everyone about that too.

It was possible, she supposed.

Stessa squared her shoulders, Lyker standing strong behind her. “I know your secret. Would you kill me for it?”

Corra’s breath stuttered. But which secret? Her hand fell from the watch around her neck.

A wicked smile played at Stessa’s lips. “Tell anyone about me and Lyker, and I’ll be forced to spill your secrets too.”

“This isn’t a game!” Corra said. Everything was pliable to the Ludists; of course a Ludist would not abide by the law, even Queenly Law. Stessa was too young to put her frivolous background behind her and value the throne as required.

“No, it’s not.” Stessa’s eyes watched her coolly. “But you broke Queenly Law first.”

A shudder took hold of Corra’s body. No. Stessa couldn’t know. Couldn’t know Corra had grown up inside the palace. That she felt and grieved. She’d be ruined. Deposed. And worse, her mother’s legacy would be tainted.

“You loved Iris,” Stessa said, eyebrow raised.

Corra struggled not to let her relief show. It was better she knew that secret than the other, more devastating one.