I managed to choke down a respectable quantity of dinner, and I was a bit sorry that I missed out on enjoying it. The roast was delicious, perfectly herbed, and juicy. We’d been served succulent vegetables and delectable desserts, all of which dried to ash on my tongue. I was eating with a monster. I was positive of it, and I was furious with him that my conviction of that was waffling.Once dinner was over, I gratefully retreated back to my bedroom. I hadn’t once seen Theo since the mousey man had taken him away, and he still wasn’t waiting for me when I got back.I collapsed to the bed, nearly ready to cry myself to sleep, when someone knocked

The ride home passed mostly without incident. The security that I had been issued at the palace turned out to be a man who might have been my father’s age if I had one. He was the ranking guard within the palace hierarchy, creeping up on his retirement years.He didn’t have much to say, but he treated me kindly, touching his hat to me before leaving once Theo opened the door. Theo pulled me inside and started to hug me, but Charles pried him off, instead taking me in his arms and nearly squashing me.He covered my face in kisses and swung me around until I felt slightly sick to my stomach. “I was so unbelievably worried,” he said. “Wh

“What can I do for you?” I asked Queen Yarrow.She folded her hands primly on top of the desk and stared me straight in the eyes. “The first thing I need you to do is to believe me,” she said.“I’m listening,” I replied.She sighed and sat back, still upright but leaning onto the back of her chair. “Very well, then. I have a question for you before I begin rambling.”“What questions exactly did you need me to answer?” I pressed my lips

“Can you do me a favor?” I asked Theo. We were still driving through the countryside on the way back from Queen Yarrow’s. “Rather than taking me straight back to the hotel since Charles isn’t even there, can we find a temple for the moon goddess? I’d like to pray for guidance.”“Sure,” he said. “You know? It’s funny. When I first took the job, I didn’t pick you as the devout sort. But you really seem connected with the moon goddess.”“Maybe it seems silly, but she speaks to me,” I admitted. “Not just in a feeling but in dreams and such. Like real conversations.”

Charles crossed the small room and gripped my hands. “This is not the way I wanted to announce our engagement. I wanted to do it when the focus could be on you and our upcoming nuptials. I don’t want our union to be a sideshow to everything else that you’ve been accomplishing.”“That’s sweet,” I soothed. “But I’m okay with this. Anyway, you look at it, the public will be celebrating what’s going on in my…our lives. Besides, the sudden announcement might not be a bad thing on a personal level either.”I turned to David and Theo. “Do you think it would help my case with the king if I were