The Queen's Line (Inheritance of Hunger #1) - Kathryn Moon Page 0,30

Stark." The voice was feminine, almost laughing too, and I tried to fight the urge to stare as I stood up.

Whatever I'd expected of the princess, the young woman in front of me was not it. I'd heard mixed rumors as men returned north from the choosing ceremony. That she'd cut the ceremony short, she hadn't sampled a single man, she dismissed three-quarters of her first selection without a second glance. After Camellia's choosing ceremonies, men always spoke of the younger princess like a lion—conquering men, dragging them to the floor to be devoured. I'd imagined Princess Bryony as some cross between Camellia and the dowager queen—tall, fearsome, and maybe cold.

Instead, the woman in front of me looked…edible. Kissable. A temptation to devour, rather than the predator who conquered men. Her hair was down and draped in curls over one shoulder, a golden version of brown that I thought would look especially nice mussed over a pillow.

"What do you know of Sir Hubert?" she asked me, and I blinked away the fantasy.

Her Chosen surrounded her in the sparsely furnished sitting room that overlooked the gnarled orchard on the western end of the palace. It was gray out, and the lace of the curtains blocked what little light did try and make its way into the room, but the princess seemed to shine in amber silk, her hands folded on her lap. For all the sweetness in her face and the wide look in her eyes, she did have steel in her spine. I'd seen it the night before when she'd cut the steward down to size, and I liked the sharpness in her tone in contrast to the softness of her appearance.

"Very little, Your Highness," I said, with a dip of my waist. "I met him only yesterday."

The princess pursed her lips, and her eyes narrowed slightly. If she were any other girl in the world, I would've teased her for her severity and tried to catch a kiss. That was a pout that deserved to be flirted with.

"But is he known generally here in the north?"

My eyebrows raised. "His…reputation is known. I'm sure the other lords and the like know him, but he's not one to mix with…" With the rest of us, I thought but didn't say. She didn't need to know where I came from, and she certainly didn't appear interested.

"He's not liked then," she said. I gaped at her, and she only nodded. "If his neglect of the castle is any indication of that of his people, I'm not surprised. I would like you to find him and bring him to speak to me here. When I'm done, I'll need you to escort him from the palace and ensure he doesn't find his way back here without an explicit invitation from myself. Is that…" She frowned at herself, and the big one—the one I'd known vaguely from the army stables—squeezed her hand as the Mennarian prince rested his hand on her opposite shoulder. "Will you be able to manage that?"

I bowed. "Easily, Your Highness." Hubert would probably spit in my eye for it, but as Head of the Royal Guard, my orders were the ones that came from the princess's lips. And it would be a genuine pleasure to toss Hubert out. He was known for not only his general neglect of duty and miserly hoarding of money, but also the misery he put young female staff through.

I left the room, trying to catch the murmur that rose up at my back, but the princess and her Chosen were careful to keep their conversation private. I could guess roughly where I'd find the older man and headed for the kitchens, my steps soft on the tile, even in my heavy boots. I didn't mind the royal guard uniform, although the armor was heavier and less necessary in my opinion than that of the army's. I would be a better guard to the princess without any armor at all, but I kept that personal fact to myself. The army general who'd given me my new assignment had made it very clear I was not chosen for my second nature. I was trained and capable, and that was all she needed if any threat did arise.

Passing the larder, I heard the telltale scuffle and whimper, and I dove into the room to find Hubert holding a young girl to the wall—the princess's new maid. He barely had a grip on her, and he startled as I entered, the