The Kingdom's Crown (Inheritance of Hunger #3) - Kathryn Moon Page 0,130

out of the corner of her eyes. She was subdued, and it was a bit shocking to see her here alone. "Have you?"

"No," I said, and it came more easily than I'd expected, given all my worries. "I want to be queen."

My mother nodded and sighed. "Everything is ready now. I only came to say…"

I held my breath. Would she…apologize? For being an indifferent mother and queen?

"I think I will go north with my Chosen after you take the throne. Just for a little while. I am badly in need of a…a break from all of this."

I turned away from her, staring absently at the doorway, counting the names of my friends and my Chosen in my head as a means to keep myself calm. Of course this was what she wanted. And part of me didn't blame her. She'd lost her own mother and a daughter, had her failings as a queen laid out before her. I could consider it an improvement she told me at all. I pushed aside the hurt for the moment, I could unpack it later with someone like Cosmo or the others, and fixed a smile to my lips.

"I think you will enjoy the Winter Palace. In spite of its name, it's beautiful this time of year, and I found it a wonderful place to relax," I said. Which was true, in spite of the council and Emory and fighting with Aric.

My mother sighed and her own smile bloomed, but it was more wobbly than it had been months ago. "Yes, yes I thought of that."

"And Lady Prudence is a wonderful woman. I'm sure she and the staff will be thrilled to have the palace busy again," I continued. "I'd like to spend the winter there next year, myself. We left not long after the snow fell. Thao will whine, but…" I waved my hand through the air, a frail smile wiggling on my lips. I liked Thao all bundled up and constantly trying to cuddle up with one of us for warmth.

"You'll make a good queen," my mother murmured, nodding to herself.

I would. I was determined. But my mother's words were a little empty, so I thought of my grandmother and what she'd said to me as she died. That she was glad I would be queen. My heart fisted around those words, clung to them. I was ready, ready enough.

"I'm glad you came. There's something I wanted to ask you about the coronation ceremony," I said, straightening and turning to my mother. "I've had an idea."

30

Bryony

“You look beautiful, regal," Cosmo corrected with a half-smile.

I stood in an adjoining chamber to the throne room, my feet frozen and gaze fixed unseeing out the window. There was a mirror behind me, reflecting the long pale feathered cape I'd been gifted from the two-natured, and my hand smoothed over the gauzy skirt of the dress I'd created to match. Aric's snake was resting around my throat, the gifted dagger at my hip, and the bryony blossoms in my ears.

My feet seemed to be sinking into the floor, weighted there by my own heavy thoughts.

"It hasn't even been a year," I said.

"Hm?"

I turned to Wendell and blinked. "It hasn't even been a year since my choosing ceremony. Almost, but I can't believe…I can't believe how much has happened."

"I can't believe it either," Aric said with a little laugh.

I stared, eyeing him up and down. He was in a red velvet waistcoat, silver hair smoothed back, and boots polished to a deep brown leather. He looked like a king, but certainly not the King of Thieves he'd been the day of my ceremony. In fact, the only one of my Chosen who really still seemed unchanged was Thao, and that was only because he was wearing his beautiful Mennarian military uniform. He was every bit the humorous and generous man I'd grown to love and lean on.

"I remember when you called up my line and I stared at you in your seat, prim and contained with your jaw grinding," Aric murmured, moving in and stroking his thumb over my jaw. "I hated you."

A laugh escaped. I'd known as much probably, but I hadn't expected to hear it at this moment.

"I thought you might've been the worst of your line, simply because you could control your Hunger in a way Camellia didn't bother with," Aric continued, frowning a little. His lips quirked.

"I thought you looked noble and principled, so I guess we were both wrong," I answered, arching