his lips. She narrowed her eyes and crooked her finger to bring him down to her. She went up on her toes, pulled his head down, and kissed him until he was grabbing her waist to hold on tight. Tydella backed away and smiled brightly. “See you later.”
She didn’t look back at him but kept herself walking back to the palace until she was near the corner, then she ran. Sashen and Uren were with her when they walked the halls, Sashen asked, “Why did you run just there?”
Tydella chuckled. “Ador is still coming out of rut. Seeing me run is going to cause all kinds of instincts to pile in.”
Uren grinned. “That is evil.”
“I know. I look forward to practicing torment if I am able to remain with him.”
Sashen frowned. “Do you doubt that you will?”
Tydella shrugged. “I am not used to trying to get on the good side of strangers.”
Her guards couldn’t argue with that. She was famous for her plain speaking. Now, she was going to have to play etiquette and politics with people who wanted to kill her. At least she was familiar with that.
After her shower, she braided a portion of her hair into a coronet and laced up her morning dress. The invitation she had received indicated a brunch in twenty minutes. She put on a small, embroidered, high-necked jacket, and moderate heels. She was ideal for brunch in the imperial court, and that was the standard that this court needed to mimic. The jacket was to conceal the bite marks. She normally would never wear one to brunch.
When she faced her guards, she smiled. “Right. Shall we go?”
Sashen and Uren were wearing their formal uniforms with weapons. Sashen smiled. “You look lovely, Your Highness.”
Uren bowed slightly. “Glowing.”
“I can and will send you to a mining colony, Uren.” She looked at Sashen and winked.
They walked the halls and headed out to the pavilion erected in the gardens. Several of the Kai-len were browsing nearby.
She was quite sure that everyone else had been given an earlier start time, so she entered the space and faced the six seated women with an arched brow.
She saw a familiar face, and Rasish smiled and squealed, “Princess Tydella!”
“Good morning, Rasish.” She turned toward the queen. “Good morning, madam.”
The queen got to her feet. “Ah, Princess Tydella, we were beginning to think you weren’t coming!”
“Yes, unfortunately, the calligrapher must have had an issue with the time. According to my invitation, I am precisely on time.”
The queen frowned. “I verified them all myself.”
Sashen handed the heavily embossed item forward. “It seems that one fell through the cracks, Your Majesty.”
The queen took it, and she scowled. “When did you receive this?”
Tydella looked at Sashen.
“An hour ago, Your Majesty. It was slipped under the princess’s door.” Sashen was used to royalty.
To Tydella’s shock, the queen bowed her head. “I apologize, Your Imperial Highness. It was not my intent to begin with an insult.”
Tydella was watching, and there were two princesses who had seemed delighted about the invitation. “Well, it seems that there is no room left for me, so I will take a turn around the gardens. Don’t trouble yourself, Your Majesty. These things happen.” She inclined her head and left the pavilion.
Sashen sighed. “Too bad. The food smelled great.”
Tydella sighed. “Yeah. It did. Uren, come along.”
They walked toward the Kai-len, and the beasts came toward her. She paused and yawned, then she perked up. “Hey, I can take a nap.”
Sashen laughed. “You do tend to find the bright side.”
“Yeah. Are you and the others really pregnant?” She stroked one of the animals and looked at her guards.
Uren wrapped his arms around Sashen and placed his hands over her belly. He nodded. “We are. One pair went off and then the next, and you get the idea.”
“And then I went off. Sure. It all follows.”
Sashen chuckled. “If we are allowed, your child will not lack for companions.”
Tydella smiled. “I would like nothing better.”
She walked to a shade tree in the gardens, and she sank down to rest. She really needed more sleep than she had been getting.
Chapter Nine
She heard voices, and then, she was being carried. She knew it was Ador before she opened her eyes. “Why are you carrying me?”
“Because my mother was mortified that someone had tampered with the invitation, and she told me about it when I asked where the hell you were.”
“Ah. Right. So, why are you carrying me?”
“You were sleeping against a tree. I can offer you something