Bri was so close to pressing the blade a little further, just so her mother would know she could do it. She could prove she wasn’t a helpless child anymore, but at the sound of Lina’s thundering footsteps, Bri paused. Her mother might be the sort of person who deserved a dagger to the heart, but Bri wasn’t the sort of person who killed for spite. She wouldn’t do it—not for her mother, but for herself.

She dropped the dagger, giving her mother one last hateful look as she said, “All the good that I possess, I made for myself.”

*   *   *

Bri threw open Lina’s bedroom door, finding the Princess directing two servants to take her things as she grabbed armfuls of her garments.

“Get out,” Bri commanded, not taking her eyes from Lina. The servants stopped what they were doing and immediately left, a flicker of relief on their faces. Bri’s heavy breaths sounded too quiet in the frozen silence stretching out between them. “This is it?”

“Cole isn’t in Swifthill. The city is safe.” Lina tossed her clothing into her open trunk. “My people need a Queen, and I’ve been wasting time attending parties. I should be in my kingdom right now.”

Bri’s heart thundered in her chest. Her mouth was so dry she could hardly speak. “Am I coming with you?”

Her cheeks burned. It didn’t feel right to let Lina go. Nothing about it felt right. Cole wasn’t acting alone, the ride back to Swifthill might still be dangerous, and she’d promised Delta she’d protect Lina . . . but most of all, Bri wasn’t ready to say goodbye. For one damning moment she thought it might be okay, that they might find a way to be together.

Lina whipped her head toward Bri, her eyes piercing straight into Bri’s soul. “I don’t know, Bri, are you? Because one second you’re asking me to end my engagement, and the next, you’re telling your mother that you believe you’re destined to rule another kingdom.”

“I’m trying—” Bri scowled, covering her face with her hands and taking a breath. “It’s complicated between us for so many reasons. I can’t give you children, for one.”

“Absolutely anyone I want could give me a child.” Lina rolled her eyes. “I could pick any one of my citizens and they would do it gladly—to boast that they sired a future sovereign. That doesn’t mean they need to be my consort. . . . You said that yourself.”

“You’ve thought about this,” Bri whispered.

Lina took a shallow breath. “I have.”

“Lina . . .” Bri took a step toward her.