The Princess's Gambit
Janelle
My hands still shook as I scrubbed the blood from the stone floor outside Lord Darius's chambers. Adrian and Darius had drawn actual blood before the guards separated them, and the metallic scent made my stomach turn. But it wasn't the blood that terrified me, it was the look in Princess Sophia's eyes when she'd seen Adrian's rage over me.
She knew.
"Janelle."
The voice made me freeze, my scrub brush hovering over the stained stone. I looked up to see Princess Sophia herself standing in the corridor, her golden hair perfectly arranged, her blue silk gown spotless. She looked like a painting of perfection, but her eyes were ice cold.
"Your Highness," I whispered, scrambling to my feet and dropping into the deepest curtsy I could manage. Water from my cleaning bucket sloshed onto the floor. "I'm sorry, I was just finishing.."
"Leave that," she said, her voice crisp and commanding. "Walk with me."
It wasn't a request.
