Chapter 23 : : : : : The Princess' Secret

*Ember*

I woke with a start.

For a moment, I didn’t know where I was or how I had gotten there, but then I realized that I was in my room at the manor, wrapping tightly in a pile of blankets.

My head was pounding, and my mouth felt dry and cottony. The morning sunlight, which I usually loved, stung my eyes and caused me to duck back under the covers for the tiny amount of respite they could afford me.

Even though I felt terrible, there was something in my chest that felt loosened, as though I had shaken off the yoke of all of those years of being a docile, submissive princess for my father in the night.

Groaning, I extricated myself from the covers and sat up, squinting against the light. I was still wearing the same clothes I had been in yesterday, though somebody had placed my boots neatly by the door. I glanced around the room for any other clues about what had happened the previous night, and then my eyes fell on the vanity.