Princess of hearts, p.1
Princess of Hearts, page 1
PRINCESS OF HEARTS
WHEN KINGS COLLIDE
BOOK TWO
ID JOHNSON
Copyright © 2024 by ID Johnson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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For RJ
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Epilogue
A Note From the Author
Also by ID Johnson
CHAPTER 1
The Kingdom of Arteria was a vast, green rolling lush land of promise. Standing on the highest turret of Castle Caine, Princess Kaylee could see for miles, overtop of the village houses, past the woodlands, and behind her, to the misty blue where the ocean and sky merged. It was a beautiful kingdom, and she was both proud to be next in line for the throne and understood how fortunate she was to have been born here, during this time of relative peace. She tried to remember that as she took a step backward, preparing to re-enter the castle and join her parents for a dinner party celebrating the arrival of her cousin, Princess Jenna of Clovington.
“You don’t have to act as if you’re a captive,” her lady-in-waiting, and good friend, Annetta, reminded her. “It’s not as if you don’t do enough traipsing about as you please.”
Kaylee rolled her eyes and tipped her head down to meet her friend’s gaze. She had two inches on Annetta, and she liked to remind her of that whenever she had the chance. “I don’t feel as if I am a prisoner,” she assured the duchess. “It’s only… I want to go out there and explore. And Father won’t let me.”
“For good reason,” Annetta pointed out. Though the Duchess of Corona was only two years her senior, she often acted like an old maid in Kaylee’s opinion. “You’ve heard about the raids. It isn’t as if it’s perfectly safe now, as it has been before.”
Again, Kaylee’s eyes moved backward of their own accord. “Everyone knows Arteria is the safest kingdom in the world. No fool would ever dare attack our lands. My father’s army would slaughter them before they stepped foot on Arterian soil.” Done with the conversation, Kaylee turned and headed for the open door that led to the stairs. Ever since her father, King Caleb, had forbidden her from leaving the castle, almost a month ago, this had been her only taste of freedom--well, except for the few times she’d escaped to the woods to ride with her cousin Marcus and their friend Daniel. Of course, Annetta had come along, too, and while Kaylee had been certain Annetta would tell on them, she hadn’t. Yet.
Kaylee’s slippers hardly made a sound as she pounded down the steps in frustration. She wished she’d been wearing thick, black boots, the kind that would make a statement. The kind that would emphasize her disgust at not being able to walk out the front door any time she liked. Annetta followed in silence, but Kaylee could tell the duchess was simply weighing her options when it came to a response. How far was she willing to push the princess’s patience?
Too far. “It isn’t an army your parents fear,” Annetta explained, a few steps behind her. “Raiders are different, Kaylee. You know that. They are stealthy. They can sneak through breaks in our defenses.”
Stopping at a landing, Kaylee turned to face her. “You honestly think that’s possible? That a raiding party from Gradenia could get through either of my uncles’ defenses--through Clovington or Zurconia--and somehow end up in the forest near Castle Cain undetected? I don’t mean to be harsh, Annetta, but I’m afraid you’ve gone mad.” Kaylee spun around and continued on her way, hoping she hadn’t been too offensive, but then she didn’t care all that much. If she hurt Annetta’s feelings, she’d get over it quickly enough.
“You’re right, Princess.” Annetta’s tone dripped with sarcasm. She even went so far as to cross her arms under her ample bosom. “I’m sure you know far more about the situation than your father, the most highly regarded strategist in the history of the entire world.” Kaylee scoffed, thinking the duchess must know she sounded silly making such an exaggeration. “You go ahead and do as you please, and when the raiders kidnap you, the way they have princesses in several other kingdoms, I’ll tell your parents I thought you were asleep in your bed and had no idea you’d somehow managed to escape out one of the side doors when the guards were off taking a piss.”
Again, Kaylee wheeled around, her pink gown spinning out from her ankles far enough to whip into Annetta’s shins. While she wanted to address the fact that she’d snuck out with the guards standing right next to their posts, she felt more compelled to speak about the alleged number of kidnappees. “Several? Several other kingdoms? Do you believe everything you overhear Caroline saying in the kitchen? I know of three that have been reported, and believe me, I don’t think any of it’s true. All of those kingdoms are far north of here. Not a single one of our neighbors have had any incidents at all.”
Shaking her head, Annetta said, “I do believe it is at least three. Perhaps that is because only two neighboring kingdoms have princesses, Kaylee. Why else do you think your Uncle James has brought his daughter here? It has to be so that she is further away from Norterly, the closest kingdom to have lost a daughter. Certainly, King James believes Jenna will be safer here. Behind the thick walls of Castle Caine--not out in the wild where you wish to go.”
Kaylee narrowed her eyes. It was doing her no use to try and explain to Annetta what it was she felt in her heart, a calling, a need for adventure, to see the world. After eighteen years of trying to explain, she’d hoped her closest friend would understand her a little better, but every time the subject came up, she took her parents’ side. Rather than trying once more, Kaylee turned and headed the last few steps down the stairs. While she was excited to see Jenna, she knew her cousin was almost as timid as Annetta, and something told Kaylee her exploration into the forest would be put on hold indefinitely, now that Princess Jenna had arrived at Castle Caine.
CHAPTER 2
The parlor off the main dining hall was small--her mother liked to say intimate--and with so many royals already crowded around, Kaylee wasn’t even certain the pair of them could find their way in, but with Annetta’s probing, the princess joined them, not sure how she may announce her arrival.
She didn’t have to. “Kaylee!” Jenna exclaimed, dodging between her parents, King James and Queen Helena, to greet her cousin. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you for so long.”
Though Jenna was petite, her embrace was powerful, and Kaylee found herself gasping for air as she struggled to take a breath and lift her arms to wrap them around Jenna’s waist.
With a giggle, Jenna took a step back, brushing back a stray lock of strawberry-blonde hair that had come loose from the matching braids wound into buns on either side of the back of her head. “So sorry, cousin. I apologize for my overzealousness.”
“All we heard all the way here was how excited she was to see you,” Kaylee’s Aunt Helena said as she stepped over to wrap her arm around Kaylee’s shoulders. She kissed her on the cheek. “How are you, dear?”
“Well,” Kaylee lied. She couldn’t possibly tell her aunt the truth--that she was a caged bird. The woman was married to her mother’s brother, after all. And Queen Helena and Queen Katherine were good friends. Ever since James had admitted to having fallen in love with the former chambermaid, the two queens had written to each other often and visited many times. No, Kaylee could not count her as a confidant, unfortunately.
Nor could she confide in her uncle, whose hug was almost as tight as his daughter’s. “You’ve gotten taller since last fall, I believe.”
“I think not,” Kaylee said, though she threw in a polite giggle. “I stopped growing years ago, Uncle James.”
“Perhaps you’ve gotten shorter,” David, her father’s advisor joked. He stood next to King Caleb across the small space, one hand folded, the other propped beneath his chin, and Kaylee snickered along with everyone else at the chiding. On David’s other side, his wife Joan, and their son, Gregory, completed their picture-perfect family. Kaylee’s eyes danced across their faces briefly, but she didn’t allow herself to linger on Greg’s countenance, not in such a crowded room.
“Are we ready to dine?” Queen Margaret, Kaylee’s other aunt asked. “I’m starving.”
“Pardon our daughter’s tardiness,” Katherine said, her smile revealing she was teasing. “I’m afraid she has a schedule of her own.”
“Or perhaps she was just lost. The inability to navigate does run in
Prince Marcus, Kaylee’s other cousin, Margaret and Matthew’s son was the only one who didn’t laugh at all. She smiled at him, knowing he harbored an anger against the men who’d caused his parents such pain. Even though Matthew had been kidnapped and Margaret poisoned before any of the younger generation had been born, they were all intimately aware of the situation, and Kaylee didn’t blame him for wishing he could find King Leopold of Gradenia and dispatch him. Marcus attempted to return the smile, but his face didn’t quite cooperate.
“Let us proceed to the dining room,” Katherine declared, and since Kaylee was closest to the door, she went out first, meeting Annetta there who was gathered with some of the other attendants, awaiting the royal party. Though David and his family were not noble by blood, they may as well have been for all the reverence Sir David was held in.
Jenna looped her arm through Kaylee’s as the pair held back, letting the others go ahead, the king and queen of the palace in the lead, the others close behind. Greg and Marcus walked alongside each other, chatting like the friends they were. Marcus spent so much time at Castle Caine, he may as well have lived there, which Kaylee appreciated. She loved him dearly and was thankful they’d had the opportunity to grow so close, even though they lived in different kingdoms.
A good two heads taller than the dark-haired Marcus, Greg resembled a bean pole from the back, though Kaylee had to admit he was filling out a little. He had always been tall and lithe, like his father, not at all the picture of a soldier, and yet both of them could manage a sword better than just about anyone. Kaylee had grown up with Greg, and when he’d trained with weaponry, she’d begged to put her womanly lessons aside and do the same. Her mother said that she must learn to sew, to speak and read in several languages, and to play the pianoforte, but after those lessons, if she wanted to spend her free time in the yard with the boys, so be it.
And Kaylee had. Her father trained her as well, when he had time, and it was one of the ways she’d bonded with him. He’d also taught her to ride like one of his warriors. Now, Kaylee felt confident on any steed. When she was sailing across a vast, open field on the back of a galloping charger, her red hair flowing out behind her like a sail in the wind, she felt a surge of freedom roll through her veins in a way she could never describe to anyone. Her father had given her that.
And now, he insisted on taking it away, on keeping her here, inside Castle Caine, for the foreseeable future. While Kaylee could see why he was concerned, she thought it was unwarranted. The circumstances her family had suffered long ago, when her parents were younger, and the trauma her mother had gone through as a young child, were influencing their ability to use logic; no marauders would ever dare try to enter Arteria. They were making a fuss about nothing.
Jenna’s soft voice cut into her thoughts. “I’m so happy to see you. And to be here. Where it’s safe.”
Kaylee turned her blue eyes to her cousin. “Safe?” she echoed, almost laughing. “Whatever do you mean? Do you not feel that you were safe in Clovington?”
Jenna shook her head, her green eyes narrowing. “No, Kaylee, I don’t. Haven’t you heard? Four princesses. Gone. Right from their very homes. Behind guarded castle walls. Soldiers standing outside their doors.”
Kaylee tried not to roll her eyes. She thought most of that had to be an exaggeration. The numbers and circumstances kept changing. She didn’t want to belittle her cousin, though, or argue with her. “Well, I assure you, you are perfectly safe here. No one has ever infiltrated Castle Caine, and one would have to be a fool to even step foot on Arterian soil.”
Jenna guffawed. “Do you think most marauders aren’t foolish? At least when it comes to taking risks? I hope you’re right, dear cousin. I’d hate for either of us to go missing in the night.”
Patting her cousin’s hand where it rested on her forearm, Kaylee’s smile became more genuine. “Don’t worry, my sweet Jenna. We shall keep you safe. I shall keep you safe.”
Jenna knew her skills with a sword and a bow and arrow well, so when they both broke out in a fit of giggles it wasn’t because Jenna doubted her words, only that Kaylee sounded like an amorous suitor, not her female cousin.
Heads turned at the sound of the princesses laughing, and they both straightened up, even though no one was offended. Most of the others turned around quickly, but Gregory’s eyes lingered, and Kaylee made the mistake of catching his chocolate brown orbs. Her heart caught in her chest, and she looked away. He turned quickly, and she swallowed a lump in her throat, thinking of a day not long ago when he’d revealed too much, and she’d feared she may have lost a friend--forever.
CHAPTER 3
After a formal dinner full of interesting conversations, mostly had by the elders while the younger generation listened and did their best to mind their manners, the adults went off to one of the parlors to carry on discussing matters of state, or whatever business they needed to attend to, sending the “children” off to their rooms for bed. Of course, Kaylee had no plans of retiring to her quarters at such an early hour, so she sent Annetta to gather the others and have them meet her in the library. It wasn’t the most entertaining room in all of Castle Caine, but it was far enough away from the parlor that none of their parents should hear them, even if they got a bit noisy. Not that she feared retribution if they did. Still, if she were to disobey her parents’ wishes, she may as well at least try not to get caught.
Kaylee found a seat on the large settee in the center of the room, the expansive picture window that looked out over one of the gardens behind her. She smoothed her skirts and tried to be patient as she waited for her cousins and friends to arrive. Hopefully, Jenna wouldn’t be too cautious to come because she wanted to spend more time with her sweet cousin. Without a doubt, Marcus would be game; he was always willing to get into a bit of mischief with her. And that meant Greg would be there, too. She knew she couldn’t avoid him forever, but the uneasiness between them was unsettling, and it made her heart race a little, not in the way he would’ve liked. She tried not to fidget and folded her hands in her lap, but her fingers continued to move of their own accord.
She’d changed gowns, and the one she was wearing, light pink in a thin fabric that flowed and didn’t weigh her down, was one of the most comfortable items of clothing she owned. Though, it had nothing on the trousers and tunic she’d been wearing whenever she snuck out to go riding. The fact that men were allowed to wear such pleasant outfits, with absolutely no binding or restrictions on beneath save a simple undergarment of the same nature if they chose, was completely unfair. Kaylee had resolved long ago that once she became queen, she would declare it legal for women to wear trousers any time they chose. It was one of the many laws she would change on her first day upon the throne.
Footsteps in the hall brought her mind back around. Annetta entered, that judgmental look on her face that was meant to tell Kaylee she was bound to get into trouble if she continued down this reckless path, but behind her, Jenna bounded in, and Kaylee leaped up to greet her as if she hadn’t just attended dinner with her for the last two hours.
“You came!” Kaylee said, wrapping her arms around Jenna’s shoulders.
“Yes, well, I am not sure it is the best choice,” her cousin said in a whisper. “But… Annetta persuaded me.” Jenna smiled and looked around as if she wasn’t certain if she should stay.
