Page 169 of The Royal Art of Revenge

I throw the box on the table. “Hattie?”

Nothing.

“Harriet!” I tear through the living room to our kitchen. It’s empty, just like the dining room. “Harriet!”

I rush towards the bedrooms, and the sound of rushing water hits my ears. The shower.

She’s in the shower.

I shove my way into the bathroom and stop. She’s sitting in the shower, fully clothed, with her knees hugged to her chest and her chin against her chest as the water beats down on her. It’s not cold in here, nor is it foggy with steam, so at least the water is a reasonable temperature.

I remove my shoes and walk over to the shower, stopping just in front of her. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she says, her voice muffled by the way she’s got her face buried.

“You don’t sound surprised that I’m here.”

“Nobody else would find me here.”

Weirdly, that makes me smile. “Can I turn off the water?”

She shakes her head.

“All right. We can sit here for a bit.”

“You’ll get cold,” she murmurs.

“So will you, but you don’t want to turn it off yet, so I can deal with a little cold.” I lean against the tiled wall, wincing at the chill of it, and keep my gaze on her. “It’s a lot for you to deal with, huh?”

Hattie nods. “I didn’t… I didn’t do those things, Finn. I—”

“I know.”

She freezes.

“I know, baby.” I touch my fingertip to the top of foot. “You don’t need to explain yourself.”

“But everyone else—”

“There isn’t a single person in this palace who believes those lies. And, if they do, they won’t be in the palace by bedtime.”

Slowly, oh so fucking slowly, she raises her head. Her usually vibrant green eyes hold a dullness that cuts my heart in two, and she presses her lips against her knee. “I can leave,” she whispers. “This is too much for you all.”

“No.” I roll onto my knees in front of her and lower my face until my eyes are level with hers. “Absolutely not, so get that idea out of your pretty little head. You aren’t going anywhere. I’m not letting you go anywhere.”

“Why?” Her voice breaks. “I’ve caused nothing but trouble.”

“Because,” I say softly, pushing some wet hair away from her forehead with my fingertip. “I love you far too much to let you go. Trouble and all.”

A hint of the light I love so much flickers back to life in her eyes. “You love me?”

“So much so that if you leave this palace, so do I. Everything here is worthless to me if you aren’t with me. If I had to make a choice right now, it would be you. Every single time.”

And I mean it.

If she wants to jack this all in and run away, then fuck, I’ll drive the getaway car.

“But I’ve caused so much trouble.” Her voice is the smallest I’ve ever heard it. “From the very beginning. And I don’t… You don’t deserve this. None of you do.”