Kit kissed her mother’s ring and then looked up at the dais for the first time. She’d known they weren’t alone when she’d entered the room because she’d heard enough stirring to be multiple people, but she’d walked in with her head low and hadn’t been able to place who was present. Now, she realized the other council members present where her own grandmother, Junno, Duchess Zora, and an older, distant cousin named Quinn. In front of the dais stood a tall, thin woman with dark hair and a lovely face. Her brown curls were piled high atop her head, and while she looked a bit weary, she smiled at Kit pleasantly. She wore a soft pink traveling gown and boots that didn’t quite match the style of the dress, but Kit assumed this had to be the new lady she’d been waiting for.
“Princess Katrinetta, it is nice of you to join us,” her mother said, her words dripping of sarcasm. “I thought perhaps you were still ill from your exploits yesterday.”
