The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

wanted him to marry would have to be so fascinatingly
beautiful and not resemble a Craven.
And, of course, I wouldn’t be dressed in any of the
pretty gowns that had arrived from Spessa’s End. My hair
was braided, and I wore leggings and a tunic—a pretty one
the shade of amethyst that I had thought flattered my figure
before I saw Gianna and realized she was the woman
Casteel could’ve married.
Now I wished I’d worn the crown.
“I am so sorry for what my great-uncle took part in and
orchestrated,” she added quickly, her anxiety now edged
with the bitterness of fear. “We had no idea. My family was
shocked and horrified to learn—”
“It’s okay,” I said, and surprise rolled through her—
through me as I yanked my head out of a very
unmentionable place. “If you and your family didn’t know
what Alastir planned, then you have nothing to apologize
for.” And that was true. One was not guilty because of who
they were related to. “I am sorry for what happened to your
cousin. I met Beckett. He was kind and entirely too young to
have died.”
Grief darted through Gianna as she drew in a shaky
breath. “Yes, he was far too young.” She swallowed. “I
planned on coming to you and the King, but I…I thought it
was better if I spoke with Kieran first. To see if he thought…”
If it would be wise for her to approach me went unsaid. I
could understand that concern. “Neither of us hold Alastir’s
family responsible. We hold him and the others who
conspired with him responsible.”
Gianna nodded, her gaze skittering to where Arden sat,
and the guards waited. What went unspoken between us
strained the silence to an almost painful level of
awkwardness.
I decided to address that head-on like I imagined
Casteel’s mother would have done. Like I knew even Queen