I Swore to Kill the Prince I Guard novel · Chapter 13 of 24
Chapter 13: Vigil
The wake lasted from dusk until the third bell of the night.
The King lay in the chapel hall in a bed of white lilies he had hated, under four tall candles.
Florian stood at the foot of the bier in black velvet for six hours without moving.
Evander stood two paces behind him in his best steel.
Lords came and wept and kissed the dead man's ring.
Lord Basil came last, in the black gown of the regency, and knelt a long time with his silver head bowed.
Then he rose, put his soft hand on the prince's shoulder, and said, "He loved you, my son."
Florian said, "Thank you, my lord."
His voice was perfectly level.
Evander watched the Chancellor walk the length of the hall and past him, and he did not break the old man's neck.
It was the hardest thing he had ever done standing still.
When the last of the court had gone, he took the prince back to his rooms with a hand under his elbow.
Florian let him.
He walked stiffly, every step cautious and heavy.
In the bedchamber the fire had been made up by someone who loved him.
Florian stopped in the middle of the carpet.
He took off his spectacles and held them without seeing them.
"I should be crying," he said.
"I've been waiting all night for it.
"I stood there thinking, now, now, and nothing came.
"He asked me for a book last week and I forgot to bring it."
His hands began to shake.
The spectacles slid out of his fingers and bounced on the rug.
"Evander," he said, in a small high voice Evander had never heard from him.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of I Swore to Kill the Prince I Guard are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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