Chapter76:

Her reflection in the mirror indicated it had been a long day. After Cassius left, Kit had fallen asleep for a bit before Avinia woke her to remind her she had a few tasks to take care of—meeting with an auxiliary group from the council, for instance, something she did once a week to talk about financing and other royal duties. It never took too long, but it did make Kit feel like she was preparing to be a better ruler. She also checked in on at least one group of staff each week to see if they had any concerns. Today, she’d met with the kitchen staff. Seeing Blankka had been more than a little awkward, especially now that the comment Kit had overheard in the hallway about her mother giving the girl some of the lands she’d confiscated from Eli’s family and giving her a title made much more sense. Kit had rushed through that meeting as quickly as she could, just to get away from her, though Blankka hadn’t said a word and wouldn’t even look at her. Now, sitting here, watching herself in