The Red Queen by Meg Xuemei X Read Free Book Online Page B

downwards in the wind and fell onto the sea like a splatter of blood.

CHAPTER 3
    DUEL
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    The first thing Lucienne looked at was what she wore when she awoke the next morning. The white gown clinging to her body didn’t improve her mood. Yesterday’s shame stuck with her like a bad hangover.
    She’d been cruel to Vladimir. She’d called Aida her servant. And she’d chased Ash like a feline in heat. If he hadn’t fended off her advance, they’d have—
    The worst part was not knowing what she’d do to hurt others and shame herself when she sank into her next bout of insanity.
    She didn’t want to get up. She made up her mind to skip breakfast. There was no way she could face Vladimir or Ashburn today. Not today. Maybe not ever, though that day would come.
    Aida sat on the edge of the bed. “None of them are in the house. They didn’t even show up for breakfast. We have a quiet morning for a change.”
    “Where did they go?” Lucienne asked sheepishly.
    “They’re boys. They can’t stay in the house forever.”
    Lucienne sighed. “They’ve been restless.”
    “The boys are caged cubs in puberty.”
    “What does that mean?”Lucienne let out a low laugh. The next second, deep sorrow arrived like the cold rain. Neither of them could have a future with her.
    After Lucienne had a quick shower, her nanny combed her hair. “Anything you want to do today, my sweet girl?” Aida asked.
    “Good question,” she said.
    Although every day had become a test for her and everyone around her, Sphinxes’ post-war operations needed to be smoothed out. Weakened defenses needed to be shored up and allies kept in place. Lucienne had to face a day of project reviews, stacks of documents waiting to be signed, and meetings. Endless meetings ….
    She batted those thorny issues aside, but one of them pricked at her, demanding her immediate attention—she needed to stop the fighting between Vladimir and her men.
    After Aida brushed her hair, Lucienne stepped into the adjoining sitting room. Her chief had the crew turn a small portion of her former bedroom into this waiting area . She could still have some of her privacy while the on-the-clock guards watched out for her here.
    Thaddeus raised his head at her approach. He was eating the pancakes that her nanny had brought into the sitting room for her. “How do you feel, cousin?” he asked good-naturedly.
    Aida hissed, “That breakfast isn’t for you!” She scurried to his side, gave him a bang on the forehead, and snatched away the plate. Only two pancakes remained.
    “Ouch, Aida,” Thaddeus said.
    “None of the guards dare eat Lucienne’s food—unlike you!” Aida said.
    “I’m not just her guard,” Thaddeus said. “I’m family.”
    “Then you should care for her health rather than steal her food,” Aida said.
    “C’mon, Lucia can’t finish all those pancakes,” said Thaddeus. “She’s to be a queen. A queen must be on a diet to keep her good looks. That’s the part of her welfare I’m looking after.”
    “You have a slick tongue, like the Czech!” Aida said.
    Thaddeus spit out his half-eaten pancake. “You do not put me and him in the same sentence!”
    Like the others, her cousin also blamed Vladimir for Lucienne’s fall. Her men lost reason after she’d been poisoned. If she couldn’t kick some sense back into them, then she must make them see the consequences of their violent actions against her boyfriend.
    “Stop,” Lucienne cut in. “Will you two let me have a few moments of peace?”
    They quieted.
    “Sorry, cousin,” Thaddeus said. “I won’t eat your pancakes again.”
    “Eat my food all you want,” Lucienne said, “just don’t fight. You are all my family.”
    “But families usually fight,” said Thaddeus.
    Right. Her charming family—the Lams—didn’t just fight. Two-thirds of them had once wanted her dead, and one-third of them had acted on it.
    “Where’s Kian?” she asked. He hadn’t