36. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
ADDIE
Guilt consumes me.
It wraps around my throat with large, unrelenting hands and squeezes until the breath leaves my lungs and I am gasping for air.
When I close my eyes, I see them. In my many years of working within the palace walls, I have never seen the prince so soft toward another, besides Miss Georgina.
Sebastian touched Victoria’s cheek as a lover would. His voice was adoring, even.
This wasn't the first time I saw him in the same company, alone with Miss Pierce; but it never crossed my mind. The prince hasn’t looked twice at anyone before. He didn’t even do so with his own wife, the woman I directly care for. Princess Mary isn’t always the kindest, but she’s still his wife.
A shaky breath leaves me and I allow my eyes to close for another brief moment as I weigh the decision out in my head. It’s heavy on my shoulders, but I need to do the right thing.
My feet move before I can convince myself otherwise, and I find myself in front of Princess Mary’s bedroom door within minutes.
The unease in my chest doesn’t lessen, even as I knock gently on the stained wood.
She needs to know. She needs to know I saw the Prince with his handmaid.
How I watched him stare at Miss Pierce with the most adoration I’ve ever seen from a man.
The soft shuffle on the other side of the door is the only warning I'm allowed, before Mary appears in front of me. Her blue eyes are locked on me in surprise with a hint of sleep.
“Your Highness, I didn’t mean to disturb you so late,” I start, “there is something I need to speak to you of, something that could not wait.”
She’s silent before her finger rises in a gesture to wait. I step back, folding my hands anxiously behind me as I watch the door close. More movement trickles from the other side, two hushed voices but I pay no mind, not when my heart feels as if it is going to beat straight out of my chest.
When the door reopens, Mary’s eyes are brighter, curious.
She opens the door fully to allow me entrance.
I offer a small smile and nod my head, stepping inside.
The warmth of her palm on my arm does nothing to ease the building guilt.
I don’t speak until we’re across from each other in the small seating area of the room.
It’s a room I’ve been in a million times before, Mary’s personal chambers.
Her and Sebastian don’t share one, not unless they were consummating.
Yet, the sheets are pulled down and there is a male robe lying on the floor by the bed. I swallow, turning my gaze back to Mary who stares at me with growing impatience.
“Your Majesty,” I murmur, my fingers tightening against each other as they intertwine on my lap. “I need to confess what I have just witnessed.”