Chapter 63

I feel like a horrible person. I give him a gentle kiss on the cheek, but he flinches. That hurts and I take that as a hint, so I walk back over to my own little corner. I can hear him crying, which causes me to silently cry. I should have just kept my big mouth shut.

"Derek?"

"Not now, Alayna."

I don't say anything else, until one of the guards walk in with only one tray of food.

"Is he not going to eat?" I ask.

"The King says, no.” He scoffs. “If it were me, you would starve."

"He doesn't understand." I say desperately. I can’t believe that Joseph is acting this way.

"Understand?" he laughs. "The queen, that he's been grieving, couldn't talk.” He raises his brow. How could I have forgotten that part.

“I can explain that to him, if he would let me. I just..”