"Some days, not even that," Phoebe replied. "Court emergencies take precedence over personal time."
Elliot studied the scene with calculating eyes. The guards maintained their vigilant positions, never turning their backs on the princess even in this supposedly private moment. Stevens stood slightly closer than the others, his attention divided between Elizabeth and the surrounding garden in a way that suggested he was her primary protector.
"What's she reading?" Buck asked, squinting to make out the book in her hands.
"Fiction, most likely," Phoebe said. "The king permits novels from the approved royal collection—stories of adventure and distant lands that pose no political risk."
Even in imagination, Elizabeth's freedom had boundaries. The thought settled uncomfortably in Buck's mind
