Cindra’s POV
The parlor echoed with the hallowed whispers of history as I waved a rag in the direction of the relics around the room. I was supposed to be dusting, but I rarely put too much effort into it. Queen Bridget gave me a bunch of chores, but no one checked on my progress, and a whole other group of maids cleaned this section of the castle once a week anyway. Besides, how much dust could possibly gather in a parlor no one used or entered?
It was enough to make me scream.
My eyes wandered over the paintings that were too tall to dust and fading with age, and my thoughts wandered right back to where they weren’t supposed to go—that kiss I’d shared with Helio.
It was both a gift and a curse to know what he tasted like.
I pushed that memory away and thought back to the orphanag
