I should probably know what she looks like if I’m meant to be watching her all the time. Watching the surrogate. I can’t decide if that’s creepy or just plain boring. Why couldn’t Lucien have asked me to watch over someone interesting? Another royal perhaps, or my mother? Actually, not my mother. I don’t think I want to know what she’s up to. I take the hall with all the stupid paintings of flowers in it and run into Cora just as she is walking down the short flight of stairs leading to the surrogate quarters. “What are you doing?” she asks. Everyone always asks me that with a certain tone, like I’m up to something. I shrug. “I just wanted to see the surrogate, I guess.” Not my best excuse. I really should have thought this out more. Cora rolls her eyes. “You know you’re not allowed in her chambers. Do you want to push your mother even more today?” Of course, she must know all about Cyan and The Prize Jewel. “No,” I say. “You’re right. I was just curious.
