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“Oh, ’s color was sickly white He stumbled a bit Grayson and her father rushed to his side and helped him into a chair
“I’ll get help,” Annabelle said, afraid this revelation was too much for her uncle
“No I’ said in an unsteady voice “I don’t believe this First my wife is murdered and now, my sister—all in the name of the crown” His head sunk into his hands
Annabelle’s heart went out to the n She’d been so young when her aunt, the queen, was assassinated The assailant had been ai but had missed The whole ordeal had taken a toll on the fained a few years later Annabelle’s own mother would be killed
So and other tiht, if not for the crown, both of the women who had meant so much to him—to all of them—would still be here
“I think that it was an accident,” Annabelle said, hoping to lessen the blow for everyone
“Annabelle, how can you talk like this?” Her father’s voice shook with emotion “He stole your mother from us Surely you must hate him?”
She shook her head “No, not hate”
“I don’t understand,” her father said “I’et it”
She recalled the time she’d spent with her ether but in the tiht her some valuable life lessons “I don’t think Moo She used to say that hate, and even the word itself, was aman could ever create Hate could destroy a man as sure as it could destroy a nation”
Her father’s hter’s words And then he composed himself “For a moment there, you sounded just like her I never knew she told you that I’d aliven this Drago man?”
Annabelle shook her head “Right now, I’iveness, well, it’s a long ways off He stole a very precious person from me—from all of us And then he nearly destroyed our fa to take co he now has to account for his crimes”
“I don’t know” Her father rubbed the back of his neck “I don’t think I can be as calm and rational about this as you”
She didn’t want to lose her father again to hatred and resentment Maybe if she explained a little more, it would help “He said he never un accidentally fired”
Her father looked at her with disbelief reflected in his eyes “And you believed him?”