Kimberly POV
We have arrived at the palace exhausted after hours of travel. More than the physical exhaustion, I feel emotionally tired, too. I felt drained. I was not expecting the end of the academic year to be like this.
I prepared myself to greet my stepfather, stretching my lips to make a fake smile on my face. He was waiting for us at the front steps like he did when I went home last winter holiday. With him was a man I have never seen around the kingdom before. He was the same height as King Edward, both over six feet tall. I could not describe the man as scrawny, but he was definitely thinner than the king, who was lean and muscular.
The car stopped, and I was glad to be back. I would have liked to go straight to my room, but I knew I had to speak a few words to my stepdad.
Wh
