The Summer Palace (A Midlife Fairy Tale #2)(Paranormal Women's Midlife Fiction)

THE SUMMER PALACE A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Novel MidLife Fairy Tales Book 2 Copyright © 2023 Kristen Painter All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author. This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. Published in the United States of America Newly crowned queen of the Radiant fae, Sparrow “Ro” Meadowcroft has two goals. First, to show her fae subjects that despite growing up in the mortal realm, she plans to honor the customs and practices of her new world. Second, to reunite the Radiant fae with the Grym fae. Or at least broker peace between the two estranged kingdoms. How? By returning to the Summer Palace, an old tradition that once brought both kingdoms and their rulers together for a time of relaxation and fellowship. She’s invited the ruler of the Grym, too: Queen Anyka Ro hopes the neutral ground of Willow Hall will provide a fresh start and a chance at diplomacy, but the old palace holds dark secrets that could mean the end of the Radiant fae. Or a new day for the Grym. Can Ro win Anyka over or has too much blood already been spilled? And why does Willow Hall seem like the start of more trouble? All Ro knows for sure is that magic abounds in the Summer Palace. And not all of it’s good. Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Note Other Books By Kristen Painter About the Author For all the readers who make it possible for my cats to live the life they believe they deserve. The clang of metal striking metal rang out through the practice room as Queen Sparrow Meadowcroft defended herself against the charge from her personal security guard and sword skills teacher, Gabriel Nightborne. He was attempting to teach her some skills, not actually attacking her, thankfully. Otherwise, she’d have been done for almost instantly. He was very good. The best, really. Which was why he was head of palace security and her personal guard. His handsome face and nicely muscled body were just…perks. With a loud exhale, she stepped back and dropped the blade to her side. She shook her head. “I can’t do any more today.” She was sweaty and tired and her shoulders ached. “I’m worn out.” Gabriel nodded, letting his sword drift to his side as well. “You managed more practice than I expected, my lady. You did well.” He held out his hand. “Blade.” “Thanks.” Ro gave him her weapon, even though it wasn’t much of one. The sword’s edges were dull and the tip blunted so there was little chance either of them would be hurt during the session. The practice weapons were still a step up from the wooden sticks they’d used for the first two days. “I’m not sure I’m ever going to get any better at this.” He frowned. “You’ve already gotten better.” “You think so?” He nodded as they walked across the room to the benches along the wall. “I know so. We’ll keep up the practice at Willow Hall, too. If you want.” “Probably not a bad idea.” Tomorrow, they traveled to the Summer Palace. All to celebrate the long-lost tradition of spending the warmer months in the mountains at Willow Hall. Besides Ro, her son JT, her aunt Violet, quite a few of the professors and council members, a good number of royal guards, Gabriel and his daughter, Raphaela, there would be a hundred citizens joining them. Those citizens had been chosen through a lottery system and they’d be replaced every week by a new one hundred, meaning that in the course of the three months Willow Hall was open, twelve hundred citizens would be able to join them. Ro had been pretty excited to find that out. Not only would she get to meet and interact with many of her citizens, but they, in turn, would hopefully get to know her a little and accept her as one of their own. She understood that for some of them, having a queen who was not only a crossover from the mortal world, but who came with a son who looked more Grym fae than Radiant, wasn’t the easiest thing to accept. But holding that lottery was only one of the many things that had been accomplished so far this week. Something she’d done almost immediately was to replace a few of the council members. Those who’d been less than active in their positions or, in some cases, blatantly shirking their responsibilities had been replaced by new leadership, all of whom had pledged to support the new queen’s rule. Ro had spent one of her days listening to the petitions of the people. Aunt Violet and JT had sat with her, offering their support. She imagined it had been a learning experience for JT, as well. The council members had been there, as well. All of whom seemed plenty eager to tackle any problems that arose. Ro was happy about that. Replacing council members had been hard, but obviously the right thing to do. She’d met with