Jacinda's Challenge (Imperial 3) Read Online Free PDF

appearances and no visuals had been released. It made some believe it was just that, an incredible story, especially among the Queen’s detractors of which there were still a few. “If Prince Barek is right, then I think I would very much like to meet this fearless Titan.”
    Jotham was captivated by the smile growing on Jacinda’s face as she spoke. Her entire being seemed to light up especially her eyes. “She’s more the size of a sprite than a Titan,” Jotham told her.
    “What?” Jacinda gave him a surprised look.
    “She is even smaller than Tori. You have met Victoria, haven’t you?”
    “No, but I’ve seen visuals of her. She is quite small.”
    “Only by Carinian standards. Victoria is about average height for a female from Earth, or so I’ve been told, while her mother is quite a few inches shorter.”
    “Really? And she stood up to the Queen?” Jacinda’s eyes sparkled.
    “I don’t believe Cyndy sees Cassandra as the ‘Queen,’ but as the younger sister of her husband.”
    Jacinda was silent for a moment, thinking before quietly saying, “I’m sure the Queen appreciates that, being seen as a ‘person’ instead of a ‘title.'”
    “I’m sure she does.” Jotham paused then spoke his thoughts. “You sound as if you have some experience with that.”
    “With not being seen for who you really are?” Jacinda looked at Jotham wondering if he was really interested or just making polite conversation. She’d never really had a ‘conversation’ with him before. Yes, they had talked before but always about the current, polite, ‘political’ things and always in the presence of others. It had never veered toward the truly personal.
    “Please, I am actually interested.” Jotham saw her hesitation and was surprised to find he was. “I am just now realizing that while I have known you since you came to the House of Protection, I don’t really know you.”
    “Actually you have known me since before that, Majesty. We were at the Academy together.”
    “Excuse me?” Jotham’s shock was genuine.
    “We were at the Academy together, Majesty,” she repeated. “We actually attended several classes together even though I was a cycle ahead of you.”
    “We had classes together?” Jotham’s shock grew. “Why don’t I remember that?”
    “I believe during those classes you and the High Admiral were more focused on the Hext sisters sitting in front of you than anything else.”
    “The Hext sisters?” Jotham couldn’t stop the smile that broke out over his face or the rusty sounding laugh that escaped him. “Praise the ancestors, I haven’t thought about those two in cycles.”
    “Yes, well they led both of you on a merry chase before you caught them.”
    “Caught them?” Jotham cleared his throat and forced his lips into a straight line before answering, but the sparkle remained in his eye. “I’m afraid I don’t recall ‘catching’ them.”
    “Of course you don’t,” Jacinda’s own lips twitched at the King’s blatant lie. “No gentleman would remember such a thing.”
    “I still find it hard to believe I don’t remember you from the Academy.”
    “I don’t,” Jacinda said without any censure. “You had every girl in the Academy trying to gain your attention. There was no reason for you to look at one who wasn’t.”
    “And why weren’t you ?” The words escaped Jotham before he could stop them and cringed slightly at how that sounded, but Jacinda just laughed softly.
    “Partly because I was from the House of Healing and knew nothing could come of it. I had no desire to become one of Prince Jotham’s ‘special friends,’” she said as she made air quotes. “But the main reason was that I had plans, Majesty, and those plans had absolutely nothing to do with politics. I grew up in it and I wanted to be known as me , not an Assemblyman’s daughter. I had no desire to live the rest of my life in that fish bowl.”
    When Jotham’s only response was to raise an