“Please,” I said. “I’m her escort!”
“Suspected criminals may not be escorts for nobles.” He waved his hand in dismissal.
The backs of my eyes burned as Aiden took hold of her arm, his stave pointed at her.
“Meera!” I shouted.
She looked back at me, a determined look in her eyes, and nodded. “It’s okay,” she said, before she let Aiden lead her away from the dais.
But the doors opened before they could reach them. And the herald’s shadow filled the threshold as he shouted, “Presenting Lady Hart, wife of His Highness, Arkasva Hart, High Lord of Glemaria, Imperator to the North.”
I stilled.Lady Hart?Imperator Hart had remarried? When?
My gaze immediately fell on him, my heart pounding. Rhyan’s eyes had reddened, and there was an expression on his face I couldn’t quite read.
“Did you know?” I mouthed.
His jaw clenched, and he nodded, his eyes downcast, his hands trembling at his sides.
“My son didn’t tell you he had a new stepmother?” Imperator Hart asked, closely watching our exchange.
“Lyr,” Rhyan whispered, still barely looking at me. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice so quiet I could only just hear. “I’m so sorry.”
I frowned, and looked over my shoulder. Just as Meera and Aiden vanished, Lady Hart appeared in the doorframe, gracefully stepping forward.
Three things became clear at once. First, Lady Hart was far too young for the Imperator. Rhyan’sstepmotherappeared hardly older than me.
Second, she was incredibly beautiful. She had large dark eyes, and shining brown hair pulled back by a silver diadem. Her skin was pale in the way of most northerners, but with distinctly pink cheeks and lips. She had the kind of beauty that conveyed a sense of warmth and intelligence.
And third, she was incredibly far along in her pregnancy. She entered the Seating Room, walking slowly, almost painfully slow, wincing every so often, her hand wrapped protectively around her swollen belly.
Rhyan’s shoulders shook, and a small gasp escaped his lips as he watched. When she finally reached the dais, Rhyan’s father stood and helped her up. She was out of breath, drained from the long walk down the aisle. But instead of offering her a chair, or even something to lean against, he left her standing alone, and returned to his Seat, settling back, his legs spread wide.
Dario, the only soturion who remained in the room with us, started forward, as if he meant to help her. But then he stilled, stepping back as if he’d remembered himself.
Lady Hart’s eyes went to Rhyan’s almost at once, staring at him for a long time. A wave of emotions I couldn’t read flashed across his face. Something unspoken passed between them.
Who had she been to Rhyan? A friend? A classmate? Based on her age it seemed likely. From the look she’d given him, they’d been more than just acquaintances. It was also clear that he’d known that she’d married his father. But he’d never told me. Why? And why did he keep apologizing?
Imperator Hart grinned. “Please present yourself to my wife, Lady Kenna.”
I swallowed, not recognizing the name, my heart thumping. “Lady Lyriana Batavia,” I said. “I would curtsey, Your Grace, but I’m a little tied up at the moment.”
Kenna’s eyes lit up, looking between me and Rhyan, like she saw what lay between us. She smiled. It was a smile that felt oddly genuine, but then her face bore the neutral expression of nobility. “It’s good to meet you, Lady Lyriana.” Unlike her husband, she spoke with a soft Glemarian lilt. So, she’d been born here.
“My wife,” he said, “is the eldest daughter of Arkturion Kane of Ka Gadayyan. A warlord that many argue is more powerful than the Ready. She comes from a very ancient bloodline. Like you, my lady.”
“How fitting,” I said, “For an Imperator.”
I looked at her again more carefully. Kane’s daughter. Shit. Was she dangerous? Was that why Rhyan was upset? Was this why he’d never mentioned her?
“More fitting than you know, Lyriana,” Imperator Hart continued, his voice rolling over the informal use of my name. “Lady Kenna was marked for Ka Hart for quite some time. Didn’t my son tell you? She was once nearly betrothed to another member of my immediate family.”
“Your immediate family?” I asked, frowning.
A red stain crept up Lady Kenna’s neck, but she stared at me with an almost daring boldness as my mind tried to sort out the Imperator’s meaning. He had no immediate family beyond his deceased wife. And Rhyan.
And Rhyan …
