“I will help you however I can, but not with this.”
I withdrew my hand. “Has Clause harmed her?”
“She...” Olive hesitated before shaking her head. “No. He hasn’t.” She sighed before swallowing as though her throat was suddenly dry. “Listen, if you came here just for her, then you shouldn’t have wasted your time.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Trust me, she is not suffering as much as you imagine. She is not the polite little princess she once was. Actually, I doubt she waseverpolite or much of a princess.” I could have sworn something like disgust flickered behind her eyes.
“Why will you not tell me where she is?”
“Because if the King wanted you to know, then you already would. And if he chooses to keep that from you, then I do not desire to go against his wishes.”
I lowered my voice and asked my last question. “If I granted the people here freedom, would they return to where they came from? Do you people want to be free?”
She shrugged. “What is freedom? I doubt it truly exists. We all live in one form of prison or another. Yet not all prisons are terrible. The Sidhe land is where I grew up. It is all I know.” Her gaze flickered to the wolf and back to me. “I would caution you against this kind of talk. Clause favors you, but if you wish to keep the liberties he has granted you, then you should be careful with what you share and ask of people.”
I nodded, and with that, our conversation ended. The girl showed herself out and left me standing in my room, staring at the closed door. With a sigh, I turned to Shay. “Well, I guess it’stime for me to get ready to share yet another meal with this wretch of a King.”
Shay growled lowly, as if agreeing.
Again,I sat before him.
Again, his eyes observed me while I endured it.
The servants filled the table between us with far too much food for two people. Eggs, meat, bread, cheeses, and fruits covered the space. I placed some bread and cheese on my plate, along with berries.
“How was Olive this morning?” Clause asked after swallowing a bite of whatever he had on his plate.
“It was fine.” My eyes met his, and I was uncertain how much he knew, whether this was some sort of test. Someone so controlled, like him, likely kept himself well informed. He probably already knew the details. I placed the cheese on top of the bread. “I think I made her uncomfortable.” My attention shifted to the bread in my hands as I took a bite.
Clause chuckled. “Usually, it’s the other way around. Olive makes others uncomfortable because of her gifts.” He studied me a moment. “What did you say to her?” The question could have been a test. The Sidhe King asking regarding something he already knew the answer to, just to see what I would say. The way his subjects seemed to be around him; I would have bet that Olive told him all about our conversation if he had.
I swallowed, choosing to openly show my hand. There was likely no point in hiding it, and if anything maybe honesty would work in my favor. “I asked her that if I freed the people here, would they want to leave?”
“Interesting.” He tilted his head, viewing me. Those cold gray eyes portrayed nothing that was going on in his head. “Youasked her such a question, without simply assuming the people here would go running at the opportunity of leaving? I thought you viewed me as an abominable leader.”
“Just because I do, doesn’t mean others do too. I would like to know how your people feel about you. Apparently, that question may make them uncomfortable.”
He took a sip of water. “And if I asked you such a thing while you were under the rule of your father. Would the question not make you uncomfortable?”
“Only because he was an abominable leader.”
Clause’s lips quirked at the side. “And if I ask some of your people this same question today. You do not think it may make them uncomfortable? All of them would simply agree with no concerns?”
I didn’t respond, because I didn’t know. Such a question would likely make most uneasy. He was unfortunately correct about that. So instead of answering him, I asked him something else. “I doubt you allow most others to talk like this to you or about you. So why are you letting me?”
The pressure of his gaze not once lightened. It remained heavily centered on me. “You’re right. Most would never dream of it. But you are a visitor, not a citizen, and so I encourage your curiosity.” Though he gave an answer, I felt as though there was more he wasn’t sharing.
I leaned back in my seat, viewing him, refusing to shy away from the all-consuming presence he commanded. “What game are you playing here?”
His head tilted. “I assure you. It is no game.”
I didn’t believe it. “I just, I don’t understand. You force my hand into coming here. Why? It is not just to prevent the Bavadrins and Lysians from joining to start a war against you.You allow me to challenge you when no one else can get away with something like that. Why?”
He leaned forward then, his gaze searching mine as though he could see into my soul. It was an unnerving thought. “I see you as more of an equal than anyone else I have met in my long life.”
A smile found its way to my lips at the ridiculousness of his comment. Did he expect this line to work on me? I could have laughed. Clause saw himself as a god, an absolute. It surprised me he didn’t pretend he was one of the Spirits himself. “You do not see me as an equal. The first time I came here, you had Malavika put on a show in order to show you my conjuring. You see me as a puppet.”
