An unbidden groan slips from me, and I prop a shoulder against the tree, my head swimming. “Xander, I just want to go—”
“It’s about Nox.”
My protest dies on my tongue as warring emotions fight to surface within me. How long had it been since the last update? “What is it? Is he alright?”
“We received a new missive from Stephan this morning,” he starts, his voice low as his eyes survey our surroundings. “King Sadryn has stepped down.”
A breath catches in my throat.What? Of course, Nox had told me that his father would abdicate the throne eventually, but that wasn’t until one of his children was ready to ascend in his place. Nox was the one assumed for that role, but… “Who is the king now?”
Xander’s gaze meets mine, and the look requires no verbal confirmation. “His coronation ceremony was recent,” he says instead, remorse balanced on his tongue. But IknowNox, and I’m sure that whatever events led to this were unavoidable. Thatthiswas the best he could do with the choices.Right? “There is something else, and before I tell you, I want you to know that I haven’t yet heard from my other sources onanyof this. While I don’t believe Stephan has everliedin a letter before, that doesn’t mean that he’s being completely—”
“Tell me.” Pushing away from the tree, I ignore the way my balance falters as I watch Xander’s expression.
He clears his throat, his face settling into a mask of indifference, but his eyes… They tell a different story, and whatever glimmer of hope might have surfaced within me immediately fizzles out. “Stephan wrote that, in addition to the announcement that Nox has become king, it was also shared that he is betrothed to someone new. Someone familiar and approved by the council.”
“No. No, that isn’t—” I gasp, drawing in a shaky breath as I stumble back a step. Xander is there, his hand gently pressing against my shoulder to keep me steady.
“Rhea—”
“He wouldn’tdo that.” My eyes lift to his. At the pity I see in them, I say it again. “Hewouldn’tdothat.” But even to my own ears, my voice lacks conviction. Xander’s gaze darts behind me, his face hardening before he juts his chin out.
“We have to go.”
I follow his attention to where a few guards are now heading our way. But my feet are rooted in place, the weight of what he’s just told me rendering me incapable of moving forward. Of thinking straight.
“Rhea…” His posture stiffens as he takes a few steps ahead of me and intercepts the guards.
Though he engages in conversation, I don’t hear it, my mind somewhere else completely.
He is betrothed to someone new.
There is only one woman the council haseverapproved for Nox, and didn’t I say I could picture them together? He and I had always been some strange anomaly that shouldn’t work: princess and guard. Prince and common woman. Incredible person worthy of every good and perfect thing and someone comprised of broken pieces trying to pretend she is anything but. Yet Nox and Haylee? They embody every bit of the regal image the council wanted for the future king and queen.
And, gods, this would explain why no one was answering the summons through the Mirror. Both the king’s and mine. King Dolian had posed the idea that their lack of communication was intentional, and I had brushed it off as one of his tools of manipulation, but what if he was right? Perhaps, when it came down to it and Nox was actually faced with that impossible choice, hehadchosen his kingdom over me. Maybe he saw that overvaluing the life of one person truly wasn’t worth the risk to many. And could I blame him for that? For ensuring that his home was safe? Especially knowing that every single day, I make it a little moreunsafewhen I heal mortals and sirens alike?
Haylee’s voice plays in my ear. Her offer to marry Nox for show. Her sincerity tugging at my chest.Hadshe been sincere?
“Lady Nele, are you ready to return to your rooms?” I jolt when Xander steps into view, keeping a few feet between us as he stares down at me, calling me by my fake name.
“What?” I rasp, the word hardly audible.
“Your rooms,” he repeats, gaze imploring. “You must return to them.”
Only by pure muscle memory do I react, moving my body forward and following him through the newly fallen darkness. The chill of the damp fabric at my knees and the cold evening air fades as I retreat into myself, hiding behind a numbness that has once more become familiar. Once more becomewelcome.
He is betrothed to someone new.
My memories run rampant—images of Nox’s hands on my body, in my hair, touching me in a way no one else ever has. Would he do that with Haylee? Had they already? I swallow back the nausea that rises at the thought.
“Lady R— Lady Nele,” a soft, feminine voice calls.Eve.
He is betrothed to someone new.
“What’s wrong?”
“We need to get her out of the main halls,” Xander says from in front of me. “She needs some time to herself, and I’d rather the king not be reminded that he hasn’t seen her in a few days.”
“I’ll help her.” She wraps her arm around my waist to draw me in close. “I’ll make sure she gets to her room.”
