“Liane suspects you.”
Heinrich’s laughter echoed through the room as a cold chill ran down Liane’s spine. This had to be a dream, a horrible nightmare. She stumbled backward, the contents of her stomach pushing at the back of her throat as she teetered, nearly tipping over. Erich caught her around the shoulders, steadying her. Ludwig was supposed to be her best friend, and he’d betrayed her to Heinrich, of all people. Had she ever really known him? a voice whispered at the back of her mind.
Erich guided her back down the stairs and back into a secluded corner at the rear of the club, her thoughts a swirling vortex of anger and betrayal.
“Are you alright?” Erich asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
Pain and anger lodged a lump in her throat. Erich, a relative stranger, had shown her more compassion and more reason to trust than her supposed best friend. She shook her head. There must be some misunderstanding, some piece she’d missed. But try as she might to find a motive, she couldn’t think of a reason.
“No. I’m not.” A sob caught in her throat, and she pressed the heels of her hands against her stinging eyes. She wouldn’t cry. Now wasn’t the time, and it didn’t change anything. Heinrich was plotting something to do with the Sun Ceremony.
“What do you want to do? Should I escort you back to the palace?” he asked.
Pushing aside her personal feelings of betrayal, she assessed the situation rationally. If she went back to the palace now without proof to turn over Heinrich, no one would believe her. She couldn’t hand over Ludwig, which meant she needed some other evidence, something irrefutable.
“I want to make Heinrich pay,” Liane bit out. Saying the words aloud bolstered her confidence. And a plan started to spin in her mind. If she could win over Heinrich’s mistress and find his bastard child, then maybe that would be enough to prove his motives at least.
Liane scanned the tavern for the blonde and found her sitting at the bar with a friend, applying a cloth to her red face. When she approached, both women looked up at her with narrowed eyes.
“Mind if I sit down?” Liane asked.
The woman and her friend glanced at her up and down, lips curling into a sneer at her ill-fitting servant’s uniform. Her temper already close to the surface, Liane gritted her teeth to keep from exploding with impatience and anger. That wasn’t going to win her any favors.
“Ladies,” Erich said, sliding into the seat Liane had indicated.
She glared at him, silently questioning him with her eyes, but he winked at her and angled his body toward the two women. They both looked him up and down with open appreciation, lust-filled gazes darkening as they lowered their lashes. The blonde dropped her cloth on the counter and tossed her hair over her shoulder. A twist of jealousy pierced Liane’s gut.
“How can we serve you?” the brunette purred. She reached across to touch Erich’s arm.
“I was hoping you could answer some questions for this fine lady here,” Erich addressed the blonde, while gesturing to Liane.
“I suppose it depends on the question.” She didn’t look eager to answer.
“I overheard you talking with Prince Consort Heinrich, something about making you empress,” Liane said, cutting right to the heart of the matter.
The woman tensed as the color leached from her face, making the slap mark on her cheek stand out vividly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“There’s nothing to fear; you’re safe.” Erich grasped her hand and squeezed, drawing her gaze to his.
Like a flower wilting in the summer heat, her eyes softened, and her shoulders relaxed.
“I’m Henny’s favorite. His wife can’t give him what he wants, and I make him feel special, powerful. He’s going to get rid of her soon, and he promised when he’s emperor he’ll make me his empress if I can give him a son.” The words tumbled from her mouth, as if some dam had been broken.
Liane looked to Erich for confirmation; he’d heard it too. “And have you given him a son?” Liane pressed.
A small frown creased her brow. “Well, not yet, but we will soon. I’m sure.”
“But he has a son, doesn’t he?”
“He’s tried with a lot of ladies. There’s rumors that he’s impotent…” she said with a sly look at her friend.
If that were true, then it would be impossible for him to have a bastard child. And maybe Aristea was telling the truth about those letters. But it didn’t change the fact that he was plotting something during the Sun Ceremony.
“Do you know what’s going to happen during the Sun Ceremony?” Liane pressed the blonde.
She shook her head, frown deepening even further. “I don’t.”
“I think she’s telling the truth,” Erich said.
