“With life-long consequences,” Ronan pointed out. “Speaking of a child not knowing who their father is, have you had that discussion with Desmond yet?”
His father’s face was no longer white, it was ashen. He suddenly looked ancient and hard, as though his entire body had turned to stone. “How do you know all of this?”
“I learned long ago how to sneak past the spies you set on me, Father. I’ve learned things within the walls of this castle that would ruin this family faster than my marrying a female who may or may not be a full-blooded fae. I’m sure the Proxa family would not take kindly to you airing their dirty laundry. And theymay not be royalty or have a kingdom of their own, but they aren’t without powerful allies.”
Ronan saw the moment his father accepted that he wasn’t in control of whether his son married Dominique or not. Nor was he in control of whether Ronan took the throne when he stepped down. He also saw the moment his father decided to change tactics.
“Why are you marrying her, son? Is it because you want the throne?”
He couldn’t tell his father the truth because he wanted to protect his sister from his parents. If his father knew of his plans, he would do whatever it took to ingratiate himself to Aisling, failing that, to manipulate her into a marriage that would make her unhappy at best and unsafe at worst.
“Of course, I want the throne,” he said. “And we both know Mother would refuse to step down unless I was to marry a fae woman.”
“But why her?” King Caden asked. “Surely, there are more suitable candidates if all you need is a wife. Females who have been trained since birth to act as a queen should.”
“She’s the only woman I want to marry.”
As soon as the words left his lips, Ronan knew they were true. She angered him like no one else and he still wasn’t entirely convinced there was a real person beneath her cold exterior, but he was rapidly becoming obsessed with drawing reactions out of a woman who showed no emotion to anyone else.
His father sighed, interrupting his revelation. “Very well. I suppose we should begin the wedding preparations. Have you two set a date?”
Unprepared, Ronan threw out an answer, “The winter Solstice.”
It was a few months away. Not really enough time for a royal celebration, but he wanted it done.
“Why not this weekend?” his father asked, his words dripping with sarcasm.
Ronan paused. Actually, it would be more fitting than the winter solstice. The Autumn Gala was in celebration of the equinox, a day that was equal parts daylight and darkness. He liked the symmetry of the idea.
“Why not?” Ronan asked.
“What? No, Ronan. You’re the heir to the throne. You need a true royal wedding with all of our allies and some of our enemies in attendance. The solstice will be a push, but we could make it happen. This weekend isn’t?—”
“I don’t need anything but to marry Dominique Proxa,” Ronan interrupted. “Make it happen.”
Stalking out of the study, Ronan knew in his gut that this was the right move.
His father caught up to him. “Does this mean you’re returning to Magic?”
“Not yet,” Ronan answered, wondering why his father’s sudden relief was palpable. Had he missed something?
He let that thought move to the back of his mind. It would have to wait. Right now, his father was on his guard, which meant Ronan would have to act with more stealth than usual.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to let my fiancée know that we’ll be getting married this weekend.”
CHAPTER TEN
Dominique foundherself relaxing with Aisling Byrne. Far more than she did with the young woman’s brother.
Aisling was funny in the same sharp, dry way as her brother, but it didn’t grate on Dominique’s nerves the way Ronan did. She often delivered her observations in such a conversational tone that it took Dominique a beat to catch the sarcasm. She was also sweet in her own guarded way. Dominique could sense it in the way she looked at her brother and cousins. She also didn’t care much for her parents. Aisling wasn’t as vocal about it as Ronan, but there was a coldness to her gaze when she studied her mother or father.
“You know, when my brother told me I probably wouldn’t like you, I decided I would just to mess with him,” Aisling commented. “But now that I’ve talked to you, I’ve also decided that I really do like you and to tell you that you could do so much better than my brother.”
Dominique almost choked on her wine at Aisling’s words. “What?”
The princess grinned at her. “My brother is grumpy, rude, and single-minded. I don’t know you well yet, but I can tell youare a caring woman beneath the whole ice queen thing you have going on. How in the hell did he convince you to marry him?”
Dominique took another drink of her wine, covering her discomfort with the action. “Honestly, I don’t know. He showed up with the ring one day and demanded that I marry him.”
