Ronan wondered exactly what it would take to break through the icy shell she wore like armor.
He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “Because you chose not to go back to the castle when I told you, I am cursed to live a very, very long existence without my soulmate. I don’t think five or ten years of your life is too much to ask as repayment.”
Dominique grew very still at his words. The blue of her eyes deepened and the green reappeared in her irises. He’d never seen eyes change the ways hers did. It was fascinating. It was also a tell, one he would obviously need when dealing with her because she had one of the best poker faces he’d ever seen.
“All right. You have a point. But I’m afraid I can’t agree until I know why you need me to marry you and what exactly I’m agreeing to.”
Shocked that she seemed to be capitulating so easily, Ronan decided to be completely honest. With her fae heritage, she would know if he was lying anyway. “My parents chose a bride for me ten years ago. They offered to re-instate my title in the Southern Isle and thus my claim to the throne.,” he admitted. “I refused to marry her and remained disinherited. Not because I don’t like her. I do. We’re friends. But neither of us wanted to marry the other. She prefers…other company. I don’t think either of us would be physically able to produce the required heirs.”
He didn’t spell it out, but Jillian, the fae noblewoman his parents chose for him, preferred the company of women.
“Honestly, I don’t care about ruling the kingdom. I would be horrible at it. My younger sister, Aisling, is much more suited to the role. But she’s nineteen. She’s not old enough to take the throne yet, and she’s overheard my parents discussing the issue more than once. They are actively searching for a prince or nobleman to marry her off to at the age of twenty-one. At the moment, our neighboring king is negotiating with them for her hand. I’ve known him for a very long time, and he is not a good man. He’s an even worse ruler, but his coffers are far richer than ours. Mostly because the tithes he places on his subjects are far too high. My father knows this as well, but he’s willing to throw his daughter to the wolves if it means merging the two kingdoms. I’m not about to allow my sister to be used as a bargaining chip and be miserable and probably abused for the rest of her life. Especially since she would be a far better ruler than any of us.”
He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. Just talking about all of this enraged him.
“After a great deal of negotiation, my parents have agreed to reinstate my rank if I marry a fae woman and return to the realm. I think my mother pushed my father into it because sheknows what’s in store for Aisling if she marries Frederick. My plan is to marry you and remain married long enough for my parents to step down. Once we’ve ascended, we’ll give Aisling a couple of years to acclimate and take a stronger role in governing the kingdom, and then pass the crown to her. My mother is ready to be done with ruling and she’s pushing my father hard, so I doubt it would be more than two to three years before they stepped down. After that, another seven to eight years before Aisling would be accepted as the queen, married or not.”
Dominique nodded. “That all makes sense, but you’re forgetting something.”
“What is that?”
“I have no rank in the fae court.”
“But you do,” he argued. “You are a descendent of some of the most renowned fairy godmothers in Magic. Your addition to the royal family would be seen as a boon for the kingdom. Even my parents would overlook your lack of rank for that.”
“You know your family and people better than I do, so I will trust your judgement there, but there’s another big issue.”
He waved a hand, gesturing for her to continue. He saw her gaze latch on to his wrist where the curse mark should have been. The curse mark he’d covered with a glamour every day for the last thirty years.
Her eyes snapped back to his when he crossed his arms again. “Your parents will expect heirs, and I won’t be having children with someone I don’t plan to remain married to.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Ronan said.
“It won’t?”
“It took my parents twenty years to get pregnant with me and another twenty-five to have my sister. As long as they think we’re actively trying for a child, they will still abdicate to us.”
“What about my company? My job?”
He shrugged. “I don’t see why you couldn’t still maintain it. You might not be able to be here every day, just as I won’t be able to attend to my work here in the human realm daily, but I wouldn’t ask you to give it up.”
“I don’t have the staff to be away for long periods.”
“Could you grow the staff in the next six to eight months?”
She sighed, which meant the answer was yes.
“Any other concerns?” he asked.
“What about my family?”
“What about them?”
“They might object.”
Ronan bent over and laughed, slapping his knee.
“I don’t see what’s so funny about that,” Dominique stated, her voice stiff.
