She didn’t matter. Not anymore. Not for a long time now.
“Ugh, ten minutes ago you were trying to convince him to marry you,” Madden reminded drolly. “Ringing any bells?”
Lyra clamped her mouth shut and refused to meet any of their gazes.
“You were about to shoot one of my Retinue,” Kelevra stated. “That’s a punishable offense, even for you, sister.”
It was obvious she wasn’t overly concerned by the threat. “I lost my temper. It happens. Still, I’ll apologize for my behavior. That should suffice, don’t you think, Zanie?”
“You shot his fiancé,” Kelevra reminded.
Zane didn’t ask how he knew that.
“Wait, are they not married yet then?” Lyra asked.
“Don’t get your hopes up, the two of you are never happening. He’s engaged, sister, to a man you drew blood from. If it were me, I would have cut you to ribbons by now.”
“Yes, dear brother, but he isn’t you. That’s the point. What could Zane possibly do to me? I’m the Imperial Heir, he’s just—”
“The future Royal Doctor who will be in charge of all of our medical needs. From the common cold right down to emergency, lifesaving surgery.”
Lyra seemed like she was going to say something to that, but then it must have dawned on her the extent of what that truly meant.
Ironically, it dawned on Zane at that very moment as well.
“What a very interesting turn of events,” he murmured, the comment meant for himself, though it was obvious she’d heard when her eyes widened. He cocked his head and looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. Seeing her for what she truly was.
A body that would one day need repair.
“Everyone needs medical attention eventually,” Ledger crossed his arms and leaned against the back of the couch with a smirk, “Even Imperial Heirs.”
“You can’t refuse to help me if that day were to come,” Lyra sputtered. “You would be duty-bound.”
“For all this trouble, you don’t seem to know Zane very well, sister,” Kelevra cooed. “His philosophy is an eye for an eye, and since I only have one, it’ll be very easy for me not to see it if he were to have anaccidentwith you, so to speak.”
She turned beat red. “You would do that to your own sister? Turn your back on me like this?”
“I care about you as well as I can,” Kelevra told her. “But I care about Zane too, and when we look at the two of you side by side objectively, I benefit more from having him around than I do you.”
“I’m your sister!”
“Yes,” he gave her a dark look, “but I have two of those.”
Lyra glanced between all of them as though expecting someone to offer her some help. When it became clear not even Zane would, she pulled her shoulders back and struggled to regain her composure. “Since everyone’s stance has been made, I’ll see myself out.”
“Hold on,” Pavel stopped her before she could make it more than two steps. “You haven’t given that apology yet.”
“I have a better idea,” Zane said, waiting until she met his gaze. “She can pay for our wedding.”
If she’d been red before, it was nothing compared to the shade of scarlet she turned then.
“She can do more than that,” Kelevra announced. “She can also attend.Withouta date.”
Lyra stormed out—probably before anything else could be added—not giving any of them so much as a backward glance.
It didn’t bother Zane the same way being dismissed by Pavel had.
It didn’t bother him at all.
