He snapped, “And what about this is so joyful to you?”
“You might have trapped me and bound me to you for the rest of my life, but it’s not going to be as a wife in anything but name. You need a King’s Alchemist. I can be your alchemist, and I take great delight in how much you need my skills when you hate me for them.”
Taiyo stared at her for a moment before reaching up and taking her wrists, still a little red, brushing his thumb softly over her pulse and whispering, “Please, Hellebore.”
She took another look around then back at her husband. “Lucky for you, I do so love rotting things. And I’ll need something to occupy my time. I’ll do it.”
And then to her surprise, he pulled her into his chest, crushing her to himself as if she’d taken a great weight off him.
This might not be the king she’d had in mind, but she’d been born to be a King’s Alchemist. Much more than she’d been born to be a wife or a queen. Plus, it was so satisfying to have a Sun Elf begging for an alchemist’s help.
Chapter 10
Hellebore’s mind was already spinning with where she would start. The second Taiyo’s grip on her slackened, she pulled away, ready to get started, but Taiyo did not relinquish her fully. He pulled her to her feet and forced her gaze to his.
“While I appreciate the enthusiasm, we’ve both had a rather exhausting time as of late, and we disappeared from our own reception. Not to mention the stench—” Taiyo coughed, shaking his head before he gently pulled her toward the exit. “You can start first thing in the morning.”
Hellebore looked down at her dress, dirt and decay smeared on the skirts. “I’m not going back to that reception looking like this.”
Taiyo’s hand was on the small of her back as he ushered her into the passageway. “When did I say we were going back to the reception?”
Oh, perfect. Hellebore wanted out of the ridiculous dress anyway; it was a miracle she hadn’t bled through it with all the pins stabbing her.
The castle was quiet, as most everyone was either in the ballroom attending the reception or nearby serving the reception. They passed by a few guards and servants, but not many. Hellebore was more focused on locating the pin digging into her hip than them. Taiyo, however, stiffened every time they spotted an elf and his pace increased. Hellebore was left to lengthen her stride and pick up her pace so as not to be left behind. If she lost him, she’d have no idea how to find her room.
Finally, they made it to her hallway, and Hellebore had successfully removed three of the pins that had been driving her up the wall as Taiyo opened her door.
She looked up from the pin in her hand, mouth open to thank him for the escort, but he had already entered, still holding onto the door and waiting on her.
She curled her fingers over the pins and slowly entered her room. He must want to continue their discussion where it didn’t reek of rot as much.
That better be all he was after.
Once she was back in her room, he shut the door behind her, and she turned on her heel so her back wasn’t to him. She crossed her arms. “I presume I will be staying in this room. I mean, you wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble just to move me after a day, right?”
“I figured it would be easier to go ahead and place you in the queen’s quarters, yes.” Taiyo gestured to a door on the other side of the room. She’d tried it her first night but it had been locked. “That door leads to my quarters.”
Hellebore moved toward her dresser, away from the door. She kept her gaze on the pins in her hand as she dropped them onto the wood. “Good to know.”
She could feel the weight of Taiyo’s gaze on her. If he wasn’t going to say anything, what was he still doing there?
“Do you—”
“Should we discuss our terms?” Hellebore cut him off the second he took a step toward her.
He froze. “Our terms?”
“I used the right word, right?” Hellebore grabbed the dictionary and flipped through it, holding it to her chest. She looked up. “Rules? If I’m going to help you, maybe we should have some rules. If we’re not to be at odds anymore.”
Taiyo nodded, shifting back, clasping his hands behind his back and clearing his throat. “Yes… Yes, some rules might make this process a little smoother.”
Hellebore leaned back against her dresser. “It might go without saying at this point, but just to be clear, since you only married me for my alchemy, that’sallyou’ll be getting from me. That’s all you really wanted anyway.”
Taiyo started pacing, gaze on the floor. “Yes, of course.”
Honestly, that was really the only rule Hellebore could think of.
His head snapped up. “I hope you know—I mean, I understand you don’t have a favorable impression of me, considering I’ve strongarmed you into this marriage, but now that you know what it was for… I hope that you’ll trust me. I would never force you into anything.”
