“Oh, lovey,” Mother says, puckering her lips and adopting a simpering tone. “You are the sweetest girl. I must write a thank-you letter to your teachers.”
I’m glad she turns away before she can see my expression fall at her mention of my teachers. I never anticipated that I’d miss them so much. And it isn’t just them. As I look down the table at my relatives who chat amiably, peppering me with questions now and then, I find myself wishing my friends were here. Dorothy. Lina. Little Tilly and the other younger girls. I know I couldn’t have stayed at the convent. Even if my parents hadn’t sent for me, I never would have chosen to remain. The life of a sister isn’t for me. Yet a splinter of grief burrows deep in my chest, making me wish I hadn’t spent so much time focused on getting out. Not when I could have simply appreciated more of what I had.
“This is the first time I’ve seen her smile on your birthday.” My father’s voice steals me from my thoughts. With a startled jump, I face him. His beady eyes twinkle as he gazes across the table at my mother. She’s chatting with Cecily, who I’ve learned is her sister and my aunt.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
He turns his gaze to me, and there are notes of sorrow etched into his wrinkled, gnarled face. “Every year when your birthday came, she’d lock herself in her room and refuse to come out until morning. The next day, she’d be back to her usual self, but that day always stood out as a dark one, regardless of how much sunshine followed. Yours isn’t the only birthday such a dark cloud fell upon. There’s one other, and it remains a day of mourning for your mother.”
I frown, feeling like I know the reason she grieves on another birthday. Yet no matter how I try to sift through my memory, the strand of thought doesn’t come. “If you don’t mind me asking, whose birthday—”
Father shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. It’s too sad a tale for your birthday celebration. We’ll save it for tomorrow.”
“Don’t I leave tomorrow?”
He releases a sigh that seems to carry no small amount of remorse. “Indeed, you do. However, I’ll ensure we have plenty of time together in the morning.”
I study Father’s pained expression, weighing the density of that sigh. Does he have reservations about my hasty travels? Does he deem my marriage to Mr. Phillips as necessary as my mother does? Perhaps I can find an ally in him. A way to get out of this unwanted engagement.
“Papa,” I say, and I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve infused my tone with a somewhat childish lilt. His eyes gloss over like they did the first time I called him that, and his expression looks akin to an adoring puppy. An ugly puppy, yes, but the kind that is so ugly it’s cute. “Is it truly necessary for me to leave to meet my fiancé tomorrow?”
He sighs again, one that seems to pain him even more than the last. “I do wish it wasn’t so, but I’m afraid it is. Your engagement has been in the works for years. It’s been a challenge to keep Mr. Phillips content without allowing him to meet you in person. We couldn’t reveal that we didn’t know where you were, and we didn’t dare let him meet your decoy instead. I’m not proud of the deceptive tactics we’ve used on your husband-to-be. While we certainly couldn’t lie to him, we were able to convince him and his father that you’ve been sequestered at home this entire time. It wasn’t until we located you that we led them to believe you were volunteering at a convent to prepare for your life of marriage and motherhood. After that, we were finally able to set a date for you to meet. A deadline we were dreadfully close to missing.”
Disappointment weighs down my heart. Yet I can’t give up that easily. “Is it truly so important that we meet this deadline? Could we not put it off a little longer?”
Father shifts in his seat. “Unfortunately, this is only the latest of the deadlines we’ve missed. The Phillipses are losing patience with us, and our declining reputation certainly doesn’t help.” He lowers his voice. “Furthermore, the crown is in debt. We must secure the financial award the Phillipses have promised. We have mere weeks before the collectors announce our debt both publicly and to the Alpha Council. If that happens, the Briars will lose everything. The throne, our status.Everything.”
I remember Mother saying something similar about needing money, but the way he puts it makes it sound far more serious. The Alpha Council is Faerwyvae’s highest governing entity, comprised of every ruling monarch on the isle, and even if Father is a member of that very council, he is still beholden to its rules. I know from my studies that the council can force a monarch to step down if they run their throne into debt for too long. I assume a proclamation issued by a collector would denotetoo long.
He continues. “This marriage must take place before the Phillipses discover our financial situation. They cannot know we are so close to losing the throne, for our royal titles are what make the match admirable for the Phillips family. After missing so many previous deadlines to accommodate their demands in this alliance, they will not tolerate yet another. You must arrive at Sandalwood Manor in two days’ time.”
He doesn’t elaborate on what might happen if I arrive late, and before I can ask, he speaks again.
“Weneedthis alliance,” he says, rubbing his brow. His shoulders sag as if weighed down with fatigue, his eyes going unfocused. “It isn’t just about the debt. It’s about our integrity. We can’t keep ruling the way we always have. A seelie monarch cannot reign with fear the way the unseelie can, and we’ve never had a chance at Lunar’s unseelie throne. Yet I’ve always known from the bottom of my heart that the mahrts deserved to be members of the ruling class. We are one of the few types of fae that reside exclusively in the Lunar Court. All the other clans we first stood against—wisps, moon dragons, kitsune—have other courts where they can belong. Dream fae belong in Lunar. This court is our pride. It pains me to think I could lose it all.”
I’m surprised at how differently he speaks of his reign than my mother. Where Mother revealed fierce desperation in maintaining Father’s throne, he shows a humble yet passionate reverence.
His gaze sharpens, and his eyes return to mine. “But I’m willing to risk losing it if it makes me a better king. Which is why your mother will cease using her magic on contenders to the throne.” He casts a brief glance at her, one that holds a mixture of love and long-suffering amusement. His lips pull into a wry grin. “I never wanted your mother to use her magic the way she does, but she’s a stubborn creature. Luxury and status are things she’s always strived for, even before we became mates. Her determination is formidable and she’s unafraid of doing what it takes to get what she wants. For a long time, I was the same.”
“But…you aren’t anymore?”
He shakes his head, and there’s something like guilt in his beady eyes. “I must admit, our family has its origins in activities that are similar to what humans nowadays call organized crime.”
I try not to pale at that. Still, it’s hard to imagine my gentle father and giddy mother as crime bosses.
“Before unification,” he says, “our activities were respected by the fae, but things are different now. Where cunning, cruelty, and strength were the currency for respect back then, marriage, status, and propriety are today. We can’t keep playing an old game and expect to win. We must form respectable alliances, act with fairness, and extend our reach as far as we can. You are our singular chance to do exactly that.”
“Me,” I say.
“Yes, you. Our daughter. Our princess.”
Our pawn, some snide part of me remarks, but I keep that in my head.
“Did your mother tell you about our bargain?” he asks.
I tilt my head. “What bargain?”
“She has promised to cease using her magic on my rivals after your wedding to Mr. Phillips. After that…” He lifts his chin, inhaling a slow breath. “After that, I will fully rely on my own might to prove my worth as king. No more tricks. No more hiding. I’ve let paranoia make me a poor king to the humans and seelie fae, especially those in the north. Fearing my enemies has kept me too close to home, too trapped in the south. As a result, I’ve lost the respect of many of my people. If I can’t win it back…well, then I suppose I don’t deserve to be king. It’s time I face that head-on, don’t you think?”
