Helena abruptly snapped her head around to frown at Edwin. “He told you first.”
“He did.” Edwin snickered when her frown deepened. “Peace, Your Highness. I confronted him first, is all. I noticed more than you did because I’m with him all the time.”
“I suppose that’s fair,” Helena grumbled, still peeved. “Besides, he was likely anxious to have you back.”
“I was,” I said fervently. “I felt quite adrift, and keeping secrets from him was horrible. It was a relief to have it all out there.”
Royce frowned as well. “Wait, you were lovers then?”
“No, we were not. I wanted to be, but I could not treat him so shoddily when I was married.”
Edwin’s blue eyes on me were warm, all the adoration and affection he had for me clear in his expression. “One of these days, you must explain what past me did to earn such loyalty and love from you.”
“Exist.” I winked at him and caught his scoff. “In truth, dearest, that’s what it amounted to. You were ever my person from the day and moment I met you. Just as you are now. I wouldn’t have made it without your support.”
Royce looked even more mad for some reason. “Did anyone else know? That you loved him.”
“Uh, no? Why are you upset, brother?”
“I’m livid. You were forced to hide how you felt for this man and then forced into a marriage you didn’t want, all by our stupid parents. And for what? She wasn’t even a good queen to our country!”
“No.” I groaned. “That she was not.”
“Speaking of marriages,” Helena said, “you mentioned I married again? Well, in this life, it’ll be my first marriage.”
I felt compelled to apologize again. “I’m so sorry I didn’t prevent your marriage to Gillespie in the first life. I didn’t know enough to overturn it like I did this time.”
Helena reached over to grasp my hand. “I appreciate everything you did. James, don’t beat yourself up over what happened in the past. I don’t even remember it, for one; it did no lasting damage to me. For another, I know you did everything you could. That’s easy to see. Even now, you’re doing everything you can. All right?”
I truly wished I’d known her better in my first life. Having her as a true sister now made me regret our lack of relationship even more. “Thank you, Helena.”
“But answer my question. You said I married again? To whom?”
I hesitated. I didn’t want to force her hand, but I was also quite sure this was still a good decision for her. “Earl Lucien Glass.”
“Oh! I know the man by reputation, but I’ve never met him.”
“I was the one to introduce you two in the previous life. I felt so bad about the Gillespie fallout, I thought the least I could do was introduce you to a good man. You and he hit it off immediately.”
“We had a good marriage, you said.”
“You had a fantastic marriage. You adored each other. I was incredibly jealous just watching you.”
“In that case, I insist you introduce us again.” Helena’s curiosity was a living thing in her expression. “I can’t wait to meet the man and see if my past self knew what she was doing. I don’t have a partner for the Founder’s Ball, and it’s coming up soon.”
“I’ll arrange it,” I promised her.
Royce murmured, mostly rhetorically, “So I never married, eh?”
“To be fair to yourself, Royce, you were either battling with salence or we were fighting off demons. Rather preoccupying.”
“No, I don’t think that was the reason,” he surprised me by saying. “Rather, I’m not inclined to romantic relationships at all. I don’t even like sex, to be honest.”
What? Ohhh. He’d never confided in me in the past. “So you don’t want a marriage?”
“No, not really. Which is one of the many reasons why I should not be put on the throne.”
Helena eyed me sideways, looking hesitant. “Um, James. I know you believe I should take the throne.”
