Iskra finally faced the man she had fallen in love with, and the coldness on his face seized something in her chest.
“Jasyn…” Iskra said.
“Tell. Me.”
The anger in his tone had her stepping back a bit as she composed herself. Esi seemed to want to take charge as she stepped to Iskra’s side. Bron muttered under his breath for Esi to stay put, but clearly, she wasn’t going to listen to him.
Jasyn’s eyes bounced between the two of them, and the last few weeks must have flashed before his eyes.
Esi cleared her throat. “When I arrived, I stumbled upon Iskra and Kryth, though he didn’t appear as the minister to us then. I saw an opportunity for one last sliver of freedom before our marriage. I asked her to take my place—”
“During the day,” Jasyn completed the statement for her.
Esi nodded. “While I was out with Dominik.”
Iskra didn’t think Jasyn could look sicker, but that sentence alone proved her wrong.
“Then who are you?” Jasyn asked Iskra directly, his green eyes gazing deeply into her soul, seeking answers she wouldn’t give.
“No one. I’m a fraud.”
She peered behind her, where the sun would be gone for the night soon. She needed to go. Jasyn followed her line of sight, and his eyes narrowed.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, taking him in. This, without a doubt, would be the last time she saw him before he had a blade to her chest to kill her. He didn’t need to know that, though.
“Take care of him,” were Iskra’s parting words to Esi before she ran off through the copse of plants, tears burning her eyes.
Fifteen
“Iunderstand if you want to end the betrothal,” Esi—therealEsi—said. She didn’t seem bothered or worried that the truth was now out in the open. Perhaps it was because her guard was right behind her, ready to snatch her away if Jasyn threatened her. It would be fruitless. Jasyn was the one in power here.
Wiping the frustration from his eyes, Jasyn leaned against a nearby tree, desperate for something sturdy to hold him up. His body was still on fire from the last few hours. What he and…Iskra had done together was stamped all over his skin.
Esi must have noticed his panic, because she came up to him. “Based on the fact you're not wearing a shirt, I think Iskra followed through on what she wanted. What I granted permission for her to do.”
Jasyn snapped his head to her. “But I just fucked someone who was lying about their identity. I thought I was sleeping with my future wife, not some…some commoner.” The word burned his tongue. He hated thinking about Iskra like that, even in anger.
“Yet, you felt it was right. You felt a connection with her and acted on your desire to meld your souls in the most beautiful way.” Esi’s words were filled with so much air, like she was floating amongst the clouds and wanted him to join her.
“Are you saying I should marry her instead of you?”
“I’m saying I would rather us find ways to be happy in our marriage, even if it's outside each other.”
Jasyn scoffed breathily. “So you and Dominik can continue your daily rendezvous?”
The way Bron stiffened was palpable. He didn’t like this Dominik one bit, and if he read it correctly, Esi’s guard wished it was he who had the lady’s affection.
“Those rendezvous will become less frequent once you win the Undertaking, save our court for one more year, and become crowned. But yes, so I can still have Dominik in my life.”
“And I’ll have Iskra?”
The silence that followed was loud. Bron had his head dipped to the ground while Esi’s eyes spoke of sadness. What was he missing?
Before he had an opportunity to prod, he heard the squeaking of a wheel.
His parents appeared before them, giddy and so much at ease. His mother was on his father’s lap as he rolled them down the paths.
“Oh.” His mother placed a hand over her heart, as if they had startled her. “I wasn’t expecting you here.”
