“You’re very eloquent today.”
I shoot her a look. “Do you know who the pink eagle is?”
Kassandra shrugs. “There’s only one magenta Reign fae at court. So how does the king feel about me now that he’s found a cousin to fuck?”
I grimace. “The eagle is no longer interested in the silver cat.”
Her eyes have gone hazy as she rubs her temple.
“What’s—”
“Be quiet, I’m thinking.”
She slips through the drapes, and I yank one back. She rifles through her desk drawers, pulling out parchments.
“Where’d you put my notes from my tutoring?” she calls.
“You never took notes.”
“The ones the tutor gave me.” She glances up. “Where are my notes on the marital laws of Versara?”
“In the storage box in your closet,” I say. “Bottom shelf.”
Kassandra disappears through the door that leads to her bathing room and closet. When she emerges, she’s shuffling parchment, eyes scanning the pages. “Why are only males the heads of Houses? Why is it the females who always marry into another?”
“Because…they have archaic views?”
She taps a nail against a parchment, moving closer to the bed. “The Head and Heart must never share a body, only a bed. One must lead, and the other must wed.It’s a system of checks and balances on the Houses.”
“What does that mean?”
“To prevent institutional alliances, a head of one House cannot marry the head of another.”
“But the fae marry between the Houses all the time.”
“That’s between individuals. Every heir must marry a female who is below him in rank. Even if there are two sons and the second son is the Heart, he must marry a lesser noble female.”
“So it’s a law that keeps the Houses, the heirs, and all females of the court in check. It also prevents same-sex marriage, since the heads can never marry,” I say.
“Exactly. It’s why I was set up to marry Maxian. Or Eli as a backup.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“I have my secrets, too,” she says. “A marriage between two families can be used to ensure the fulfillment of business contracts used as the dowry. But the Head and Heart law prevents the Housesthemselvesfrom merging, pooling assets, and becoming one big House.”
“So, Dominik became the heir and you the Heart. One leads, building wealth, and the other marries to expand the wealth.”
She nods. “It’s why most fae try for two children, despite it commonly killing the mothers. Each family desires a Head and a Heart.”
My stomach curls. Despite wearing the crown on its head, the entire House of Reign is vulnerable. It lost its second child, its Heart. Its heir may not even be—
We are a dying breed, we Reign fae,Hector had said.
Kassandra continues. “Now that Maxian does not want me, and Eli and I do not want each other, it means something else. It means I will be neither the future queen nor the Lady of Healing.” Her eyes brim with tears. “It means I have no marriage prospects. That I have failed as the Heart of Illusion.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I know that was your way out.”
She shakes her head. “These are happy tears.”
