My words settled across the room like feathers drifting down from the sky. What had started as my selfish desire not to marry Ericen had turned into a volcano waiting to explode into all-out war.
Caliza nodded. “I understand.”
Either the remaining kingdoms banded together against the empire, or we all crumbled beneath it.
Nine
I waited on the patio for dinner that night, my mind so packed with the day’s revelations, I almost missed the harsh whispers coming from the hall. Recognizing Ericen’s voice, I rose and slipped to the door, pressing against the wall to listen.
“I don’t really give a damn what you think,” Ericen growled.
A shiver prickled at the back of my neck at the low, primal danger lurking in his voice.
“You have orders,” replied a voice laced with disgust. “Even you wouldn’t disobey your queen and Valix.”
“Watch yourself, soldier.”
The other man snorted harshly. “Engaged to a Rhodairen, rejected by your own mother, distraught over the death of a worthless Jin. I’ll speak as I wish, Princeling.”
There was a sharp crash and a grunt of pain. Before I could move, Ericen rounded the corner. I froze. His broad shoulders filled the doorway, blocking the firelight from behind and casting him in shadow. He stared down at me, the sharp cut of his icy eyes softening with surprise. I’d barely registered any of it before he regained himself and swept past me to the table.
Inside, his guard clambered to his feet, holding a bloody and likely broken nose. He glared furiously before retreating into the castle.
I sat down at the table. Ericen still didn’t speak. Even as the food arrived and we filled our plates with roast chicken and vegetables, he remained subdued. I kept catching him staring into the distance or sometimes at me. Every time, he made a point of smirking before focusing on his food, which he pushed around his plate.
Engaged to a Rhodairen, rejected by your mother, distraught over a Jin…
It seemed Ericen had taken Lady Kerova’s bait. But to be bothered by it?
“Find anything interesting in the library last night?” he asked suddenly. “Or were you just reading for nostalgia?”
I eyed the prince, trying to fake indifference even as my heart raced. I’d forgotten to put the books back. Did he suspect what I’d been looking for? “This again?” I asked. “You’re awfully interested in my life.”
“Shouldn’t I be interested in my future wife?”
I snorted. “I give you full permission to ignore me. Besides, this game is getting old. So why don’t we skip the part where you try to use my past to hurt me?”
Ericen started to respond, then stopped, eyes narrowing. He went back to pushing his food around, hand tight around the fork as if it were a weapon. The silence stretched. He looked like he was trying to work himself up to something, to make a decision.
To follow orders?I frowned. Illucians didn’t disobey orders.
Ericen set his fork down. “It’s too bad the man who attacked you died before revealing who sent him.” His voice was low, his words tight. The emotion had drained from his face, leaving him eerily calm. It looked wrong. “Apparently, your people are just inept at keeping things alive. It’s lucky for you my mother’s been gracious enough to offer this alliance. You should be more grateful.”
My hand tightened around my knife.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh well. One less rebel in the world.”
“You’re a bastard,” I said.
Ericen stared at me, lips parted, before they slowly formed a smile. “You Rhodairens are very blunt.”
“No. You Illucians are just conniving monsters.”
His smile widened. “True.”
I blinked. Surely, I hadn’t heard what I thought.
The prince leaned back, an arm over the back of his chair, and met my gaze without wavering. “Maybe I’m not half as bad as you think, Princess.”
