“He never cared for my children. He ignored them.” Her voice grew strained. “He only ever cared about his four eldest children, the heir, the spare heir, the dragon warrior, and the spare dragon warrior.
“He barely acknowledges my children! He pays as much attention to them as he does his bastards. They may as well be illegitimate for the care he shows them!” she spat. “And I may as well be one of his many sluts for the consideration he shows me!” Her voice rang loud in the small carriage.
“I’m sorry,” Gerard said again.
Adelina said she wasn’t doing this because of his father’s treatment of her, but Gerard doubted that it didn’t play some part in her willingness to turn against him.
“So this isn’t about the peace treaty?” Gerard asked.
“What? Oh no. I have no problem with the treaty.”
“So you weren’t working with Warden Flint?”
“No. I barely ever spoke to the man.”
Gerard tried to think. So this had nothing to do with destroying the peace treaty, and she hadn’t been working with Warden Flint. But she was clearly not working alone. There was the robed figure and the woman he’d heard speaking to Adelina.
“In fact, Emmeline says this will not harm the treaty at all,” Queen Consort Adelina said.
Gerard tensed. Emmeline. Empress Emmeline Aella of Zephyrias. Elias’s stepmother. That was the voice that had sounded familiar.
And she despised Elias.
His breath came quicker. He tugged against the shackles pinned behind his back. But of course, they didn’t give.
What will she do to Elias?
Adelina looked out the window. “Emmeline says that when you, your father, and your siblings are all killed, the treaty will go ahead without any issue whatsoever.”
Chapter
Fifty-Six
Elias took one last look around Gerard’s room. He’d finished packing. He should inform the servants to transport his belongings back to his room in the quarters for the royal family of Voltaria and Zephyrias.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He did not want to go back. He did not want to leave Gerard’s space.
A knock sounded on the door.
Elias sighed. “Who is it?” he said rather sharply.
No answer. The knock sounded again.
“Who is it?” A servantshouldrespond. But maybe they were new. Or maybe it was a monk who’d taken some sort of vow of silence. Did the monks here take vows of silence?
The knock sounded again. Elias huffed and walked to the door. He turned the handle and opened it. He frowned. “What are you doing here?”
In the hallway stood two Zephyrian soldiers, Empress Emmeline, and Prince Beau.
“What is going on?” Elias asked.
“You must come with us. Immediately.” Empress Emmeline turned and strode away. The others followed.
“Why?” Even if there was some sort of Zephyrias and Voltaria last-minute meeting, she would never be the one to summon Elias.
“It is an emergency, and you are required.” Empress Emmeline wore a sleek black dress, not her usual colour.
She also wore unusual black jewellery over her right hand and wrist. Black metal claws slotted over each finger. Black chains connected the claws to a central red stone on the back of her right hand. More chains from the red stone connected to a thick metal band wrapped around her wrist. The black band had been engraved.
