“What?”
Senta gestured with her goblet across the ballroom.
“Fuck,” Gerard muttered.
Their father stood close, very close to a young lady from Necros. She was probably of a similar age to Senta. King Alaric leaned towards her. The lady smiled, dark-red lips contrasting with her pale skin.
“Latest mistress, do you think?” Senta took a deep gulp of her wine.
“Who knows.”
“Maybe we’ll have a new half-sibling soon,” she said.
Gerard huffed. “One can never have too many half-siblings.”
Senta tilted her head. “And we’ve never had a half-sibling from Necros before. A necromancer in the family will be novel.”
“Wait.” Gerard frowned. “Is that the shadow queen’s sister?”
After a second, she nodded. “It is.”
Neither spoke for several seconds as they watched their father flirting with a necromancer.
Finally, Gerard spoke, “I suppose Father sees this peace treaty as an opportunity to sow his seed across the kingdoms we were so recently at war with.”
Senta took another deep gulp of her wine.
For their entire lives, their father had always beenobsessed with the bloodline. He had married two wives with strong dragon blood. And despite both his wives providing him with numerous legitimate children, who were all strong dragons, he’d also continued to sow his oats far and wide.
There would be no wiping out his offspring. It would be hard enough to find them all. Although, that wasn’t actually true. There was a register of the king’s children in order to keep track of where they all were.
“Perhaps Father is feeling pressure to sire more children because of the recent issues with his grandchildren,” Senta said.
Around puberty, dragons who had inherited the skill shifted for the first time. But despite their immaculate bloodline, King Alaric had produced grandchildren who were considered dragon runts, unusually small and weak dragons when they shifted.
Then one of his grandchildren had even failed to shift when he reached the usual age. He could be a late bloomer. But if he completely lacked the ability to shift, then that would be a first in their bloodline.
Some said it was because the balance of magic in the kingdoms had been disturbed by the wars. It was that which had made their father willing to consider a peace treaty.
He did not care about ending the bloodshed or the suffering of civilians, or obtaining peace and stability for his kingdom. He needed to protect his bloodline. That was what mattered to him.
Senta groaned.
“What now?” Then Gerard saw what Senta did. Their stepmother, Queen Consort Adelina, stood a short distance from her husband and the young woman who had caughthis eye. She watched them, her hands clasped in front of her, face blank.
In all the years, Gerard had never heard her complain or seen her act obviously hurt, but how could her husband’s behaviour not wound her? If not her feelings, then at least her pride. And the fact that she had always been so devoted and loyal to their father made it seem so much worse to Gerard.
He gritted his teeth. “Shit! Could he at least fuck around when his wife isn’t with him?”
“Poor woman.”
Swirling her skirts, the queen consort turned and walked calmly towards the doors that led out onto the terrace. Meanwhile the king kept flirting, seemingly oblivious to his wife.
Then Prince Elias danced past the king and his potential conquest. Gerard’s gaze snagged and followed the lightning prince. He danced with someone Gerard didn’t recognise.
He moves so elegantly.
“Gerard, you’re staring. Again.”
