Then his father, so recently widowed, had married Empress Emmeline Aella of Zephyrias as part of the treaty that combined the two kingdoms. They had become joint rulers. Suddenly, he’d had a stepbrother. Not long after that, he had half-siblings.
The carriage passed through more city walls and another gate. They were in the upper section of the monastery now, where the dove monks hosted their guests from the different kingdoms.
He pulled out a white compact mirror, painted with golden lightning on the outside. He opened it and tilted his head from side to side, checking his make-up.
“Zephyrians might not be our enemies. But that doesn’t mean we can trust them.” He pulled out a pot of glittering silver eye shadow and dabbed that above his eyes. He put it away and then snapped the mirror shut, tucking them both into his pocket.
“We’re playing nice. Everyone is playing pretty.” He smiled and lightened his tone. He didn’t want to crush Colette into the dirt with all his dire warnings. He flicked one of his dangling sapphire-and-silver earrings. “Good thing I am excellent at playing pretty.”
She giggled.
“But we must be on our best behaviour.” He pointed at her.
Her smile dropped. She sat up straight and nodded. Like a soldier at attention.
“Watch others. But be aware that you are always beingwatched too. Never let your guard down. Keep your eyes open. Let everyone underestimate you. But never underestimate anyone else. For some, untruths flow like wine from their lips and fooling others is as easy as breathing.” Elias actually included himself amongst that group.
“We might be marrying dragons. But everyone is a treacherous snake waiting to strike.” Elias lifted a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Be pretty. Act foolish. Don’t let anyone too close or let them know what or who you truly are. That is your best defence when amongst enemies. And remember, everyone is your enemy.”
Chapter
Four
Elias studied Colette. Her brows lowered, as if weighed down by his heavy words. “But … what about when you meet your betrothed? You can trust your betrothed, right?”
He held in a sigh and shook his head. “We were just at war with the dragons. They killed our people. We killed theirs. Too much blood has been spilt on both sides. A marriage contract does not erase the past or the pain.”
“So you’re not hoping for love?” she asked, voice almost a whisper.
He held in a huff. There would be no love in his marriage. He did not expect it or hope for it. And even if some softer feelings arose between him and his spouse from time to time, he’d learnt a long time ago that softer feelings could not be relied upon.
Elias would not let down his guard. Not even if he ended up marrying some handsome, charming dragon with a pretty smile and a magic dick.
Colette would learn in time how jagged and sharp the edges of the world could be. He just hated to be the one toreveal that to her. But at this peace assembly, she needed to have her defences up. Elias could not watch her constantly.
“It is an arranged marriage for an alliance,” Elias said. “There may be courtship, balls, banquets, vows of forever, and what not. But there will be no sweet and gentle kisses or softly spoken words. There will be no love for me in my marriage. It is not like we are expected to share a bed every night. Or even see each other regularly.”
Elias would need to fuck his spouse once to seal the marriage. He didn’t know which pervert had decided to putthatin the marriage contract.
Luckily you could tolerate fucking most people once. As long as they weren’t too repulsive. And if they were, he’d just have to utilise the darkness. Of course, if the person smelled, that would be a problem. He supposed they could fuck in a bathtub if that were the case.
Did they have bathtubs big enough for two people here? Perhaps they could fuck in the ocean. Maybe then the tide would sweep his spouse away afterwards. He’d wave them off and then he’d be free, having done his duty for Voltaria.
“Still, I won’t complain if I’m married to a big, strapping dragon. It would help me tolerate the wedding night.” And if he did find his spouse appealing, then perhaps he would share their bed every now and then. For the sake of peace.
He was glad he’d kept those last parts to himself when Colette began to giggle and her cheeks turned bright red. She really was far too innocent.
But then, after several moments, she frowned. “I thought you had to live with your spouse. That’s part of the marriage contract too, right?”
“True.” Elias examined his perfectly lacquered silver nails. “But you can live together whilst keeping far apart. Castles and palaces are thankfully known for being large.”
After all, he had lived with his father, stepmother, and half-siblings. For years, they’d gone back and forth between the Tower of the Winds in Zephyrias and the Lightning Palace in Voltaria. He’d managed to barely see them.
And now the rest of his family primarily resided in the Tower of the Winds, where the council, the emperor, and the empress made all the important decisions for their kingdoms. Meanwhile, he lived in the Lightning Palace in Voltaria for the most part. At least when he wasn’t travelling about.
“We can marry and then get along happily with our own lives, knowing we have done our part and brought peace to our great nations. We’ll make nice in public and show a happy, strong, and united front, of course. It will be a lie. But we’ll be lying to the world for the greater good.” And Elias never found lying challenging.
Colette frowned. “It just … it just sounds so sad.” She swallowed. “Maybe if you marry a brave and noble dragon. Then you can?—”
