“Stop lying,” I say.
Someone told Stellan. Either Mother is the mole, or she confided in someone. That someone is my rat; the traitor in our midst.
Mother pales. “Leigh, I wouldn’t?—”
“You’ve been lying to me my entire life. Someone told Stellan about Fynn, which means you or Father told another person about your secret. Who?” I stare between my parents, my gaze accusing.
Once I unmask the mole’s identity, I can get the Council to stop pointing fingers and listen to me again. They will reunite once Stellan no longer threatens them, and they will hear me out when I say marrying Alden doesn’t secure peace for our nation. There are other ways to do that.
Mother follows my gaze to where Father sits. Her eyes widen. “Is Gwyn here now?”
My father scowls at me. “You have no right to be angry,” I tell him.
Mother blinks. “What’s your father saying?” she asks, but I refuse to look away from Father.
We made a mistake,Father’s voice is firm.
My smile is unkind. “A mistake is forgetting to take out the garbage. What you two did changed everything! Fynn was never the rightful heir to the throne. Yet you lied to me and everyone about it to protect your secret.” I was always meant to be queen, and my family was intent on never telling me.
My mother bursts into tears, covering her face with her paint-crusted hands, shoulders hunching.
“Did Fynn know?” I ask.
“No,” Mother says, while my father says,Yes.
My jaw sets. I don’t know whom to believe.
“Leigh, you were never meant to know,” Mother exclaims.
“So that makes it okay?”
Mother cries harder.
“You made me feel that my becoming queen wasstealingfrom Fynn.” I focus on my anger to keep my tears at bay. “I almost gave up the crown to Don because I didn’t think I deserved it. But it’s been mine all along.”
I lift my hair off my neck. The room is boiling. It is too full of secrets and lies.
“None of this is okay,” Mother wails. “But, Leigh, I have no idea how Stellan found out.”
“I do,” I say. “It was Don. Even from prison, he is still calling the shots.”
Mother’s eyes bulge. “You’re mistaken. Don never knew about Fynn.”
Father nods.
“But do you know for sure?” I lean forward. Mother’s hands fidget in her lap.
As the Magician, Don had access to many secrets. It’s possible that someone in Eos somehow found out about Fynn and reported their findings to him. Alternatively, Fynn might have confronted Don about his true parentage, even though they were never close.
Don might not be the one contacting Stellan directly, but he could have a loyal supporter on the Council who is leaking information on his behalf.
I think of all the letters at home, unopened on my bedside table. Could Don have warned me this would happen? Is there something about Fynn penned on those pages?
“Don couldn’t have known,” Mother says with conviction “In the months leading up to my wedding with Gwyn, Don got backtogether with Lilura di Siena. The night he found out I was pregnant, he announced his intention to marry Lilura, but she called off the engagement shortly after. Don was dealing with quite a lot when Fynn first came into the picture. Questioning mine and Gwyn’s timeline was not his top priority.”
My chest tightens. I try to control my breathing, but each exhale comes out short and ragged. I never knew Don had been engaged to Gianna’s aunt. Our family history is overflowing with more scandals than Tsilah Cemetery has bodies. People are furious about Stellan’s articles, and I understand their anger, but how can I prevent these explosions when I’m constantly blindsided by the past?
“We need to confront Don,” I say. “If he’s behind the information leaks to Stellan, we must get him to confess or reveal who his accomplice is. Once we have that information, we can go public with it.”
