Bylur crossed the room to her, keeping an arm around my back the entire time. She dropped into a curtsy. “You succeeded where I thought you would fail,” she said to me. “Congratulations. You have your husband now.”
“You are Daneira’s heir?” Bylur asked.
The princess maid huffed. “No. She refused to name me heir after my magic made me unpopular.” Her face hardened. “But I would be an excellent queen.”
“Then I will give you that opportunity,” Bylur said. “If you prove yourself capable, you will rule Kerebos.”
“What?” A dubious expression hijacked her mouth and brows.
“If Kerebos’s laws and traditions make me king, then I am assigning you to rule in my stead. I’ll check in on you from time to time. If you manage the kingdom such that it thrives, in ten years, I’ll abdicate and crown you queen myself.”
She picked her jaw up. “Why?”
Bylur smiled at me. “Because I don’t want it, and my wife thinks you’d do a good job.”
I smiled back. “She will, especially with you as an advisor.”
He rubbed my back with his thumb. “Shall we go home?”
I nodded. “Yes, please.”
“Wait!” Ephaltes rushed forward and dropped to his knees. “Will you take me to Kalshana too?”
Bylur’s smile disappeared. “No. You’re lucky I’m in the mood to leave with my wife now. Otherwise, I’d kill you for treason. You chose Kerebos. You can stay here.”
“But—” Ephaltes rocked back and forth. “What about my lands?”
Bylur faced me and his smile returned. “I will ask Auria to decide if we need a new ruler for House Fundan or if we should let one of the other houses absorb it.”
I smiled back. “That sounds fun.”
“But—” Ephaltes started, but Bylur cut him off.
“Ask your new queen for mercy. I’m takingmyqueen home.”
Epilogue: Bylur
3 days later
Dearan hadn’t stopped grinning since I’d entered the meeting hand-in-hand with Auria. I didn’t care that we had a proper fae marriage bond now—I didn’t want to let her go ever again.
Dearan leaned forward, glancing at our clasped hands, and summarized the current state of Kerebos. “So Queen Daneira is dead and you’ve left her previously unknown daughter in charge?”
I nodded. “I think Kerebos is not going to be a threat any longer, but I would still like to move forward with a vote on the council. Before we do so, I’ve asked Auria to make a proposal about Ephaltes’s lands.”
She squeezed my hand and leaned over the table. “I’d like to divide them between the four houses smaller than House Fundan. I believe that will give each house a slightly more fair edge as they deal with the seven bigger houses.”
Everyone around the table nodded. Those who’d met her before the ball had already liked her, or were at least impressed by her, but after she’d publicly stopped Ephaltes, they adored her. “I’d also suggest that each house gets two representatives on the ruling council, and that the council elects a new chairman every yearwho gets two votes on decisions. That way there will never be a tie.”
Dedalus thumped the table. “Agreed. Let’s vote and choose representatives who can hammer out the rest of the details. I want to go home.”
I palmed the table with my free hand. “If you and your house will support a ruling council for Kalshana, as Auria just described, raise your hand.”
Every fae around the table—twenty-two rulers from all eleven houses plus Auria and myself—all raised their hands. The unanimous decision I’d been fighting for during the last year finally happened in an instant. Auria squeezed my hand again, and her encouraging excitement washed through the marriage bond. I let go of her hand and wrapped my arm around her in a side hug.
“Thank you,” I told the gathered rulers. “Let’s choose representatives and send them here to begin work in one month.” I stood up, and everyone followed suit.
Dearan shifted closer to me. “Well, it’s finally done. What are you going to do next?”
