My gaze shifts to Asmo, who is, of course, already looking at me. His expression is similar to his father’s, apathetic, like he’d rather be doing anything else.
“Hello, Asmo,” I say cheerily.
He raises an eyebrow, likely surprised that I would greet him first, that I would make the first move. It was always a game with him. An exhausting game.
“How lovely to see you again, my Queen,” he says cooly. “You look as scrumptious as ever.” His gaze flicks up and down my body, reminding me of the way he stared at me lying before him. My cheeks warm, and he notices. A smirk appears on his face. “Has my brother gotten to taste you yet?”
Marik stiffens beside me, and I can feel the tension in the room rising. This is off to a great start.
“Classy as ever, Asmo,” I say, taking a sip of my drink.
Vasuki bursts into laughter and says, “Well, well, well. The girl has bite.”
“I’ll have you not talk about my fiancé that way,” Marik shoots at Asmo.
“Are your family dinners always this entertaining?” Elle asks Asmo, a smile on her face. She’s trying to lighten the mood, but Minerva whips her head toward her and glares at her.
Vasuki answers her and says, “They grew up fighting each other. Asmo was always the winner, though, so consider us surprised when we heard that it was Marik who ended up with the girl…and with the crown.” His tone is almost mocking, like he truly couldn’t believe Marik could do anything right, let alone next in line to be High King.
I feel sorry for Marik. I knew that his parents were tough on him and Asmo, tough being an understatement. I think the better word is abusive. But to be so blatant in your disapproval of your son in front of people who you just met…I’m too shocked to even say anything at first.
I make eye contact with Vasuki and say, “Considermesurprised when I decided that either of your sons would have been great husbands and High Kings, despite the way they were raised.”
The room falls in a jarring silence, no one daring to say a word. I don’t take my eyes off Vasuki. His eyes turn completely black as he stares at me.
When he finally does speak, his voice is low. “I would be very careful, Your Highness. You’re new here, and maybe you don’t know how this world works, but you need our support. The kingdom is already growing restless with you on the throne. I wouldthinkbefore you damage any relationships that may behoove you to have.”
Before I can respond, Asmo says, “She has the support of our court, Father. And Mae will be a great High Queen—with or without your support.”
“She does not yet have the support of our court. You’re not the Serpent King yet, Asmo. If she continues to disrespect our family, she will not have our support.”
“If I may,” I say before Asmo can respond, “I would love your support. I’m not an idiot, despite what you may think. I know what your support, or lack thereof, means for me. But as someone who’s marrying your son, I would like your support as a part of our future family. You should know, however, that as High Queen, I’ll be putting laws into place that make your childrearing practices illegal. If you have a problem with that, I don’t particularly care about your support.” I take a long sip of my champagne.
Marik sits frozen in place beside me, but Asmo gives me a grin before taking a sip of his champagne, hiding his mouth behind the glass. Vasuki gives me an appraising look but doesn’t respond.
“So, Mae, please do share how you came to choose our Marik,” Minerva says coolly, changing the subject. Smart move on her end.
Smiling at her, I say, “He was my first official date, and we bonded immediately. He was very open with me and vulnerable, which is difficult to do after only knowing someone for a day, but it paid off.” I look at him and find that he’s looking at me, but he’s not smiling. “It just felt like the right decision.”
I don’t tell them that he saved me from almost killing myself, and that’s why he was chosen to be my first date. In some ways, I think that night was the catalyst for all of this. If Asmo hadn’t upset me so much, I wouldn’t have had a mental breakdown, and Marik wouldn’t have needed to save me. If Marik hadn’t saved me, I can’t say for sure that I would have put him first or sought him out so much. I can’t say that I’d be sitting here beside him.
After the first course is cleared, I excuse myself, feeling like I need a moment to breathe. I make my way to the closest bathroom, nodding at each guard that I pass, one stationed nearly every six feet.
On my way back, I run into Marik. He’s approaching me, but he’s not smiling. “Hey,” I say, a smile on my face that slips as he gets closer, at the expression on his face.
Cold fury hardens his features, twisting them into something ugly and cruel. “Do not talk to my parents like that,” he says, his voice low. “That was out of line.”
My smile fully disappears. “Marik, they were rude to you,” I say defensively. I look around to the guards closest to us, but they’ve turned away to give us privacy.
“I can handle them on my own. I don’t need you to defend me,” he snarls.
His response feels like a physical blow, and I take a step back from him. “I’m sorry, but I will not just sit there if they’re rude to you again. It feels like a test for me—like they’re trying to see how I’ll respond. I’m not just going to roll over,” I say, then stalk toward the dining room.
Marik grabs me by my forearm and whips me around to face him. “Do not walk away from me. This conversation isn’t over.” His grip on my forearm is tight and painful. I try to pull my arm away, but he holds it tighter. His eyes are black, no silver to be seen.
“What the fuck is wrong with you right now?” I whisper-shout at him.
“This conversation is over, little brother. That’s enough,” Asmo’s deep voice commands from behind me.
