The tension and horror were so thick, I could almost squish it between my fingers.
The Court gaped at me with horror, their eyes flicking from me to Rigel as they lost their stuffy expressions and manners in their terror.
I had to hold in a laugh—hadn’t this occurred to them?! I’d figured it out the night Rigel accepted me that this was one of the advantages I was going to pushhard.
I mean, who would they rather have as their ruler? A half human queen who does a few crazy things, or a straight upassassinking who knows their every seedy dealing and is infamous for his spotless record?
“This is what you meant when you said you intended to use my name,” Rigel said—somehow managing to sound normal even though his voice was barely louder than a whisper.
I risked glancing up at him and was relieved to see his expression didn’t appear bothered.
I mean, he never really woreanyexpression, but I thought I could detect a faint tilt to one of his eyebrows, and his eyes didn’t look glassy.
“Yep,” I agreed.
“It’s not at all what I thought you meant.”
“But it is the best use of it!” I grinned to myself, increasingly giddier the longer my Court stared at me with horror.
Rigel didn’t reply immediately. I assumed this meant he wasn’t going to say anything else, and it took me by surprise when he answered after a few more minutes. “It is,” he agreed.
We stood together at the throne even after a few of my Court members, apparently lacking any brilliant ideas, started clapping as Lord Myron was taken away by Chase’s men.
It’s over. I didn’t let myself relax, but I did smile.I gave them the first smack down and warning. The next time they start playing games with each other, I’ll come down even harder on them. And those whodon’tplay games will be rewarded.
It had bothered me that through sheer will, just by being queen I could make them do whatever I wanted—as I suspect I just had with Lord Myron.
But I’d just be extra cautious not to do that. I shouldn’t have to, since the magic already did its best to assure they couldn’t straight up murder me, and it just didn’t feelright.
I smirked, unable to hold back my delight.And then I’ll train you—every last one of you, I promised myself as my eyes scanned my Court.You’ll stop playing this stupid game of power out of sheer self-preservation, and I’ll destroy this awful tradition once and for all!
* * *
When I stoodat the front of the massive ceremony room, out to lunch even though it was the middle of my wedding ceremony, I was stewing and in a foul mood.
Not because I was getting married when I didn’t want to. Okay—notonlybecause this stupid monarchy had backwards, ancient rules that seriously needed to be overturned, but because Skye and Indigo had banned Chase from giving me an update on Myron and his motives when I was getting ready.
Weddings takeforever! And this is a fae wedding. Of course it is going to take 2,364 hours to say all the useless prattle and everyone and their neighbor will come give me their carefully worded, insincere congratulations and unhappy wishes.
To make it worse, I was getting officially crownedduringthe wedding ceremony. For real, an official pronounced us married, and then I had to turn around and thump my rear down in a chair so they could pop a crown on me and say more long-winded speeches that were uselessly vague so they could contain half truths and keep a bargain/contract from being struck.
For real, there should be a fae debate team. They’d win just because they would bore everyone to death!
Indigo discreetly coughed.
“Yes,” I said automatically once I realized the stuffy fae marrying us was looking expectantly at me.
Are we through with the vows? Or did he just pronounce us married?
It seemed like it was the vows. He nodded, then shifted his attention to Rigel standing at my side.
“As Queen Leila’s consort, do you swear your heart, body, and mind to her?”
I smirked at my reluctant fiancé, wondering how he was going to get out of this.
Indigo had been unable to stuff Rigel into a tux. Even though I wore a gorgeous wedding dress with a train I was definitely going to step on before the day was over, Rigel just wore one of his fancy black buckled shirts. He even had a sword strapped to his side, and I was pretty sure at least one dagger was hidden in each of his bracers.
Rigel glanced down at me. “It seems unfair to have this vow when you can break yours with no consequences.”
