“In that case, I am marrying Nicholas.”
“The hel you are!”
I lift my chin. “Evangeline won’t marry you, so Nicholas will be forced to execute you unless there is a queen. With that being me, I can torture you anyway I see fit, so I will lock you in your sex dungeon and edge you for the rest of your life.” I shake my head gravely. “Sadly, that means you will never be allowed to come, but you will be alive. Though it might have to be done in the square as I don’t know if I can successfully argue that a public execution doesn’t have to be in the public eye; rather it only needs to be known by the public.”
I start to rise. “Either way, I shall see you after your trial. Now I must head to training before –”
“Now hold on.”
“You made your decision, now I am making mine.”
“Godsdammit, Arienna,” he growls as he stands, “do not make me execute my brother.”
“Then marry me.”
He runs a hand through his hair. Curses.
Curses again.
Then he sighs. “Fine. Walk me through your other plan.”
A weightlessness fills my chest. “You’re going to trust me?” I breathe.
“I’m going to listen to your plan.” He holds his hand out to me. “Because you are my queen, Arienna. Even when I asked the Court for an annulment, you never stopped being my queen.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry I panicked. I’m sorry I ignored your safe word. I should’ve trusted you.”
“I love you,” I say, my throat tight.
“I love you too.” He squeezes my fingers as I slip my hand in his. “Now tell me your plan.”
Fifty
A queen marries for the good of the kingdom.
I do.
- King Richard
“If you want to back out of this,” I say to my brother as we wait inside Echo’s office, “it’s okay. There are other ways –”
“No,” Nicholas says, standing with his arms crossed by the closed door.
“It’s not your responsibility –”
“Will you stop trying to protect everyone, and just let us help you?” he snaps. Running a hand through his hair, he shakes his head. “Fabia… is infuriating, and being married to her is certainly going to be trying, but –” He stops. Looks away. “I know she won’t treat me like Stephanie did.”
“You know this won’t just be a marriage on paper. You must stay faithful to her –”
“I am aware of what it means to carry royal blood. I was told that all my childhood, remember? It’s why I was forced to stay behind while you went off to war with Aurelia.” One of us had to survive to create heirs. Had either of my sisters given birth,Nicholas would’ve lost all worth and been sent on a suicide mission.
“War is not heroic,” I say softly.
“Do you think I wanted to be a hero?” he grits out. “I just wanted to be beside you two instead of worrying from home. I could’ve had so many more memories of Aurelia...”
He steps away from me, frustration and pain twisting his scars. “At least by marrying Fabia, I can do something for you.”
“You do a lot of things for me.”
“Like what?”
