Freya took another sip of her tea. “Derrick…er, Alastar the Wise, was the first Duke of Lycaster to not have to fight in those bloody trials, but his six older brothers killed each other anyway—like they still had to prove themselves strong enough to rule.”
Freya scratched Magnus’s ruff and smiled. “The irony—all those centuries of fratricide and the crown ended up with the quiet brother who hid amongst the books.” Her smile fell. “But even he could not hide from the cold hands of murder.”
I seized the opportunity. “But how could Ilsa have murdered—”
“But the trials returned!” She took another slug from her teacup. We were losing her. “Sure, Anders did not have to murder anyone in an arena, but he became a performer on a stage with no end—constantly having to prove himself worthy of the crown. And when men of Lycaster cannot have blood, they crave sex instead.”
I squeezed my knees together as I tried to think of how to steer the conversation back to Ilsa.
Brietta’s lip curled and she avoided Freya’s eyes. “They lock us up in Ashmore for seven years to keep our chastity intact yetimmediatelyexpect us to be receptive to—”
Freya’s booming laugh startled Brietta so much that she jumped. “Oh, am I the first to tell you the chastity requirement is all a lie?”
Brietta’s face hardened and my stomach dropped.
It…it was a lie?
“What?” Brietta cried. “But they would not let us see or talk to any men because our chastity was necessary—”
“Necessary to not get pregnant,” Freya replied with a dry laugh. “Do you think the Heaston boys were kept on a chain? They get to play around just like all boys do whileyouget to spend your early fertile years in a cage.”
Brietta’s eyebrows creased and she let out a low breath.
Of all the lies the Ashmore matrons told us, the chastity requirement hurt the worst. They held us prisoner, suppressed all of our…urges, and told us all of it was necessary to have any place in society.
Worst of all, they had lined us up in front of Fraleigh and forced us to endure her “chastity examination” so we were allowed to get married.
“That is disgusting,” Brietta hissed. “The boys got to have as many lovers as they wanted?”
Freya licked her teaspoon and tossed Brietta a look. “Do not tell me you are ignorant of the oldest laws of men. Sex has always been power to them. The more they have—orsaythey have—the more powerful other men believe they are.”
I stirred my tea just to distract myself from the fire that raged beneath my ribs. I wanted to sprint back to Ashmore and kiss a guard just because Icould.
“But Derrick never had to play that game—he owned the Diamond of the North,” Freya said. “She was the most beautiful and valuable woman anyone could possess, so men respected him for that alone.”
Back to Ilsa. I opened my mouth for another question, but Freya barked out a laugh. “But Anders? I am no diamond. Constantly being pregnant gave Anders some credibility as far as his virility was concerned…but then I only made daughters. He had to seek out…other venues for validation.”
Her blue eyes slid over to me and my stomach turned over. “Of all the things I will never forgive my husband for, buying your Mother is at the top of the list.”
That could not be true. Freya was just drunk and rambling. Mother was…intimately involved with the Duke, sure, but she was married to my father. Duke Hyton could not just buy her!
A feline smile grew on Freya’s face. “Oh, you think I am lying, little kitten? Are you ready to hear the truth of just how replaceable we all are?”
As much as I did not want to believe Freya, I thought back to the shining blue wax of the Hyton seal on top of Father’s desk seven years ago.
A bad deal with the Hytons.
No. Father had always kissed Mother’s cheeks and told her she was the honey in his tea. He bought her new and foreign seeds for her herb garden. He never even so much as raised his voice to her.
I shook my head. “He loves her, he—”
Freya threw her head back and cackled. “Loves her? Do you think that would stop a Duke from getting what he wanted?”
I looked over at the once romantic Brietta as warmth drained from my face. Her eyes were wide and she covered her gaping mouth with her hand.
Freya slowly shook her head like she was swimming through a cloud. “It was my fault. After Derrick died, I…lost myself. I could not leave my room. Could not face the public. Could not do…anything.”
Her hands curled into fists. “But your father was the one who fucked up. He pleaded that Anders take care of the giants at a meeting of the Baron council. He embarrassed Anders, making him look like he did not have complete control of the Dukedom…idiot! Frederick had always wanted to swoop in and play the hero, but what did that get him? He lost everything…and so did she.”
