My father lied to me. About everything.
“How did you know?” Evelyn asked.
“I recognized you in the bar. It was like seeing Katrina again. And you were with Alexander, so I knew you were Tristan’s princess, newly arrived in the kingdom.”
“I’m not a princess, though. I’m not even a legitimate heir if this is real.”
“It’s very real, and you’re a queen now.”
Evelyn touched the necklace around her neck. “Is this… Am I wearing her locket?”
“You are. I said it belongs to you.”
Gods, this is too much. I can’t do this.
“I want to go back. Is this all you had to show me?”
“Don’t you want a dance first? I enjoyed the last ball we attended.”
Evelyn glared at him.
“Fine, fine, let’s go,” he conceded.
Instantly, they were back in the office with Damien.
Evelyn turned to him. “My father lied to me.”
Damien glowered at Haydn. “What did you show her?”
Haydn shrugged. “The party.”
“How long have you known?” Evelyn asked.
Damien sighed. “I figured it out during the ball. You were standing right next to your father, and it reminded me of that night.”
“You knew them during the war?”
“Not personally. But everyone knew the married lord from Carrowmore was spending a lot of time with the woman from the council. Then it became obvious she was pregnant. There were rumors, but no one was talking openly about it. Eventually, the war ended and everyone went home. I didn’t know what had happened, and I didn’t really think about it again.”
“Does Leo know? Does anyone else know?”
“I’m sure Leo doesn’t,” Damien reassured. “Lord Robert might, because he was there. But if he knows, he hasn’t given any indication of it.”
“I suspect you are more recognizable here,” Haydn said. “You look so much like your mother and no one has forgotten your father.”
“Is that why Moeller was so rude when he met me?” Evelyn asked. “Is that why everyone keeps staring at me and the necklace?”
“Probably. Scandals are rare around here, and you are living proof of one.”
“This is why my magic is different,” Evelyn realized. “Like not experiencing illusions. That’s a Lochmatten thing and I?—”
“Belong here,” Haydn interrupted.
“Just because Evelyn was born here doesn’t mean she has to stay,” Damien argued. “Gryon is her home now.”
“Does it feel like home, Evelyn?” Haydn asked. “A lord’s bastard child would never have received an invitation to enter that palace. And now it belongs to you! Funny how life works sometimes.”
Damien took Evelyn’s hands in his. “Don’t listen to him. You are a queen. Nothing is going to change that, especially something out of your control from a century ago. Your father’s lies will not matter to Leo.”
