“I’m afraid we can’t use these to make blood sausage now.” I lifted a handful of the steaming boar guts and tossed them aside.
He stared at me in shock and wonder.
“Are those…?”
“From the boar over there.” I tipped my chin at the dead boar hidden in the tall grass by the water edge. “I fell it all on my own.” I beamed with pride. “Well, me and my water dog. We did it together. She’s an excellent hunting dog, you know? I’m keeping her.” I glanced around. “If I can find her again.”
“You’re not hurt?” He gently prodded my chest, then down along my belly, inspecting me for injuries.
I winced at the sting of pain from the long scratch that Reizon’s sword left across my midsection.
Grat immediately jerked his hands away.
“What is it? Where are you hurt? Who did it?”
“It’s nothing.” I moved aside the fabric of my cut dress and the blouse underneath, then wiped the boar’s blood off with my sleeve. “See? Just a scratch. It would’ve been much worse if the water dog hadn’t jumped on Reizon from behind just in time.”
Agor gestured at Reizon’s lifeless body. “The dog did this to him?”
I exhaled a sigh, both relieved and subdued when faced with the death of my pursuer.
“Yes, she did,” I said. “She saved my life. She is such a sweetheart.”
“Water dogs usually are.” The human woman nodded. “I have one too. His name is Dumpling.” She smiled. “I’m Becca by the way.”
“I’m Khala.” I returned her smile. “I think I’ll call my dog Honey because she’s such a sweet girl.”
A “sweet girl” who could snap through a man’s neck in one bite. She was a fierce force to be recon with. But Reizon wasarmed. He could’ve killed her. Still, she defended me, risking her life.
Grat hauled me onto his lap, holding me in a tight grip. “I’ll never, ever part from you again.”
“I hope you won’t because I love being with you.” I wrapped my arms around his neck.
Agor crouched next to Becca.
“So, you faked your death,” he said.
“That was smart.” Becca tipped her chin at the pile of boar guts. “But why did you have to do it? Why did the duke attack you?”
“He claimed to be in love with you.” Agor raised a bushy eyebrow, clearly expecting an explanation.
“He called you hisbelovedwife,” Grat spat through his teeth with a glance of disdain at Reizon’s corpse.
“I…” I drew in a long breath. “Well, I think I can finally tell it all, now that he’s dead. I’m the only daughter of the late Princess Salove, the sister of King Belin of Avilet. Currently, I’m the second in line for the throne after the king’s son, the crown prince. As a woman, however, I could only ascend the throne through marriage since the kingdom’s laws don’t allow for a female monarch.”
“That’s unfair,” Becca remarked.
“Total bullshit,” her husband agreed.
“That’s how it has always been in the kingdom,” I said. “Anyway, my claim to the throne doesn’t really matter because the king has a son, a legitimate male heir, who is set to take the crown upon his father’s death. When selecting a husband for me, my parents’ main concern was the man’s wealth. Despite my family’s grand name and standing, we weren’t the richest in the kingdom, and my parents wanted to change that.”
“Through your marriage?” Becca clarified.
“Yes.” I nodded and pointed at Reizon’s body. “Reizon was one of the many suitors who had competed for my hand in marriage since I was sixteen. I didn’t know him well. I had no chance to get to know any of my suitors. But Reizon was handsome and well-mannered, just a few years older than me, so at the beginning, I favored him over the others.”
“Well-mannered indeed,” Grat rumbled with a reproachful glare at the corpse, as if daring Reizon to come back to life so he could personally kill him again.
“Back then, I would’ve married him willingly,” I admitted. “But my wishes didn’t matter. Within a year, my parents selected another man. The High Lord of Renya is one of the highest titles in the kingdom that comes with the richest estate. He was also almost four times older than me and a widower. His only son from his previous marriage, Rolly, was an adult by age, but he was born with a mind that didn’t develop past the level of a child. Rolly never married and couldn’t have children, so my husband’s main goal in our marriage was to ensure a ‘proper’ heir to his name and estate.”
