“Serge and Pyotr, my partners in our venturehere, each have twenty and five, and I kept fifty, as was our dealif I had won the race.”
Sahar sat straighter on her chair, and hecould feel her eyes boring into the side of his head.King Asad’smouth twitched up, and Aleksi cocked his head, not sure where thisline of questioning was going.
“What do you intend to do with your coin?”his father asked.
“To return to our homeland and build a stableto rival any king’s,” Aleksi told him.
“To become a lowly horse trader, you mean,”Anastasia scoffed.
“To be a self-made man, you mean,” Sahar saidhotly.
Both king’s mouths twitched up.
“Did you propose marriage to Princess Sahar?”Maksimillian asked.
“More than once,” Aleksi answered.
“She refused you?”
“We are not betrothed.”
“Why not?”Maksimillian asked Sahar.“Is myson not a worthy man?”
“Your son, Aleksandr, is a good and honorableman,” she said without hesitation.“He has acted more princely thanmany of those who claim that title.”
“So, it’s because he is my bastard son andnot heir to my kingdom?”
Sahar bristled and said nothing.
“Princess Sahar has told me many times thatshe neither wants nor needs a husband,” Aleksi said, defendingher.
“That,” Anastasia said with a pouty smirk,“is because she has no want or need of a man at all.”
Sahar’s breath hissed in and her eyes blazed.Both kings remained expressionless, and Aleksi wondered how muchhis father knew of his and Sahar’s time alone in the wilds.
“Do you have anything to say about PrincessAnastasia’s accusation?”Maksimillian asked Sahar.
“Princess Anastasia can think or say whateverher walnut brain wants,” Sahar answered, her fiery glare razingAnastasia, who sat with her mouth gaping.“I know who and what Iam, and so do those who matter to me.Not that it would be a badthing if I was so inclined to prefer women as she has insinuated.As your son and I are not betrothed, I don’t understand why we’reeven being questioned about this.”
Aleksi pressed his lips together to keep fromsmiling.
“I apologize for the intrusiveness of myquestions,” his father said.“But I need to know the truth of yourcurrent relationship with my son.In time, you will both knowwhy.”
Sahar inclined her head in acknowledgement,and Aleksi sat straighter in his chair.
What was his father up to?
Aleksi glanced from king to king to queen,but none of them were giving anything away.Asim looked curious andAnastasia looked confused.Brawn was his usual silent, watchfulself.
Maksimillian stood and approached theirtable.“As you have all no doubt been told,” he said, “I have beensuffering from a general malaise for several moons now, the causeand severity of which my physicians were unable to agree upon.”
“Have you been taking your healing tisane,Father?”Anastasia asked.“You know you need to be taking yourtisane daily.”
Maksimillian grimaced, though it looked to bemore from mental pain than physical.He had not looked or acted illsince his arrival here.In truth, his complexion was more ruddythan pale, and he was only a shade thinner than usual.
“Thank you for your concern, daughter,” hesaid, turning to Anastasia.“You, your mother and sister have allbeen adamant I take it.”
Anastasia smiled prettily.
