Page 31 of His Realm

“You like Zev.”

“I tolerate Zev because I know he’d trade his life for yours, and of course I expect him to be there, but everyone else, all the petty, squabbling rabble, I couldn’t care less.”

And by squabbling rabble he meant the dene, those vampyrs from the noble houses he had no patience for at all.

“I don’t care who I offend. I refuse to have the ancient rituals, like drinking blood with everyone, and there will be no receiving line of people before the wedding that it takes an entire day from dawn to midnight to get through. None of that.”

“Shouldn’t there be?” I cautioned him. “You belong to all of the Noreia.”

“I owe them safety, guidance, fairness, and justice in all matters. That I will give.”

“Nothing else?”

“I’m their leader, and I will do all that’s expected of a leader.”

“Okay.”

“But anything that pertains to my personal life—my consort, my eventual heir, and our entourage—is no longer for public consumption.”

“Yes, my prince,” I soothed him.

“You’re placating me.”

“I’m not,” I said quickly. “I agree. It’s time to rid the palace of all its vipers.”

“Yes.”

“And on the subject of vipers, please inform Alrek that his mother is no longer living in the palace, but in Paris now with two of her sisters.”

He cackled, actually cackled, and that was naughty but understandable. Had there been a list of palace vipers, Lady Chione’s name would have topped it. “I’m so pleased, but how did you manage that?”

“I had nothing to do with it. On your father’s orders, Lady Chione was exiled from the palace and is not allowed to return.”

“I’m stunned by this news. She was his first courtesan, as well as the first to ever give him a child.”

“Well, I don’t think your father thinks too kindly of her at the moment.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Am I still on speaker?”

“No.”

“Okay, so I think Alrek running away didn’t help his mother’s case to remain in the palace. Your father blames her, which is insane.”

“Well, my mother is the superior woman and the superior mother. She raised Cassius and me a certain way that I can assure you, Alrek was not.”

“But there are so many other factors that go along with⁠—”

“You always have to try and make me see reason.”

“Of course.”

“Of course,” he repeated. “Well, I’m happy she’s gone. I remember falling once as a child, and she laughed. I went running to my mother, bleeding, and she comforted me, and when I told her what Chione had done, she said two things.”

I loved these talks with Varic. Usually they happened late at night, in bed, in the dark, and he would speak to me as he was now, softly, in confidence, revealing secrets he only ever shared with me.

“She said to make certain I never put myself or anyone I loved within Lady Chione’s grasp, and that she’d laughed because she hated me so completely.”