Page 60 of His Realm

“Apparently, when Varic sent his dreki with the announcement of his upcoming marriage, both Decimus and Ødger responded and explained the transfer of power in Ophir, as well as that of the debt.”

“He can’t do that,” Zev told her. “The debt was for a mate for him, not his son.”

“And the original debt was for Magnus to pay, not Messina,” she reminded Zev. “You know as well as I that debts pass from fathers to their issue in all of the Noreia.”

He shook his head. “That’s hardly fair.”

“I agree, but this all falls on Magnus, not any of us.”

“Magnus should have killed Decimus when he returned. No one would have questioned him succumbing to old wounds.”

“You’ve never had a sibling, Zev, so you don’t understand.”

He scoffed. “I’ve seen more than one killing of a brother or sister in my time.”

She couldn’t argue with that. “Well, regardless, we find ourselves faced with the debt that is payable to Ødger, who as firstborn, now rules Ophir.”

“So the king’s known all this time that Ødger, not Decimus, is owed a mate.”

“Yes,” Isabella answered Zev, “and as you can imagine, it’s been weighing on him.”

“Why?”

“Because when Varic sent the missive that he was to be married to his consort, Ødger decided Jason was the one he wanted.”

I had to consider her words for several seconds. “Me? He’s never even met me!”

“No. But you are the prince’s consort, and he’s sent people to see who you are.”

“People?”

“Spies,” Zev clarified for me. “Visitors to the palace asking about you, watching you, and reporting back to him.”

“That’s insane.”

She nodded, dropping her hand from my face. “I—” She stopped a moment, listening as we all did to a roar from above us and then a crash, something shattering. “I suspect the king has gotten to this same part in the telling,” she whispered.

“I can’t marry anyone but Varic.”

“Oh, darling, I know that, but Ødger knows nothing about what it means for a royal to create their font, their singular source of sustenance.” She smiled at me. “And more importantly, he doesn’t understand that you are Varic’s very heart.”

I wanted to ask then how she felt not being the only one Messina drew blood from, but it wasn’t the time. “He loves him,” I blurted out instead. “I mean, Varic loves the king.”

“Oh, I know,” she assured me. “Varic has always loved his father, though Messina does not make that easy for any of us.”

I sighed. “No.”

“Don’t hate him for all this,” she pleaded. “When I learned he gave Leda to Decimus, I had to tell myself the same.”

I would definitely try. “When did you find out about Leda?”

Her breath caught. “Recently.”

Which meant it could have been as recent as earlier today. She would never tell me, and I would never ask. “And the king planned to do what?”

“He thought to bespell Ødger with another, and first thought of sending Carice,” she choked out. “But then decided that would do no honor to Cassius.”

Of course not, plus, there were other considerations.