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“Orange juice!” he blurts before I can give him the answer. We only took his tavern’s entire supply yesterday…

“Yes,” she giggles. “I could do with a glass right now actually. Maybe several.”

Suddenly, I’m leaping out of bed. “Your wish is my command, sweetheart.” I lean back over her to kiss her on the cheek.

“I have a question for you now,” Castor says to her while I dress myself. “And you must answer honestly.”

“I will,” she breathes. “What is it?”

“Could you love us both?”

My fingers pause on my belt. Slowly, I turn back to find her smile has fallen as she gazes at him.

“I…”

“Answer truthfully.” I step towards her, my brow lowering.

She glances at me, then back to Castor. “Would it be so awful if I said that I think I could?”

A strange feeling settles over me.

“No.” Castor flops back onto the pillows, grinning widely. “It wouldn’t be awful at all. Right, Lux?”

But I’m already pulling on my boots and heading out of the door.

I’m not sure how I’m supposed to answer that.

41

CASTOR

King Sol’s golden palace is just as ridiculous-looking as I remember. Its pointed spires are way too tall to be practical. Tall enough to poke holes in the puffy, white snow clouds above. The wide, domed roof of the ballroom is supposed to mimic a sun rising over the horizon, but all I can think of when I look at it is how much the eyesore must’ve cost him.

Or better yet, his people.

When the greedy bastard finally dies, I bet we’ll hear their street parties from the manor.

“I can’t believe I’m finally home.” Eden grips the window frame with watery eyes. “My sisters will scream. I’ll probably scream.” She sits back in her seat before returning to the window. Then back down again. She hasn’t been able to get comfortable for the past half an hour.

Meanwhile, if Lux’s jaw was clenched any tighter it’d probably break.

Leaning forward, I speak quietly. “Is there anything specific you’d like for me to say to Sol or shall I just improvise?” The thought of actually hurting Eden makes me feel queasy, but I can lie as well as Lux can.

“Just do whatever feels right,” Lux mumbles. “Eden said she’d play along.”

I draw back slightly to watch her. She looks so happy, like a mouse diving for the cheese on a mousetrap.

“You know you don’t have to do this,” I say to my brother. “Just let her see her sisters. We’ll tell her father this was a misunderstanding.”

“Mother’s death was no misunderstanding.”

“But doing this won’t bring her back.” The carriage slows to a stop and Lux charges outside before I can say anything else.

“Tell your king the princes Lux and Castor are here with his daughter. We will see him in his throne room,” Lux bellows to the guards at the gate. “Any violence towards us and Princess Eden will suffer.”

Before I help her outside, I take her hand, kissing it softly. “Will you forgive us?”

“That depends on how today goes,” she mutters back. Her smile is long gone now. Like the mousetrap has just closed.