Page 57 of The Mad King and the False Queen

“And the medicines?”

Claude hesitated. “Can’t we discuss this after lunch?”

“No,” Dagmara replied, keeping her voice as soft and lady-like as she could. “I hardly know the schedule, and it is improper to not let a woman know her own wedding arrangements.”

His expression twisted. “There are no arrangements. I wasn’t certain how long the journey would take from the Azuremi castle.”

“Then let’s make arrangements.”

Claude shifted his weight, analyzing her. She felt small under his gaze. “I won’t lie, Princess, your tone is off-putting.”

“And your inability to prioritize the proposal you made is off-putting.”

His jaw clenched. “I have other priorities.”

Dagmara bit her tongue. That was certainly too far. But if there was one thing she heard while eavesdropping last night, it was that he would make her stay to get information from her, no matter the cost.

I will use her to Ilusauri’s advantage, find out what she knows, and then I can get rid of her.

“If you do not wish to marry me, Your Majesty, then I will return to Azurem.”

“No,” Claude nearly blurted out. He was quick to regain his composure. He let out a deep sigh, and a low laugh escaped his lips. “You are quite the negotiator. Fine. We will host the engagement ball this week, and we can schedule the wedding in three months’ time.”

Dagmara’s eyes narrowed, and she forced herself to remain collected. “I will not wait that long. The wedding will happen this month.”

“What?”

“This month,” she repeated.

Claude objected. “Royal weddings don’t happen overnight.”

“I said this month, not tomorrow.”

“There’s lots of planning, and people have to travel in from across the kingdom.”

“How many days does that take? This marriage is for the trading routes and medicine. I won’t wait on those things.”

“It…,” Claude’s voice ran off, a suspicious expression flickering across his face for a mere second before being replaced with indifference. “I will speak with Madame Annette. Perhaps we can send some medicine to Azurem in advance of the official marriage.”

Confusion spread through Dagmara. This man was utterly unreadable, and she tried to piece his emotions together with what she had overheard last night.

“And will you speak to her about the date of the wedding?”

“If I so choose,” Claude said through gritted teeth. His patience was wearing thin.

She added a flirtatious lilt to her voice to soften the discussion as she said, “Aren’t you choosing to marry me?”

He took a step toward her, closing the distance between them. Her heart plummeted in her chest upon his close proximity. A palpable anger exuded from his entire body that sent a crashing wave of fear right through her.

“I’m choosing to ally myself with Azurem. Trust me, if I knew you had this demeanor then I may have thought twice about proposing.”

She felt the words like a blow to her chest. However, after getting her condition, all she had left were her potions and words to defend herself. She couldn’t remain silent. What she said and how she said it was her most trained weapon.

“Trust me, Your Majesty, that my presence here was not my idea. I am only here for the betterment of Azurem.” Seeking revenge would be an added bonus.

He eyed her curiously, and she nearly saw the thoughts shifting behind his eyes. He finally spoke, “I will speak to Annette about the date. We would need at least a month to plan for the wedding...”

She opened her mouth to object.

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