Page 104 of The Heir's Bargain

"Is that where that goes, Danisinia?"

Snip.

I looked down at the pauldron I had tossed and shrugged. "That's where it is."

Snip. Snip.

My mother quirked a brow. "What would the prince say about how you keep your room?"

I cocked my head at her. "I don't think the prince will care how I keep my room, Mother. If he is in here, I'm sure his primary concern will not be where I throw my armor."

She slammed the knife against the table. "Danisinia!"

I rolled my eyes as I unbuttoned the left vambrace. "I am only joking, Mother." I dropped the piece of armor, letting it crash onto the floor. "He would, of course, be the one who was throwing my armor onto the floor."

The blood drained from my mother's face, horror brandishing her eyes. She pursed her lips and quickly returned to the flowers. "Danisinia, I know times have changed since your father and I were young, but are you truly joking about your nighttime activities? No respectable woman would do such a thing."

I leaned against the vanity, my back to the mirror. "Mother, will you please tell me what is wrong?"

She plucked a wilted petal from one of the ranunculuses. "Prince Fynneares is heir to the throne, Danisinia."

"And you are upset because of this?"

She scoffed as she plucked another petal, dropping it beside the cutoff stems now littering the vanity's surface. "Of course not."

"Then what is it?"

Pressing her palms against the top of the desk, my mother dropped her head, her brows quivering. "I know you were upset with me when I brought the suitors here, but—" my mother sniffled.

I straightened. "Are you—are you crying, Mother?"

"No," she said with another sniffle. "Ferrios women do not cry."

It was a lie, but I did not say that. Instead, I grabbed a handkerchief from my desk and held it out for her. "Please tell me what's wrong."

Taking the napkin, she delicately patted her cheeks. "You and Fynneares make a beautiful couple, dear. You truly do, but I worry about you."

"Mother, there is no need?—"

She turned toward me, her eyes streaked red. "I am your mother. Do not think that I have not noticed you fawning after Fynneares ever since he was a young boy."

I blinked. "I have never fawned after any man, let alone Fynn."

"Rubbish! Whatever you wish to call it, you have liked him for a long time. For the past few years, I had thought you put that childhood crush behind you. I had found the most suitable men I could find. All in the hopes that one of those men would be a good match, but none were good enough for you. Even when you started courting the prince a few months ago, I did not think anything of it. Fynneares is a nice boy, but I saw how he looked at you at the solstice ball."

"And?" I prompted, swallowing the vitriol threatening to come out as my mother teetered on the edge of insulting me.

"I do not want you to be another one of the women he leaves behind in his wake."

A sharp pain soared through my teeth and into my gums as I bit down. The piercing pain, however, did little to distract from the stab of my mother's words. My mother may not have needed to wield a weapon in her daily life, but she knew how to strike someone with her words, twisting them and driving them further into her victim's heart.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Come now, dear. The prince is not known for his serious relationships. You are supposed to be finding a husband. I mean no offense to the prince, but is he truly husband material?"

"He is my best friend. Isn't that what matters? You and Father?—"

"Your father and I are soul bonds, Danisinia," my mother interrupted. "Is there a reason for me to believe that you and the prince are?"

---