Page 75 of Somber Prince

“In a way, it is. I’m careful about avoiding making mistakes because I can’t afford many. I already made one giant mistake at the very beginning of my life.”

“Which is…?”

“I was born a boy.”

I frowned in confusion. “How is that a mistake?”

“Alveari Kingdom has always been ruled by a queen. For the first time in our history, the crown has an heir, not an heiress.”

“I still don’t understand. Why does it matter?”

He rolled back his shoulders, sitting straighter. “For my people, tradition is everything. Contentment comes with stability. Changes are unsettling and often mean turmoil.”

“Still, your gender shouldn’t matter this much?—”

“But it does. It means everything, to the point that many feel the woman in line to the throne behind me should be the next ruler of the kingdom, bypassing me.”

“Who is that woman?” I asked.

“My cousin, Princess Alzali.”

“The one who is in the palace, right now?”

“Yes. She’s leaving tomorrow, with General Oskura and a thousand of my best warriors, to defend the City of Sumakis. I did not put her in charge. But even so, if she succeeds, it will further endear her to my mother, who already favors Alzali over me.”

“You’re not close with your mother, are you?”

“No. Never was. I don’t think she ever forgave me for being born a boy.”

“But that’s unfair. It’s not your fault.” It was difficult for me to imagine a mother who would resent her own child for something he had no control over, absolutely none.

“Maybe. But we can’t always help the way we feel.” He remained calm. Only a glint in his eyes and a slight glow on his cheekbones betrayed his emotions.

I strongly disagreed with him on that one, but I didn’t argue, not wishing to upset him further.

“How about your dad?” I asked instead.

“He’s been dead for over five decades now.”

“I’m sorry…” I started, but words weren’t necessary between us when we were connected. He felt my compassion and in response brought my hand to his lips for a kiss.

“Father was the only real parent I had,” he said. “He was a fierce warrior and taught me how to use a sword before I even learned how to ride either a horse or a camel. He never let me feel like I was lacking in anything. It hurt to lose him.” He winced, rubbing his chest. “It still does.”

I took his hand in mine. “What happened to him?”

“He was killed with the dagger that was meant for my mother in an assassination plot. I was twelve and remember that night well. Father took the dagger to his chest for her. The dark, ancient magic was used to poison the blade. Father never stood a chance to recover from that wound, but his body didn’t turn to a shadow as it should have. His spirit was trapped in this world. Held by the magic of the dagger, it wouldn’t cross into the afterlife. The queen forbade anyone to touch it, keeping his body unchanged for over forty years—” He stopped abruptly and cupped my face. “You feel too strongly, my sweet. I shouldn’t be sharing these things with you.”

I hadn’t even noticed when my breathing picked up and my heart squeezed tightly from the emotions rising in me while listening to his story.

“It must’ve been terrible to live through that, Rha. I’m sorry it happened to you and your family. But I’m not sorry you told me. Have they caught the assassin?”

He nodded. “Mother had him tortured, then exposed him to sunlight for days. He was eventually beheaded with an iron sword. But in a way, he still won. She hasn’t been herself ever since.”

“Did she love your father?”

“Very much. They weren’t bonded mates, but theirs was a love match. She never remarried. Neither does she have a companion. According to Alzali, Mother hasn’t chosen a favorite from her Joy Vessels, either.”

“Is it common to have a favorite?”

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