Page 47 of Calling of the Crown

He chuckled and tucked a strand of his white hair back from where it had fallen loose from his half-up-half-down bun. His shoulders had relaxed the more we talked with people, and the haunted look had mostly disappeared from the set of his eyes and mouth. I think we were both feeling better after actually having interacted with the Water Fae here.

“Your Highness.”

I turned at the sound of new voices. A couple, seemingly in their forties but no doubt centuries old, stood at the edge of the platform. The man with curly chestnut hair stood rigidly, and his harsh stare kept flicking in Rune’s direction before ultimately finding me again. The woman’s vibrant green eyes were clouded with something akin to sorrow, and she offered me a weak smile. The more I looked at them, the more something in the couple seemed vaguely familiar.

Sensing their hesitant displeasure, I tried to put on a mask of civility. “Hello, there.”

“Bria,” Angus called from near my right. He stepped into view and dipped his head slightly toward the couple stepping onto the platform. He leaned in and whispered, “These are Dax’s parents.”

It took everything in me to keep the surprise off my face. Looking back at the man and woman, I could definitely see the resemblance. The green eyes and dimples of his mom, the brown hair and sharp jaw of his father. He shared many features with his parents, and fresh nerves prickled inside me as I wondered if they all shared the same attitude.

I nodded my thanks to Angus for the heads-up. He stepped back to his previous post, leaving nothing between me and the fidgeting couple.

I offered them a smile. “Forgive me. I’m afraid I haven’t been acquainted with the two of you yet.”

“No,” the man replied with a tight-lipped smile. “Just our son. I’m Leroy Knightly. This is my wife, Helda Knightly.”

“Please,” Helda suddenly begged, clasping her hands beneath her trembling chin. “Please let Dax go. There has to be a mistake. He loves you. He’s always loved you. He’d never, ever do anything to hurt you or his people.”

His people. Ha. As if Dax was already King and ruling beside me. They weren’t his people, and they never would be. Everything she’d just spouted was laughable, but maybe she didn’t know the full extent of what Dax had done. Imani had informed Dax’s family of his crimes, but this was his mom. She could be in denial.

Rune stiffened beside me as he realized who stood in front of us.

Keeping my own face calm and cordial, I consoled, “I’m sorry, Helda. I really am. I know this can’t be easy for the two of you.”

“Our son is not a traitor,” Leroy protested, his voice growing sharper, and his jaw tensing. “He—He must’ve been framed. This honestly is a misunderstanding. He should be here, enjoying the festivities with you.”

“He’s a good man,” Helda added with a vehement nod.

Rune chuckled low beside me, his sharp canines glinting in the light. “Did you know your son at all?”

“Don’t you dare speak about my boy,” Helda hissed. Her sulking eyes turned hard with anger, and she glared at Rune. Her fingers tightened where they were still folded beneath her chin.

I placed a hand on Rune’s arm, because I could practically feel him shaking with building rage beside me. Rune loathed Dax with every fiber of his being, and for someone to act as if Dax were an innocent man left him fuming on the inside. The composure he’d built up was quickly succumbing to his protective, territorial Fox, and that was an animal we needed to keep calm for the time being.

Keeping my hand on Rune, I looked at Helda. “Rune only means that the Dax he and I know is much different than the one you’re describing. I know it’s hard, but—”

“It’s all lies,” Leroy argued, stepping closer. “Everything he’s been accused of are lies.”

“Would you like to see the footage for yourself?” Rune asked coldly. “The video where he admitted to hiring someone to kill Bria?”

Helda sucked in a sharp gasp and covered her face with her hands. Leroy stared unblinking at Rune, and his entire body locked up like a statue yet seemed to vibrate with hatred.

Trying to diffuse the mounting tension, I looked between Dax’s parents and said, “I’ve ensured Dax won’t be put to death for his crimes. I’m hoping the time in his cell will make him rethink his actions. When he’s ready to change, I will gladly release him.”

Helda’s tear-filled eyes peeked at me as she lowered her hands. She looked up at her husband, who still hadn’t moved from his stare-off with Rune.

Finally, Leroy mumbled, “Our family deserved better. Dax deserved better.”

He wrapped an arm around his wife and quickly led her off the dais.

I took a deep breath, relieved to be rid of the Knightlys’ angry presence. I wasn’t sure if they truly believed Dax was a “good man,” or if they were just pleading a futile case. Either way, they were wrong. Dax was a warped, vile man, and he’d never stand beside me.

“God, I really fucking hate Dax,” Rune growled with his fox ears pinned firmly to his head. He turned to stare at the wall behind us so that the Water Fae in the crowd couldn’t see the sheer outrage hardening his features should they glance up here.

I placed a hand on his tense back and agreed, “He really does suck. His parents must have some rose-colored glasses on to believe otherwise.”

“Or they’re just as sick as he is,” Rune pointed out and looked down at me.

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