Page 57 of Crown of Draga

Adelina found her father sitting in a leather chair in the corner, reading something obscure. His face was amused as her hand fell from her chest. “I didn’t realize anyone was here,” she managed. It was utterly idiotic to say, but Adelina could barely process the library she hadn’t known existed, let alone the fact the king was there and didn’t appear to give a damn.

King Orion had lost more weight since she’d last seen him, only a few days ago. Adelina crossed the space and sat in the chair next to him. Her father’s royal outfits hid how gaunt he was and they must have used makeup on his face to hide the hollow cheeks and bruises under his eyes. Even the blood vessels in his eyes were shot and ruddy.

“What did you come for?” King Orion asked.

Well, if he disapproved it didn’t seem as though he would say so. Adelina took her father’s hand and sighed. “I wanted to see if I could find the detailed accounts of King Beo’s reign.”

Her father laughed and handed the book he was reading over to her. “You are such a delight. Raena will be so fortunate to have you by her side during her reign.”

Immediately Adelina felt guilty. How could she help Raena if she were an ambassador in another galaxy?

“What’s wrong, child?” her father asked. He frowned when she didn’t open the book.

“Do you think Raena will change her mind about my marriage decree?” she asked. Adelina couldn’t look at her father directly. She didn’t want to see the sadness and disappointment there. Hearing his reprimand would be difficult enough.

Father shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said sadly. “Your sister is a stubborn one, but I will do whatever I can to allow you to choose who you marry while I still can.”

She flipped open the book without really seeing the text. “What if I don’t want to marry right away, but would like to learn if I love someone truly or not?”

“This is about Nash isn’t it?” King Orion studied her with all the wisdom of his age. “The boy is right about one thing, if he regains his kingdom then he would truly be a good match. I could write an order demanding you marry him if such a thing happens as part of our alliance.”

Her eyes snapped to her father’s face. Somehow he’d heard about that, and Adelina scoured her memory as to how. Perhaps Alpha had told him?

“Is that really a possibility?” Adelina held her breath. The hope felt like it would crush her.

King Orion actually shrugged. “If Nash is a prince with an actual income and property? Raena would not refuse such a thing if that was a requirement for Prince Nash to re-sign the alliance agreements. He will have a lot of leverage at that point, but there is also the risk that if I was to write such a thing and I died before it could happen…she might try to marry you before the prince regains Khara. It is a risk either way.” Her father picked up the stack of books on the table next to him. “I believe you would be interested in reading these as well.”

Adelina took them without really looking. She registered their weight and age before setting them on her lap and chewing on her lip in thought. It took every bit of control she had not to demand her father tell her why Raena acted the way she did after only a few short months, and why he did nothing to curb it. Her sister had always been cunning and powerful, but ruthless?

It was something she hadn’t expected and Adelina cursed her naiveté and trust that such dire circumstances wouldn’t change her sister at all. Perhaps in the privacy of a place that didn’t technically exist her father would open up to her.

“You are still King,” Adelina stated. “Why allow Raena to be so…cruel?” There was no better word no matter how much she hated the sound of it.

King Orion sighed and shifted as though his entire body ached in a way no drug could ease. “She is a good ruler if cautious and slightly hot-headed, but she is young and must learn. Raena was supposed to go through this stage with me directing her as King, not as a Queen herself with no one for her to lean on for support. There are times the sickness has me out of sorts for days, and she is all alone. While I don’t agree with her price for an alliance we should have kept in the first place, she needs your marriage in case something drastic happens and only a promise of a princess will get her what she needs during a time of war.”

Her father’s deep purple eyes held so much pain and heartbreak in them Adelina felt her throat close up and tears made her vision blurry. “You are her wild card, her Queen in a game of chess, the last hope for Draga.”

When her father put it like that Adelina felt the weight of all their people’s lives fall heavily on her shoulders. If it came down to her happiness or her people, then she would have to give up her own happiness no matter how much it hurt her to let Nash go. He was a prince. He would understand even if he hated it as much as she.

The thought rallied her to make one decision at least.

“Please write the decree as officially as possible with your seal and then give it to me,” Adelina said. “If I am able to use it I will, and if the three-faced goddess is willing I will have you at my wedding.” She smiled through her tears and prayed to the Mother, the Maiden, and the Crone – any of the goddess’s incarnations to allow for that to happen. “If there is no way I can use the decree then I will have it destroyed with no one the wiser.” It was the safest choice even though presenting it with a request to marry Nash would infuriate her sister.

King Orion studied his youngest daughter carefully. “Are you sure? That is a large risk to take if the time comes where you need it.”

She considered all the possibilities. “Yes, I am sure Papa.” Adelina smiled when he took her hand and squeezed. His grip was weak, but she kept her smile so as not to upset him.

The book’s spine cracked when Adelina opened it. There was one more thing she wanted to ask her father about, but she wasn’t sure how to properly broach the topic. The open book in her lap started from the beginning of King Beo’s reign, a time of peace even if there was some in-fighting among the noble families. It would be slow and tedious reading from what she could see. At least it wasn’t written in the ancient language, but a few of the others were.

She sighed. When had been the last time she practiced that awful language of hard syllables and odd sounds?

Adelina set all the books aside and turned to face her father fully. This would not be comfortable for either of them, but she had to know. “Am I a tube baby, or did you add Elara’s DNA in the womb?” Straight to the point or she would lose all courage to ask.

Her father dropped the cup of tea in his hand and his jaw dropped as the porcelain shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. The color of his skin went white as a sheet and for a second Adelina felt terrible. She hadn’t meant to cause such a reaction.

“How?” he demanded. The power of his dominance washed over her and his face flushed. The king was furious.

Adelina blushed, feeling utterly stupid, but she wanted honesty so she gave it in return. “There were signs,” she murmured. Her eyes remained on the floor; Adelina didn’t think it was smart to challenge him until he could regain his composure.

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