Page 82 of The Prince's Curse

Wetness pricked Haldric’s eyes as he stepped back, motioning for the executioner to proceed. No matter how misguided Dexilhad been, the Grand Magus hadn’t been truly evil. He’d thought he was doing what was right. Haldric tried to remember that as he forced himself to watch the headsman’s ax fall. It was a brutal but necessary reminder that good intentions did not always equate to good deeds.

Other than the execution, his days became a whirlwind of meetings and attendants and hurried decisions. With his health as it had been, much had been allowed to slide during King Roland’s final days. Now, it seemed like everyone in the palace and beyond wished to speak with Haldric, desperate for him to decide one thing or another. Everywhere Haldric went, a swarm of advisers followed like a flock of carrion birds, each wanting to peck off another little piece of him.

Thoughts of the kingdom’s myriad problems occupied his waking moments and bled into his restless nights. Though they’d halted Dexil’s rebellion before it could serve as a rallying beacon for more dissenters to rise up across the other provinces, there were still plenty of unhappy people in need of support. Haldric had immediately ordered the guards to distribute what aid they could, but it was a drop in the bucket. If nothing more permanent was done to alleviate the people’s suffering, it was only a matter of time before Ilthabard faced another crisis.

Then there were the governors. An emergency Summit of the Provincial Council had already been called, set for the following week. Ostensibly, it was so that the governors could pay their respects to the late king and pledge their fealty to Haldric.

But he knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Duke Westley’s threats remained fresh in his mind…along with his aunt’s suggestions on how best to manage them. The time would soon come when he’d need to make his choice.

He wanted so badly to be a good king. To begin correcting the mistakes of the past while assuaging Ilthabard’s current woes. Yet, there was another part of him that longed to hide in hisquarters with Benjin for the rest of his life. That desperately missed the joyous days they’d spent in their tiny cottage with no concerns except for his garden and what to cook for breakfast.

He’d barely seen Benjin since the attack. It was torture not spending time with him now that their memories had been restored, but with everything he had to deal with in the aftermath of the failed coup and his father’s death, he’d barely had a spare moment to himself to think.

As much as his heart yearned for Benjin, he saw no good way to hold true to his promise to be together. Despite everything, he remained betrothed to Lady Katalin, and though Katalin had made it clear she viewed the marriage as little more than a business arrangement, he could hardly commit to Benjin when things were still so uncertain. He’d already betrayed Benjin’s trust in the past. Even if Benjin had forgiven him for it, he had no intention of doing so again.

Such doubts churned through Haldric’s mind as he exited yet another meeting, this one over arrangements for his father’s funeral. The event had been set to coincide with the Summit so that the governors could attend as well.

Discussing his father’s death like a political opportunity had left Haldric on edge, and he stifled a groan when he found a servant waiting for him outside.

“Yes, what is it?”

“A guest, Your Majesty,” the servant said with a deep bow. “Lady Katalin of House Galax of Khordan.”

Surprise gripped Haldric, his pulse quickening as his stomach dropped. Their arranged marriage was about the last thing he wished to consider at the moment. Then, he thought of his father and marshaled his resolve. What he wanted was of little consequence. Fostering an alliance with Khordan was more crucial now than ever.

“Please, see her to our finest guest suite closest to mine. Once she is settled, have her escorted to my quarters. I will meet with her there.”

The servant bowed and hurried off. Haldric was supposed to speak now with a batch of Sanjarkan merchants from Derimay about renewing a trade agreement, but it could wait. Instead, he charted a course back to his rooms. Once there, he took a few minutes to freshen up, combing and rebinding his hair with a leather tie and switching to a clean set of clothes.

Checking his reflection in a mirror, he grimaced at the heavy golden circlet that sat upon his brow. It looked so out of place to him, as if he were a child playing dress-up. In a way, he supposed that’s exactly what he was.

A soft knock came at his door. He tried to settle his nerves, smoothing down the front of his coat as he squared his shoulders and adopted his most regal stance. It would not do to display any weakness that might make Katalin doubt whether their arrangement remained worthwhile.

He opened the door with a stiff smile and even stiffer bow. “Lady Katalin. It is an honor to see you, though I admit, I was not expecting your presence today.”

“King Haldric,” she said with what seemed like a genuine grin. The expression helped set him partially at ease. “It’s good to see you again. I apologize for the lack of warning. I set off for Ilthabard as soon as I heard. My mother sent a missive, but I imagine things have been somewhat chaotic here as of late.”

Haldric muffled a grimace as he thought of the mountain of paperwork and letters piled up in his study. He’d done his best to sort through the most critical, but Lady Galax’s must’ve slipped through the cracks. “Indeed, but we’re managing. Would you care to come in?”

He moved to step back from the doorway, pausing when Katalin shook her head. “Actually, I was thinking we might go fora walk. After sitting cooped up in a carriage for the better part of a week, I could do with some exercise.” She offered him her arm and a wink. “Care to repay the favor and show me aroundyourhome this time?”

His smile grew more genuine as he took her proffered arm. “Of course. Come with me.”

He led her through the halls, pointing out different rooms and his favorite paintings as they passed. After the stress and horrors of the past week, it was strangely cathartic to view the palace as a place of beauty rather than tragedy.

“I’m so sorry about your father,” Katalin said after a time, squeezing his arm. Her voice trembled with sympathy. “I wasn’t certain whether I should mention it—no doubt you’ve had your fill of condolences by now. I can’t imagine how hard all of this has been.”

Her genuine concern sent sorrow rippling down his back. With everything else going on, he’d barely had time to stop and grieve.

“Thank you,” he said, squeezing her arm in return. “Even knowing his time was short, it came as a great shock. And then this incident with the rebels…” He cleared his throat, afraid he’d said too much. He didn’t want to give her second thoughts about their alliance. “Though of course, they pose no real threat to Ilthabard. We have the situation well in hand.”

He snuck a glance at Katalin to gauge her reaction, relieved when she simply nodded. Belatedly, he wondered if he should tell her of his lost memories and the Grand Magus’ curse. What if she wondered about his absence these past few months?

Yet, that would require informing her of his time spent with Benjin, and that seemed a topic better left unspoken.

Instead, they chatted about silly little things. Katalin shared more stories of her rambunctious youth and discussed the latest doings in Luxem, though by her own admission, that mostly amounted to ‘tedious trade deals.’

Haldric found himself relaxing as the afternoon wore on, much as he had the first time he’d found himself in Katalin’s presence. She had a certain warmth about her, a way of putting him at ease. Perhaps…perhaps it wouldn’t be so hard, learning to care for her someday.

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