Page 6 of Take My Throne

“What do you think you were doing in there?” he hisses. “Have you forgotten your wedding vows already? It’s not just your life on the line here.”

“You and I both know I said those words under duress,” I remind him. “How valid can they really be?”

“As valid as Solomon wants them to be,” Lucas replies. “This marriage is important to him. It’s important to me. We need to make this work. Look, Ivy. You know I’m a reasonable guy. I’ve slept next to you and respected you all that time. I’ve never done anything you didn’t want me to, and I never will. But you’re going to have to accept the fact that this is for the long term and we need to make the best of it. Your father wouldn’t like it if you cheated on me and neither would I. Yes, we barely know each other, but from what I’ve seen of you, I admire and respect. You’re intelligent, feisty, strong willed, just the kind of woman who’d challenge me for the rest of my life and I love that. I want to love you. If you’ll let me. Give our relationship a chance. You never know what it might become if we both work at it. Can’t you say you’ll at least try?”

I don’t want to. I don’t see how anyone forced into getting married could fall in love with their spouse. But there was a twisted kind of logic to what Lucas was saying. While my father is head of House Archaic, he could make life very unpleasant for me if I didn’t fall in line. It did make sense to at least pretend to be happily married.

And if I want to see any of the boys, I am going to have to be a lot more discrete in how I go about it.

Screw being the princess of this kingdom, I’m the damn queen and I’m going to make my own happily ever after.

Lucas and my father be damned.

????

Isabella waits for us when we arrive home. “Your father wants to see you in his study.”

Lucas and I exchange glances. A summons from my father was never good news, and as we walk into his study, the look on his face tells us that he is not happy.

“First day back at the Academy and you couldn’t stay out of trouble for five minutes.”

“I’m sorry, Solomon.” Lucas spreads his hands in a placating gesture. “It was a misunderstanding.”

“No, I don’t think it was.” Solomon gets up from behind his desk and walks round to stand in front of us. “I’ve read the witness reports, and it’s very clear that Ivy’s been a busy girl. It would appear that not only did you manage to persuade the Navarres to protect you with that fake engagement to Romy--”

“It wasn’t a fake engagement!” I protest. “Unlike this marriage.”

“Do not interrupt me.” My father’s eyes flash with anger. “Do not ever interrupt me. That engagement was never going to end in a wedding. Your marriage will last for as long as you both live-–assuming you don’t have an accident if you persist with your willful disobedience.”

“You wouldn’t!” I gasp. “I’m your only heir.”

“Don’t test me,” my father warns. “You’ll discover that there’s nothing I wouldn’t do if I had to. And while you are more useful to me alive than dead, circumstances change and there’s always more than one way to get what you want. Do you understand?”

“I understand.” I speak through gritted teeth, but it’s enough to satisfy him.

“So, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, not only did you manage to manoeuvre yourself into an engagement with House Navarre, which was a rather bold move on your part, you’ve been developing connections with House Knight and House Dauphin.”

“Declan’s just my writing partner,” I say.

“Now, now, Ivy.” My father tuts. “You and I both know that’s not true. You and Declan have a very… special connection.”

I pale. How on earth had my father found out about me and Declan? Nobody knew about our times together.

“I commend you for your forward thinking,” he continues. “It was very sensible of you to build alliances with the other Houses to keep your options open. But now you have only one option open to you: Lucas. He is your husband and you will be a faithful wife to him.”

“Or what?”

The blow comes without warning, a slap to the side of the head which sends me sprawling. I cry out in pain, putting a hand to the side of my head where my father had hit me.

“Some women need firm discipline,” he snarls, and the evil side of my father I hate to see comes out in full. I don’t know how I am related to this monster. “Your mother was just the same. They won’t listen to reason, so you have to make sure they get the message another way. You are to stay away from those boys. Do you understand me?”

“You really think you can beat me into doing what you want?” I know talking back to him is dangerous, but I don’t care. He might have a temper, but I am my father’s daughter. I am going to get back at him for this.

“I can have a darned good go.” My father raises his arm to hit me again, but Lucas catches it.

“That’s enough!” he snarls. “You’ve gone too far. Ivy might be your daughter, but she’s my wife and nobody lays a finger on her. Do you understand me?”

For a moment I think my father will hit him as well, but to my surprise, he lowers his arm, nodding.

“You’re right,” he says. “Ivy is your wife, and it’s up to you to keep her in line. But I warn you now-–do not let her make a fool of you with those other boys. A bit of fun is fine while you’re young, but as a married couple, a married Archaic couple, you both have an image to uphold. If I hear you’re allowing her to do anything to bring our name into disrepute, I will be holding you responsible for any consequences arising from that. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.” Lucas nods.

He comes over and reaches out his hand to help me up. I take it, never taking my eyes off my father as Lucas puts his arm around me in a reassuring hug.

“Now,” my father went on as if nothing happened. “It’s the King Town annual ball this weekend. You will both be attending and as your first major event as a married couple it is important you make the right impression. Ivy, this is your opportunity to prove you are a true Archaic. You have an uphill battle given your recent behaviour, so don’t let me down.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t,” I snap. I’ll just stab you in the back the first second I get.

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