Page 31 of Dreams of Ash and Smoke

His observant gaze, filled with curiosity, fixes upon me. Despite his muscular build and imposing demeanor, there was a hint of exhaustion in his features that I can sympathize with.

Summoning my courage, I began to speak. “I have a proposition for you,” I state confidently, though I can’t hide the tremble in my voice.

He reclines in his chair, crossing his strong arms over his chest as they strain against the fabric of his tunic. Though he exudes an air of disinterest, I can sense a spark of interest beneath the surface.

As his intense gaze roams over me, I stand tall and try to steady my trembling hands behind my back. Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself for his response.

“Ah, yes. The proposition.” He nods. “Not interested,” he declares with finality, causing my stomach to drop to my feet.

“But you don’t even know what it is,” I protest.

“And I don’t need to,” he replies firmly.

“I disagree.” I say louder, irritated like I have never been before. His eyebrows raise and I step closer to the desk, resting my now steady palms on the dark wood, ignoring the papers strewn about. “I have something youare very interested in. Hadeon might have been at court for five years but I have been there my entire life. I have been princess my entire life. I came here knowing Dryston would underestimate me. Hadeon might have been my guard, but he was not privy to information that I was. Getting raised and trained to be queen has it perks.” I inform him. It’s mostly the truth but I still can’t get the picture of the war table out of my mind. When I went to drop off Dryston’s wedding present, seeing where he planned to drop Zoryan scouts and army groups was something no one else saw.

My gaze remains locked with his, unyielding. A surge of determination electrifies my body, a feeling I’ve never experienced before but now crave. He leans forward, intertwining his long fingers and resting them on the desk. After a brief pause, he speaks. “Go on,” he says, carefully considering his options. My eyes flick to the black marking on his hand, the one that appears in my dream. What did it mean? I push the thought away. Right now, my focus is on convincing him.

“I have all the information you could possibly want on Dryston and Zorya’s plans to attack Khyrel. It’s all stored in my brain,” I tell him confidently. “But I can’t do this alone. I need your help.” Despite trying to make it sound simple, I’m still anxious about how he will react. “I want revenge. Against Dryston and against the court.” These words are spoken with a fierce determination, fueled by a burning desire for retribution.

He smirks but I can sense the irritability from him, “I can just torture the information out of you and not help you in return.”

“You can certainlytry.” This seems to make his arrogance pause. “But I personally do not believe anything you do to me can be worse than the emotional or physical torture I endured withhim.” His hands tense on his arm rests, squeezing them so tightly I was surprised it doesn’t shatter. He rolls his shoulders back. Honestly he probably could do worse than Dryston did but I still wouldn’t break, especially if it’s the only leverage I had.

“How can I help you then?”

“Marry me.”

He laughs.

He fuckinglaughs. My cheeks go red, suddenly, and I am ready to walkout but I fight against my urges. “You can’t be serious,” He chuckles out.

“Deadly serious. We don’t have to necessarily follow through with a wedding or marriage. But when Dryston hears that you are getting married, he’ll throw a hissy fit when he sees me by your side. A huge one. He’ll make mistakes,” I pace back and forth. ” I start talking out my plan as I wave my hands around for emphasis, “You are on the brink of war with him because he is an asshole. He is already planning on attacking you first and I know how and where. You and I pretend to be engaged in a betrothal and it gives me enough power to get revenge. You get knowledge which is arguably more powerful than the strength you’d give me, and we destroy him. We can kill him.” I breath heavy, out of breath from my rambling, waiting for an answer from him. He takes so long to answer that I doubt he ever will. I begin walking toward the door, “Think about it if you must. It is a seemingly big decision. I don’t blame you for wanting to not risk it but I am speaking the truth.”

I open it, about to start walking out of the room but his voice stops me. “Wait.” I close the door.

“I care too deeply for this kingdom to endanger it with a war on our own soil. My court and people will not accept a simple marriage of convenience; they must believe that I have found true love.” It surprises me to hear this from him, knowing his aversion toward women except for his family.

“They have such strong convictions?” I question, not used to a kingdoms whose people who care so much for a persons reason for marriage.

“Annoyingly enough, yes. And if we don’t make them believe it, Dryston will not either and it will fool our plans. I will,” He pauses, looking desperately uncomfortable s he adjusts his dress shirt, “I will have to court you, make it seem as if we are falling in love.” He breathes out, pained by the thought. If I cared, it would hurt my heart but truthfully I do not. “We can not tell anyone other than Esmeray. I trust my court but not that much.” I nod, agreeing even though I don’t trust her but for now I will have to trust him. We will have to trust each other.

“Looks like we’re getting married.”

Chapter 15: Dinner with the Royal Family

Verena

As soon as I step out of his office, I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, something was going my way. He trusts me, even if he had no choice, and he knew we could accomplish this.

Ruelle’s cautious smile greets me as she approaches. With her gentle demeanor and kind eyes, she was the epitome of sweetness.

“Everything go okay?” she asks in a soft voice. “I know he can be a handful.”

I nod grateful for her kindness and assistance. “Everything is perfect, thank you Ruelle. For everything you’ve done for me here. I know it’s not easy taking in an enemy, but I promise I mean no harm to your family, court, or kingdom. I am hoping to help all of you.”

As if on cue, Hadeon appear from around the corner. His steps falter when he sees us standing in front of his intended destination. He looks up before his gaze settles on me and softens.

“Verena-”

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