Page 28 of Crownless King

“I saw the part when you brought me to Vensari,” she said. “It’s at the beginning though, for some reason.”

“The records are kept from the back to the front,” he explained. “The most recent events will be at the beginning. The later ones are at the end.”

She flipped several pages at once. “How do you know if you never read it?”

“All house records are kept in a similar manner. I read the records of Elaros many times. The royal events are public.”

“This one said it was a record of Elaros, too.”

“Did it?” Surely, she was mistaken. The book belonged to Vensari.

“Maybe it’s because the royal couple have been here?” She pointed at the pictures of King Tiane and Queen Pavline rising from the pages.

She jerked her hand away, avoiding any contact with their images. He couldn’t blame her. One of those two wished to slice her open for his perverted pleasure. The other one sentenced her to death just to keep her people from learning her husband’s darkest secret.

Sparrow grabbed the page to flip it over, but Voron stopped her.

“I believe that’s it. Right here.”

The image solidified. Memories of that day rose in his mind as the scene unfurled.

The king and the queen stood in the main hall of Vensari with Voron entering the picture.

“My king. My queen.” He bowed to them both before leading them into the library where they could speak in private.

“Have you thought about our offer, Lord Voron?” The queen took the seat he offered by the lit fireplace.

“I have, and I don’t believe it’s necessary. I’ve already promised to obey the crown.”

“Just like every other warrior has in the Royal Army.” The king took a seat next to his wife, with Voron standing in front of them. “And if so, why do we have to hold you in higher regard than any of them?”

Voron’s spine stiffened.

“Because no other warrior has done as much for the crown as I have. I won this war for you. Without me, you’d still be fighting. More wars are coming. High Lord Corneil has just passed away, and his son hasn’t sworn his loyalty to you yet. I have reasons to believe he never will because he’s plotting against you.” He leaned forward, adding emphasis to his words. “You need me. You know that I’ll lead your armies to victory in any war. I’ve proven it to you. There is no other High General, whether you give me the rank or not.”

The queen leaned back in her chair, holding his stare firmly.

“You have to promise not to procreate, Lord Voron. That is the condition, the only condition at this point.”

King Tiane had communicated it to him clearly enough before. Yet hearing it again made him cringe.

“Do you even realize what you’re asking from me?”

“Perfectly,” she assured him. “I also see perfectly clear how ambitious you are. No rank you’ve been given, no title you’ve held has satisfied you for long. How are we to know you wouldn’t reach for the Sky Crown when there is nothing else above you and everything else is below you?”

“I’ve pledged you my loyalty,” he resisted. “I can never go against you without breaking my promise.”

“But your offspring can.” The king frowned.

Voron laughed.

“What offspring? I’m not bonded. I don’t even have a wife and don’t plan on having one.”

The queen’s eyes narrowed at him intently. “But you fuck, a lot, from what we’ve heard.”

“And you want to take it away from me?” How was he supposed to accept that?

She flicked her wrist dismissively. “There are other ways to receive sexual pleasure. Ways that don’t result in procreation.”

---