Page 45 of Crownless King

“That makes your claim rather problematic, don’t you think?”

“No, I do not. Because I do have proof.” He turned to me. “Sparrow, would you bring the book here, please?”

Since none of the servants could touch the book to take it to our rooms with the rest of our things, I’d brought it into the dining hall with me and left it on one of the narrow stands by the wall.

I carried it to the massive dining table covered with a delicate lace tablecloth and placed it in front of the High Lord.

Lifting his eyes at me, he said to Voron with a smirk, “You stole the king’s pet and now you want his crown.”

A snappy reply froze on my tongue. This wouldn’t be the same as putting Barbet in his place. Angering a High Lord would have far worse consequences. Besides, Voron needed his help to go against the queen.

I kept quiet. Voron calmly folded his arms across his chest.

“LadySparrow,” he said with emphasis, “is no one’s pet. And the crown was never meant to be Tiane’s.” He nodded to me. “Show him.”

I opened the book, quickly leafing through to the very end when it all began. I couldn’t watch the scene of Voron’s birth again. It was still fresh in my mind, including all the emotions it had caused in me the first time around. Instead, I watched the High Lord.

His eyebrows rose higher and higher in surprise as the scene of the royal birth unfolded in front of his eyes. Once it finished, his forehead furrowed in concentration. Now, he too became an eyewitness.

“That’s impossible,” he mumbled as I closed the book. “Fae don’t birth multiples. Only animals deliver litters.”

Voron’s expression remained impenetrable, but his voice came out hard enough to cut steel when he replied, “There have been three deliveries of twins recorded in Sky Kingdom in the past millennium.”

The High Lord shook his head. “Twinsanda wingless child. Talk about being rare.”

“Rare indeed.” Voron smirked confidently and echoed the prophecy. “A great king was born that day. I am one of a kind.”

By now, I knew him well enough to glimpse the vulnerability in his cockiness. He used his unbridled confidence as a shield against the judgment of those who thought him lacking. Whatever others deemed as his disadvantage, he displayed it as a unique quality that made him special, forcing people to appreciate it. And it worked.

The High Lord nodded slowly, giving Voron an appraising stare.

“So, you want to take the Sky Crown?”

Voron nodded. “It was meant to be mine all along.”

The High Lord’s coal-black eyes glimmered with calculation.

“With the current king as good as dead, now would be the best time to act. But the queen won’t give up that easily.”

“I know. She’ll fight. That’s why I’m here. I need an army.”

The High Lord shifted uneasily.

“I pledged my loyalty to the Crown of the Sky Kingdom.”

“Right.” Voron rolled back his shoulders, placing his elbows on the armrests. “But the crown is on the head of an imposter—a nearly dead imposter, I should add. You’ll be doing it a favor by returning it to its rightful owner.”

High Lord Cardinali looked doubtful. “If I join you in your quest, I’ll break my promise of loyalty.”

“No, you won’t. I gave the same promise you did. But the crown is currently on the wrong head.” The High Lord stirred uneasily, clearly not ready to take such a risk. Voron lifted his hand in a pacifying gesture. “Either way, I’m not asking you to risk it, my lord. In fact, I would insist you keep your promise and fly to Elaros promptly to warn the queen. Leave your army here, under the command of your son, who isnotbound by that promise. Isn’t that what High Lord Bussard did right after his father passed away? He fought against me and the royal army in the last war.”

The High Lord nodded with a knowing smile.

“He and the son of the High Lord of Elandor, as well as the son of the High Lady of Miraren, and —”

“And a few others,” Voron finished for him. “They all have tried to fight me, and they all have lost. I always get what I want, my lord. It’s best for you to be on the winning side from the beginning. Once the Sky Crown is finally on my head where it belongs, your support will not be forgotten.”

“Hmm.” The High Lord placed his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers, pondering Voron’s words.

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