Page 54 of Crownless King

The joint funeral for Tiane and Pavline was held last night, barely hours after their deaths. Voron made sure they received a lavish send-off, appropriate to their station as the royal family. As per tradition, their bodies were laid atop the tallest tower of Elaros.

The entire court had gathered around the tower. I was there, too. Invisible patches appeared on the skin and in the hair of the royal couple as the air claimed their physical forms. I was told there would be nothing left of their bodies soon. As for their souls, they’d be judged in the afterlife. I hoped the judgment was fair, but my personal dealings with these two people were now done. Finally free of them, I held no grudge against their memories.

“It's so nice to see you again, Dove.” I hugged her and might have held her a little longer than was appropriate or necessary. “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

She giggled, petting my shoulder, then passed me to Libelle for a hug.

“Look how well it all worked out.” Libelle smiled, enclosing me into an embrace. “We have a new king, and you’re still the royal favorite.”

“And these rooms!” Dove gushed. “They are such a step up from your old little bedroom. King Voron clearly holds you in much higher regard than King Tiane ever did.”

“King Voron. It still sounds so bizarre to my ear.” I gestured for them to take their seats at the table that Alacine had set for tea.

“We’ll all get used to it soon enough.” Dove sat down, promptly followed by Libelle. “The coronation is tomorrow. It’ll be easier to think of him as the king when the Sky Crown is on his head. One thing is for sure now, you’re not going to any menagerie, Sparrow.”

Libelle nodded, picking up her teacup. “They say the new king is even more besotted with you than the previous one was.”

“What’s your secret?” Dove giggled.

Besotted.

The word scraped my hearing. It echoed what people used to say about King Tiane’s feelings for me.

I didn’t want anyone to be obsessed orbesottedwith me. When it came to Voron, I just wished for something gentle and warm. Something real, more enduring than infatuation and far longer lasting.

“Her secret is that she is human,” Libelle answered Dove. “It’s easier to catch a man’s eye when one is so unique. She’s truly one of a kind.”

“Yes, but she didn’t just catch his eye. Voron, I meanKingVoron, is smitten. Did you know that he told High Lord Pelargos that he’s not interested in marriage?”

Libelle shrugged. “Maybe he just doesn’t fancy the High Lord’s daughter Lady Lark. Which makes sense, she is such a snooty stuck-up.”

“He said that?” The prospect of Voron getting married made me sick to my stomach. “He said he’s not interested in her?”

“Something like that. Yes.” Dove fluffed her curls by running her fingers through them. “But Pelargos won’t give up. Every High Lord with an unmarried daughter, sister, or niece is extremely excited. It’s not often that an opportunity to marry into the royal family presents itself. My father sent me a message with the snow owl this morning. He’s offering the king my hand in marriage, too.” She laughed. “Imagine that!”

I did not want to imagine Voron marrying anyone at all, least of all, someone I considered my friend. I swallowed hard against the tightness in my throat. “Will Voronhaveto get married?”

Libelle lifted a pastry from the tray. It was a snowberry tart, my favorite. Only right now, I couldn’t even think about food. My stomach felt too tight to squeeze even a single berry in.

“Sooner or later, he will have to choose a bride,” Libelle said. “The date hasn’t been established yet, but the Council won’t allow the king to remain unmarried for too long.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because the stability in the kingdom depends on the continuation of the royal bloodline. The king has to get married, with his queen hopefully giving him an heir soon thereafter.”

“Every king needs an heir,”Voron had said.

And now, I was no longer the only woman who could give him a child. His coronation was tomorrow. The Crown of the Sky Kingdom would be formally put upon his head. And with it, all the promises made to the crown will become the promises to him. He can finally release himself from all of them. He’d be free to procreate with any fae of his choosing.

Dove noticed my crestfallen expression.

“Oh, don’t worry, Sparrow. The king likes you. I’m sure he will keep you as his favorite. The queen will be there only to sit at his side for all the boring official functions. But you’ll have his bed.”

“You’ll be at all the after-dinner parties,” Libelle chimed in. “You’ll have all the fun.”

“He’ll only have to visit her chambers once in a while until they have an heir.”

The thought of Voron having sex with another woman, no matter how infrequently, made my chest tighten, depriving me of breath. I felt physically sick. I couldn’t even look at the food on the table, afraid I’d throw up.

---