Page 91 of Downfall of a Princess

How eager Gem had been to bring Salas into my bedroom earlier, and how much she wished him dead now.

“I can’t let him die,” I said firmly.

“But it is the only way, sweetie. We can’t have our reputation connected to a man like that. He’s committed a crime against the crown. You are the crown. You’re supposed to uphold our laws, not fornicate with a criminal. Think about what would happen if it all came out? If we let him live, sooner or later, the truth about his past will come out. Someone will recognize him. He’s so beneath you, even mentioning his name next to yours will mean your downfall, Ari, can’t you see? Your perfect reputation up until now, your miracle status, your stellar performance in the government, nothing will save you.”

Unbeknownst to him, a noose was tightening around Salas’s throat, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

“There is no one to recognize him,” I said in desperation. “He left his village when he was twelve. His looks have changed since.”

“He became a criminal, Ari, and a whore. He couldn’t keep it in his pants. He has no one to blame but himself for his poor life choices.”

“He was fourteen!” I exclaimed in anguish. “Fourteen, Gem. He was just a boy when he was ruined by an older woman. How much do you think it was his choice at that age? He started working at the fun house at seventeen because he had nowhere else to go. How long is he supposed to carry that stigma and be punished for a decision he made when he wasn’t even an adult?”

She pursed her lips. The look in her eyes remained hard.

“Don’t believe everything he told you. Men like him are usually very good liars, skilled at telling sob stories to milksympathy and money out of women. Tell me why did he take you to the city that night? What did he force you to do for him?”

He didn’t “take” me. I followed him. But that wasn’t the point. The reason for Salas’s visit to the orphanage was his business, not mine. I had no right to reveal all his life to Gem. But if I didn’t, would he get to keep his life at all?

“Nothing, Gem. Salas never asked me for anything, not for one fucking thing for himself.” I heaved a breath, running a trembling hand through my hair. “He is a good man. He deserves a chance at happiness, even if he did step off that straight, perfect path that men are expected to follow. Why wouldn’t society give men like him even the slightest chance at redemption?”

“It isn’t hard to stay in line.” Gem flipped her ponytail over her shoulder, then crossed her arms over her chest again. “There are plenty of men who do just fine following that path, but some choose debauchery and self-destruction instead. And no, you can’t blame society for their bad choices. Rorrim’s laws are the most lenient toward men. In many other countries, men are treated much worse. They’re not allowed to leave the house unchaperoned. In some, they can’t show their faces to anyone but their wives. Some countries’ laws demand their genitals be caged or mutilated or both. They get married off before they even hit puberty to women many times their age, sold on open markets like livestock.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Trust me, men in Rorrim have it much better than anywhere else in the world. Yet look at how many still take it for granted. Spoiled, ungrateful brats.”

My mind was racing, fervently searching for a solution. My plan to improve life for all slaves had encountered serious obstacles from the council. I hadn’t abandoned it, but it was a long-term solution that required time.

Meanwhile, Salas’s life was in immediate danger. To save him, I had to act now. I couldn’t think about the millions of others. I just had to save this one man.

“There has to be a way,” I muttered to myself.

Gem dropped her hand away from her face.

“I’ll take care of it. All you have to do is keep quiet about everything.”

Gem wasn’t my ally in this case. She couldn’t be because we had different things to protect. I worried about Salas’s life. She feared for her reputation.

“No one can ever know anything about him and you,” she instructed me. “It’d be like he never existed. We won’t even have to pay compensation to the slave owner if he’s charged with murder. The owner knows nothing about you. I was the one who dealt with her. Ugh.”

She gripped her hair. Shiny, brown lines ofreflectionran through her skin and dress, mirroring the dark wood of the desk and the wall panels behind her. Lady Chamberlain rarely lost composure toreflectlike that. I couldn’t remember ever seeing her do it before. But she was clearly distraught now.

“How could I have allowed this to happen?” she lamented. “That cunning bastard had been at it for years. He managed to deceive even me. I’m risking everything here, Ari. If word about it gets out, I’ll lose it all—my position, my place at court, probably even my title. You and I are the only two people who know the whole truth.” She snapped her eyes to mine again, splaying both hands in the air to emphasize each word. “Just. Keep. Quiet. Please.”

“I will not.” I held her stare as a solution began to form in my head. “Not unless you promise me that Salas won’t get hurt.”

She gasped for air, as if being pulled under by a current stronger than herself.

“Ari. There is nothing I can do for him. I don’t care how good of a fuck he was for you. There will be others just as good or even better. You have to let this one go.”

But I stood my ground.

“I won’t let you throw him to the wolves.”

She smirked. “Well, ‘the wolves’ have to be fed, sweetie. And I’d rather it’s him than you or me. There is no other way.”

“Yes, there is.” I took a step forward, my idea taking shape as I spoke. “You will pay off his debt to the slave owner.”

She laughed. “Haven’t we tried that already? It didn’t work out that well last time, did it?”

“It will this time if you carefully explain to Salas the risks of staying a slave in this current situation.”

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