Page 46 of The Dragon of her Dreams

The queen smiled.

Veronica laughed out loud. “See! He’sjustlike you, Dad.”

I glanced at my half-sister and frowned. “What are you talking about?”

She rolled her eyes. “My dad, or... well, I should sayourdad, shouldn’t I? But anyway... Dad’s the same as you. Mom’s always said that he never wanted to live in the castle. He would have much rather lived in a field with the farmers.”

I glanced at my father.

He smiled and swirled the wine in his glass. “Of course. I couldn’t have rebuilt my home without getting out in the kingdom and helping.”

The queen shook her head. “Sweetheart, there aren’t many kings who would have literally built those first homes with their own hands and spoken to farmers while planting crops.”

I looked at my father with renewed respect. I knew he’d done a lot, but I hadn’t realized quite how much. I’d never known he’d dealt with the land and its people so very directly, just as I did. A man who worked with his hands and cared for his subjects had to not only be respected but appreciated. It took strength of character to be that kind of person, especially with such a heavy mantle to carry.

“You did the right thing,” I said. “The North needs a king who will stand with his people from the ground up.”

“Exactly our point!” Barry said loudly, grinning from ear to ear.

I took a sip of whiskey, still unsure as to where this particular strain of conversation was heading.

Then Barry added, “That’s why Theo and I think you should be king instead of either of us.”

The whiskey burst out from between my lips and all over the platter of pasta in front of me. “Oh, my gods, I’m so sorry,” I gasped as the whiskey continued to burn in my throat, reaching out to wipe up the whiskey with my hand, though it was a pointless exercise.

The servants came forward instantly, whisking the food away and wiping everything clean.

“It’s perfectly all right, sire,” one of the servants assured me. “Would you like another whiskey?”

“Hell, yes.” I was going to need more than a little fortification if this was what the princes wanted to talk about. I could hardly believe my fucking ears. My brain felt like it was going to explode.

Is this really happening?

Cass smiled gently. “Well, that certainly answers the question of whether you were planning to take over for Damon.”

I leaned back to give the servants space to reset the table, my head spinning. “Take over... what?”

Cass gestured to the royal dining room. “The kingdom.”

My stomach dropped, but this wasn’t totally unexpected. I bore the tattoo, and I was the eldest son. It made sense they were worried about my intentions.

I shook my head. “No... not at all. Absolutely not. I never wanted anything from your family, and the idea of usurping my king never even occurred to me.”

“This is your family too,” the king said, his voice strong and sure.

I blinked at him, then looked back at his sons. “Then what is this about?”

Theo and Barry glanced at each other.

“We don’t love the people the way you do,” Theo finally said. “And you have the tattoo. So...”

“So... what?” I asked, my heart hammering in my chest like a war drum.

“So...” Theo tilted his head at me, frowning as though he was the one confused, rather than me. “Why don’t you assume the throne after Dad?”

I stared at him, shocked beyond belief.

The crown princes want me to usurp them?

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