Page 48 of Fallen Heirs

“Indeed. He’s so happy we’re no longer keeping our relationship secret. He relishes me discussing any little detail.”

“That’s… unprecedented.”

He smiled. “So why did you come back here after all?”

“A number of reasons.”

“Was one of those to deal with the revelations about your mother?”

“To try to reconcile the person I thought I knew with the current—”

“Faceless version of her?”

“What’s that?”

“When I was being held captive, there was an unknown figure there—their voice distorted and their identity blurred by magic. There was an eerie familiarity about them. Now I know it was your mother.”

I grimaced. “She was even there witnessing you being tortured and didn’t lift a finger?”

“She’s gone, Orpheus. Don’t look for any redeeming qualities in her.”

“How can I not? The same woman who used to rock me to sleep in that chair, who used to—”

“She didn’t used to rock you to sleep on that chair, or come in here for nighttime feedings, or even when you cried.”

“What are you talking about? I might have been too young to remember, but I’ve heard the stories from you both. How difficult I was to get down to sleep, that I stopped taking naps at a very early age even when I could’ve used them. How stubborn I was even then, basically.”

“You heard what we wanted you to believe, whatIknew you needed to believe.”

I folded my arms across my chest and regarded him. “Elaborate.”

“It wasme, Orpheus.Iwas here with you. I was the one taking care of you.” He sighed deeply. “Lenora didn’t take well to motherhood. A screaming baby, a precious little thing that took all of the attention—attention away from her, needing to sacrifice her time and interests to tend to a baby… she despised it.”

“She despised me?”

“No. Not you. The great effort of raising a child. She was away more than ever during your infant years, more than she had already started to be before she’d fallen pregnant. She’d take off for weeks on end to the human realm, traveling and exploring, living her life as though there wasn’t a little life here needing her.”

“But you… you were King. How did you do it alone with the mammoth workload of being ruler of the kingdom. Nannies?”

“I worked things to my schedule—well, my baby boy’s.Iraised you as an infant, just as I did when you grew older. And I wanted to. I loved being with you.” He smiled, recalling fondly, “To tell you the truth, despite the difficulties, it was the best time of my very long life.”

I smiled out at him. “Father.” As emotion threatened to get the best of me, I shifted my weight and asked, “Why the subterfuge?”

“I didn’t want you to grow up thinking your mother didn’t love you. You were such a sweet child, the last thing I wanted was anything impacting that. Besides, she did care, just in her own way.” He grinned. “How could you be unlovable to anyone, hmm?”

I rolled my eyes. “Nice try. She didn’t. You don’t have to continue with the falsities. It actually makes it easier now with current circumstances being what they are. Her with Constantine.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago. Besides, I hadyou.”

“Thank you, son.”

“Did she… were her and Constantine—”

“Yes. They… fornicated.”

I screwed up my face. Somehow, his use of that word made it seem even worse than it already was.

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