Page 25 of The Prince's Wife

"It was," Shah said wistfully. "I only got to do it twice before I was bound to the palace permanently. Thankfully they are willing to perform here."

Willing. Like anyone would refuse a request—and the obscene pay—from the king and queen. "Do you have a favorite play? I've always been fondest ofFollow the Star."

"I love that one," Relanya said. "We don't get many foreign plays in Penna, but that is one of them, and I've watched it many times."

Well, that was the greatest thing he'd ever heard, and it was all he needed to launch into an avid discussion of the play with her, a conversation that carried through the second course and most of the third, before his mother gave him a warning look, and he reluctantly moved on to other things that would include everyone else at the table.

Throughout, Bakhtiar was quieter than usual. He conversed with the rest of them, paid attention to Relanya, but anyone could see his actions were rote, not heartfelt. Maybe he was simply in too much pain to focus properly.

As dinner wound down, the last of the platters and drinks taken away, Bakhtiar made to stand—then abruptly collapsed again, wincing and falling against Kurosh.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" Fahima asked.

Sitting up again, Bakhtiar gave a sharp jerk of his head. "Not really. My leg is killing me. Shir, would you do me a favor and escort Princess Relanya for me? Your Highness, I apologize I cannot do it myself."

"Of course. I hope you start to feel better soon, Bakhti. I know it's unlikely, but try to stay in your room tomorrow and justrest, hmm?"

Bakhtiar gave him a grateful smile, and then a couple of guards helped him up, and his concubines escorted him away, no doubt to take a secret passage back to his room, a shorter and quieter journey.

At his mother's nod of dismissal, Aradishir rose and bowed to Relanya before offering a hand. She smiled and accepted it, rising gracefully to her feet with his support, and then settled her hand in the crook of his elbow. They walked in step easily, concubines, handmaidens, and guards around them.

"So what are you up to tomorrow?"

"His Highness is escorting your mother and me to the temple. I'm quite excited. Charity work means a lot to me, but for my family and most nobility, it's simply a chore done for appearance's sake and with minimal effort. He also said he would take me to see the aviary kept in another temple."

"Lasharana Temple, on the opposite side of the city, built about thirty years after Kelestar Temple." Kelestar had always been bound to the royal family, even older than the palace itself, older even than the city. "Kelestar has birds too, but not nearly as impressive as Lasharana. You'd like that temple. It's devoted to a minor but important demigoddess of hidden water."

"How charming. I've never heard of a god so specific, but in a place where water is rare and precious, hidden caches of it would be invaluable and nigh spiritual indeed. I cannot wait to see it." She started to say something else, then only closed her mouth with a snap and gave a bare shake of her head, as though reprimanding herself or trying to dislodge a thought. "Thank you for the escort, Your Highness. It's a charming practice I've already grown quite fond of. " She smiled softly, slowly let go of his arm, and slipped away into her room.

Aradishir stifled a sigh and trudged back to his own room, ignoring the weight of his concubines' unspoken words.

Back in his room, he washed and dressed for bed.

"You could say something," Merza said at last. "I think it might go better than you think. Nobody is taking well to the idea of her as queen, and strategically, it might be wise to have her still marry into the family but not as crown princess. I saw their faces tonight. Everyone is thinking it."

"What about Relanya? She's a person, not a pawn. She came here to be queen, her family is expecting her to be queen, and I doubt she'd feel terribly happy about broken promises and being thrown to the youngest and least important child."

"You are vitally important, Shir," Heydar said quietly. "You do not get the attention and admiration you deserve, but those who do the hardest work seldom do. I think Relanya looks at you longingly when she thinks no one else is looking, and would be far more amenable to the change in marriage arrangements than you think or want to hope for. Suffering in silent misery never helped anyone. I know that better than most. You should talk to her and then to your parents."

"I agree," Javed said. "All this keeping feelings bottled is hurting everyone. Bakhti, who clearly doesn't want the marriage, but is pushing anyway because it's his duty, and he does like to make people happy, even if that doesn't always seem obvious.Relanya, who is seeking freedom from a life that clearly made her miserable, and you."

Aradishir drew a deep breath and let it out slowly before finally saying, "All right. I can't really argue when you keep speaking so much sense. And what did you say before? If all I get is rejection, at least that is closure. Do you really think she…"

"I think she is just as enamored of you as you are of her," Javed said. "Who wouldn't be?"

"Plenty of people," Aradishir muttered.

Merza smirked. "I think she's looking forward to making babies with you."

"You be quiet!" Aradishir hissed, while Heydar and Javed laughed because they were all brats forever encouraging each other. "I—"

He stopped as a loud, pounding knock came at his door, the kind that spoke of urgency. Heydar crossed the room to open it and admitted city guards who appeared to be escorting a frantic looking man dripping blood from a cut on his forehead and another across his left arm. He also had an arm across his stomach, but at least there didn't seem to be blood there.

The man also looked close to either collapsing or doing something reckless and drastic. Who in the world was this?

Chapter Twelve

"Master Masood," Heydar said. "What are you doing here?"

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