Page 44 of A War of Crowns

Edmund indulged the ambassador with a chuckle. When the double doors leading out of his study finally clicked shut, he gestured for the Arathian man to take a seat.

He estimated they had exactly seven minutes before his mother, Charlotte Hargrave, arrived. Ready to interfere.

“One can only handle so much spice in their life, to be sure,” Edmund observed. “Of course, I truly doubt you came all this way to discuss our women.”

Lord Naari bowed his head. “Very astute, Your Majesty. I, alas, did not come to discuss the allure of Drakmori women. Though I would be more than happy to revisit the conversation at dinner tonight.”

“Mm.” Edmund waited for the Arathian to get to the point.

“I had rather hoped you had time to consider the offer of humble friendship from my sovereign, King Andreas, presented in His Majesty’s letters.” Lord Naari swept a hand before him. “He hopes you are pleased with his proposal—that his kingdom and yours be united in friendship, bound by a marriage alliance between you and his eldest daughter, Princess Mariana.”

With a sly smile, the Arathian man swiftly tacked on, “Her Highness is quite eager to meet you, I might add.”

“Mm,” Edmund rumbled again. He leaned forward from his comfortable slouch. “And in exchange, His Majesty wishes for me not to send reinforcements to Fort Mysai, correct? He wishes me to break the terms of the treaty Drakmor has held with Elmoria for some two hundred years now?”

The ambassador smiled once more—a perfectly polite sort of smile. “Surely that treaty was already broken the day Elmoria’s queen humiliated you before all of Avirel, Your Majesty.”

Edmund jerked back to an upright position and seethed, “I wasnothumiliated. And you would do well to remember that.”

Humiliated?Hardly. He was glad Seraphina de la Croix had been the one to break their betrothal so he did not have to.

Why would he want to marry some thirty-year-oldcrone?

No doubt, that silly queen thought she'd delivered to him quite the slap when she announced they were no longer betrothed. As if she had any right to make such a declaration by herself.

Who was she to break a contract that had been understood since they were children? Who was she to simply toss the long-lasting friendship between their kingdoms aside?

The irony that she now needed him should have been delicious.

But the whole affair just left a sour taste on his tongue.

His lawyers assured him the loophole the queen had found in their marital contract was perfectly legal. Which meant she hadn’t violated the terms of the treaty between their kingdoms when she scorned him.

Which meant he,frustratingly, had no good reason to declare war on her himself. Yet.

“My apologies,” the ambassador murmured. “I only meant—”

“I know perfectly well what you meant,” Edmund snapped. “You think just because Elmoria’s monarch has proven herself to lack all honor, that I will follow suit.”

“Not atall—”

“And you could not be more wrong,” Edmund continued, speaking over the Arathian. “Though Elmoria might have no honor left, Drakmor does not suffer from a similar affliction.” Slouching back into his chair, Edmund crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at the man across from him.

“If it is the fear of invoking the ire of the Holy Lothmeeran Empire that is giving you pause in this matter, Your Majesty,” the ambassador delicately suggested next, “then King Andreas wished me to assure you he is prepared to devote some of his own troops to Drakmor. So you might strengthen your northern border against any potential retaliation from Lothmeer.”

“The emperor wouldn’t dare intervene,” Edmund insisted without pause.

Which was true.

The Emperor of Lothmeer, Drakmor and Elmoria’s shared ally, never liked to take sides when it came to political squabbles. But it wasn’t the Lothmeeran Empire he was worried about.

It was the Lord’s Church, which made its home within the bounds of Lothmeer’s borders, which gave him pause. He was a member of the Church, as was Elmoria’s queen.

And he knew the Church and its High Shepherd would take issue with two of its Faithful waging war against one another. The Churchcouldconvince the emperor to intervene, should he earn the wrath of the High Shepherd.

And excommunication was sure to follow.

“Or if it is Elmoria’s ire you fear, Your Majesty—”

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