Page 211 of Lady for Embers

“Niara,” she said, toes tracing a circle in the water. “Hale told me of her.”

“You and King Hale seem... friendly,” he said cautiously.

“He is very gracious in letting the children run around his estate these past weeks. I ?nd myself in his company quite often when I am there.”

Callan was sure she did.

“He is excited to return to our continent one day,” she added.

“With you?”

Well, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but it was out therenow. Tava, to her credit, didn’t react. She switched from swiping her toes through the water to lazily swinging her legs back and forth.

“I am not naïve, Callan,” she said. “I know he has an interest in more than my company.”

“I did not mean to imply you were naïve.”

“I know.”

For a long moment the only sound was the small splashes from her feet.

“How do you feel about that?” he ?nally asked, so godsdamn sick of the small talk. This is not what they did. They did not tiptoe around topics. They spoke candidly, honestly, with each other.

She shrugged. “I suppose an alliance of some sort will be expected of me at some point.”

Callan openly balked. “You would do that?”

“If Drake asked it of me, yes,” she said, head tilting as she watched the ripples. “I was likely always going to be married off for status. Me now being a royal princess? I would be naïve if I thought otherwise.”

“Has Drake hinted at this?” he asked.

“No, Callan. I was simply raised in the same society you were. I know what is expected of me.”

“And you just... accept that?”

She pulled her feet from the water, drawing her knees up to her chest, arms wrapping around them tightly. “When Drake has had time to process everything, he will step up. He will rise to the challenge and be a remarkable king. He will need to prove himself to his people. What better way to do so than by securing an alliance with the lost heir of Toreall? It is politics.”

Smart. She was always so damn smart, thinking ahead, planning for all possible futures. She was also right. He and Drake were already friends. He’d been planning to ask Drake to be his Hand-to-the-King when they returned, but that was before they’d learned he was royalty himself. The alliance between Windonelle and Rydeon was secure and expected. Toreall was the wildcard here.

He swallowed thickly. “You have a choice here, Tava.”

“I have as much choice as you would have had if you had not suddenly found yourself a king, Callan,” she replied.

“As far as Windonelle is concerned, we are still betrothed,” he argued. “What kind of message will it send if we return and you are betrothed to another?”

“Why do you care, Callan? I gave you an opportunity to end the courting, and you took it.”

“Because blue is more your color than red,” he said, sharper than he’d intended.

“What?” Tava asked, her eyes widening at his sudden outburst. “Windonelle’s colors are blue and grey. Toreall’s are red and gold,” he muttered, not looking at her.

There was another long stretch of silence before she whispered, “I do not know what you want from me, Callan.”

He looked over to ?nd her studying the water, arms still curled tightly around her knees.

“I know what I do not want,” he said, reaching over and gently taking her chin between his thumb and fore?nger. “I do not want you two kingdoms away from me, Little Fox. I do not want you one kingdom away from me.”

“What do you want?” she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

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