Page 26 of Upon the Riven Throne

She let him go.

Noal approached, his interest plain.

Forcing a smile, Mireille said, “I believe I will take my meal in my rooms after all.” Eyes on the open doorway, she added, “But moving forward, this is where I will spend my evenings.”

* * *

Thomas eyed her skeptically.“He likes tosculpt?”

“Keep your voice down,” she hissed, glancing at the sealed door into the prince’s rooms, even though she doubted he was there.

Thomas whispered, “I don’t see how we can use this.”

“I will take anything at this point.” If Alder could only soften to her, to open up a bit, she might feel able to reveal precisely what she needed.

Thomas lifted a brow. “Fortunately, I have learned something a little more helpful.”

She sat forward. “Tell me.”

“I persuaded Kin to attain a proper wardrobe for you.”

Mireille glanced at the wardrobe, but her mind was on the sage green gown that Alder had, possibly, dreamed for her.

“But that is not the interesting part. Mid-undertaking, Kin hinted that the prince has bindings placed on him, and I do not mean by the existence of the Rive. Bindings separate from the curse, not on the land, but on the prince himself.”

“Are you certain that was her meaning?”

“Yes, because she was vehemently reluctant to reveal more, and I believe it’s connected to the fae queen herself.”

“Our fae queen?”

“The very one. It must have something to do with why he accepts any willing princess into his kingdom. It cannot be a coincidence one queen is entangled with you both.”

She straightened. “But that makes no sense. He cannot become king while the Rive stands. The boundary has him trapped. How would marrying a human princess change that?” If it could, he would have married long ago.

A hint of the confidence she hadn’t seen in so long slid across Thomas’s features. “Precisely. So what are the terms of the binding and how are they connected to the wedding bargain?”

Mireille stood to pace. Thomas was right. She should have been less worried about discovering their rules and law, and more worried about why the prince had agreed at all. “He said something about being forced to entertain the bargains. But if he has no true desire for a wife, why bring her into his home?”

Thomas leaned back into his chair.

The prince had vowed to protect Mireille. He had shared the wisteria tree. There must be a reason, something he stood to gain.

She just needed to discover what it was.

CHAPTER10

The familiar weight of the fae queen’s magic settled upon her once again and Mireille felt her body begin to rise from the bed. Then the heavy sensation suddenly disappeared, along with the sickly-sweet scent of hawthorn flower, and Mireille’s eyes blinked open to the glow of unnatural moonlight that filled her room.

Alder stood over her, as if he’d been waiting.

Taking his proffered hand, Mireille swung her feet toward the edge of the bed, and realized the dress she wore was far different than the night before. Her free hand came up to the lace that curled at her neck, matching the butterfly sleeves and the lace that nearly covered her hands. It felt like… A wedding gown.

Had she conjured such a thing, or had it been him? Aghast, she met the prince’s gaze, unsure which might be worse.

He made no comment, only turned to lead her from the room. They followed the same path as before, through the maze of gardens that surrounded the wisteria tree, but though her room was roughly the same in the dream as when awake, the corridors and paths never were.

The night air was warm, and fireflies danced amid the swaying greenery. In the distance, soft rain pattered against leaves. The gentle scent of wisteria clung to everything, its presence alone working to ease Mireille’s distress. She said, “It is beautiful here.”

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