Page 9 of Enchanted Heir
She gave me a nod. “I did. And I lied.”
My eyes went from Krew back to Renna. “Why would you do that?”
She let out a long sigh. “Because I was married in secret, Jorah. The king does not approve of same-sex marriages for the Enchanted. He believes we all should be reproducing and popping out more Enchanted as quickly as possible. Growing the army from within. And the only way to do that is through heterosexual marriages among the Enchanted. So if any same-sex relationships go on, they are... extracurricular.”
“That’s awful,” I offered.
She gave me a sad smile. “I know. That’s why so few people even know we are married to begin with.”
“I’m sorry,” I told her. “Do you miss her?”
Renna smiled and looked to Krew.
“What am I missing?” I asked.
Renna wrinkled her nose and leaned in. “She’s here too.”
My eyes went huge in an attempt to leave my body. “In the Assemblages?!”
Renna laughed. “No. Gods no. Jo is here, but not in the Assemblages. She’s been,” she paused to put up finger quotes, “workingfor my family for a while now, so we were able to swing it that she works for my family and is here as my personal attendant of sorts.”
Krew choked on a laugh. “I have never seen such an attentive attendant.”
Renna giggled. “So yeah, Joanna is here. With me. It’s still hard though. Trying to fake your way through an Assemblage, pretending to fall for this spoiled brat when you know the love of your life is waiting for you in your room.”
I opened my mouth but couldn’t find any words. When I finally did, I said, “The night you wore light beige. And it looked like a wedding dress? Something was bothering you that night.”
She smiled at me. “It was a lot like my actual wedding dress. And it felt...wrongto wear it for Krew and not for Jo. Jo didn’t care, but I did.”
Krew turned to look at her. “I had no idea. You could’ve worn something else.”
She shook her head. “It hadn’t been worth the fight at the time. There’d been no time to find a replacement.”
I ran a hand through my still damp hair. “So you are married? And your family knows?”
She nodded. “Yes. They were scared at first. And still are, I’d have to guess. Of what the king would do if he found out. But they are as supportive as they can be considering the risks.”
That was sad. So damn sad. How many other Savaryn were there with a story similar to hers? And here I thought only the lower levels of the kingdom hated our king. “I’m so sorry.”
She wiped at an eye. “Thank you for not looking at me any differently now you know the full truth.”
My eyes went to Krew’s briefly before going back to hers. “That’s not something you should even be thanking me for. And I’m a bit shocked, but just shocked you’remarriedand still in the Assemblages.”
She shrugged. “Krew and I have been friends for a long, long time. I knew there was a possibility I’d get the letter. And I did. We’d been planning this out for more than a year. That I would help him spy while playing the part of one of his favorite women.”
Krew scoffed. “Because youareone of my favorite women.”
Renna smiled. “Yes, but we are not sleeping together. Nor will we ever be.”
“Hey, I’m not sleeping with any of the others either,” Krew said defensively.
“You know what I mean, brat,” Renna scolded. “You and I have no future romantically.”
My lips twitched, loving her sass with Krew. They acted a lot like Owen and I, now that I thought about it. Why hadn’t I ever noticed that before now? Had I just assumed they were the perfect pairing because of their appearances and not the way they acted? “Do any of the other women know?”
“Only Molly,” Renna stated.
I let out a sigh at the mention of her name. Renna and I were going to be okay. Renna wasn’t after a crown, she was only here to help Krew and spy.
