Page 114 of A Queen's Game
“Do I need a reason to spend time with my wife?”
He was toying with her. After she deemed the question unworthy of an answer, Wyltam chuckled and shifted in his seat. “What do you think of Marietta?”
Valeriya rubbed her temples, rubbing the tension that built in her skull. “She’s innocent and ill-prepared for court life. Perhaps Keyain should have never brought her here.”
“You think that? What should he have done with her?” Wyltam inspected his tunic as he spoke, not looking in her direction.
“Locked her up in his manor on his lands or left her with the Exisotis. At least she was ignorant of who they were and who she married.”
Wyltam’s gaze slid to her, his eyes narrowing. “When did you talk to her about that?”
Shit, her contact gave her that information, the realization causing her stomach to drop. Wyltam would have never told her that. “Oh, I didn’t. Marietta mentioned Keyain told her, and wetalked about it over tea. The poor girl was so shaken. No wonder she let herself rot away in that suite.”
For a moment, he stared at her, his fingers tapping on the armrest of his chair. As always, his expression remained blank, hard to read, as if she were staring at a wall. “It seems Keyain makes for a poor husband. Marietta looked worse than I expected.”
Valeriya agreed with his observation, but would never admit they agreed on anything. “How are you handling Keyain having a wife?” she asked. The question seemed innocent, but Wyltam stiffened in his chair.
“What are you insinuating?”
With a shrug, she glowered at her husband. “I’m sure the entire situation has been hard. After all, you two used to be so close.”
Knowing his full past, close was only one way to describe their relationship. Never had she brought it up so boldly with him. The thought of Wyltam and Keyain together was laughable. How could they work together after all the drama?
“And what of Marietta? You have a soft spot for half-elf females, do you not?” he asked.
Katya. How did he know about her? Valeriya forced her body to still, not reacting to his question.
Another chuckle came from her husband. “Perhaps we perform our marriage duties tonight to solve our wayward thoughts. Mycaub would be a wonderful older brother, would he not?” Rage flared in Valeriya as Wyltam cut her a glare. “Go ahead, take off your dress, Valeriya. Let’s see what you’re hiding.”
She bit the inside of her cheek, checking her anger. Their relationship was never physical, only necessary to reproduce an heir to the throne. The experience had been the final rift in their already-distant relationship. Before Mycaub, they were just twostrangers married to one another. After two years of trying, they became people who detested the other’s body. Even the scent of Wyltam was enough to churn her stomach.
Valeriya wanted to blame their relationship strains on that alone, but the divide between them was present from the beginning. She hated him and he hated her.
With a wave of a hand, his stare deep into the flames, he said, “You’re dismissed.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Marietta
Anote addressed to Marietta arrived in the afternoon, the crown’s crest of two intertwined wisteria sealing the envelope with purple wax. Marietta couldn’t help but laugh when she read the contents.
Lady Marietta,
As a lady of our court, you should know about the city-state you preside over. With me as your guide, I extend to you the opportunity to see Satiros on a carriage ride in two days’ time.
As always, if Keyain is available at noon, he is welcomed to join us. Alas, if his job obligations command his time, then I would be honored to take you alone.
I await your reply.
King Wyltam
If Keyain’s job obligations command his time. Gods, when didn’t they? Of course, King Wyltam was well aware of that, making the letter a dry mockery of Keyain. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it; yet that didn’t mean she’d join him. No, a private carriage ride with the King felt like she would play into his hand, taking part in the deal to flirt with Marietta to torment Keyain. Though she longed to see the city-state, her want to cause less trouble was greater.
Marietta waited for Keyain to return that evening, sitting at the dining room table with a glass of wine in hand. The note from the King lay in front of her. As Keyain bent down to kiss her, the paper caught his eye. “What is this?” he asked, picking it up. The muscle in his jaw tightened as he read, red creeping up his neck. His gaze darted towards Marietta, then back to the letter before he placed it down on the table.
She watched the emotion seep through his stilled expression. Anger, as always, flecked across his features, joined with something more somber. Was it regret?
“The King is kind to offer me such an experience,” she said, eying him over the rim of her glass. The deep red of the wine matched the growing flush of Keyain’s skin.
