Page 8 of Disillusioned
“Two men died in your presence this evening.” It could’ve been the shifting shadows of dusk, but the bags under his eyes appeared deeper. His voice dropped to a whisper. “You must be careful. People are paying attention, Lilac. They are interested in you.”
“They havebeeninterested, Father.” His warning felt similar to what Garin had said in her chamber. She flexed her fingers into fists. “I have fed the town rumor mill for years. You forget that this is nothing new.”
“It isallnew!” At his volume, she stepped away from him, and the former king lifted his arms, helpless. “And they are not interested in gossip. That is not what I meant.”
Who else would be interested in…Whatelse?
Heat flooded through her as his words sank in. “No.”
“Yes. It is time we had the conversation.” His mouth was taut. He would not drop it.
And he was right not to, as much as she hated it. She was a girl who had been locked away as punishment for something she’d been taught to hate about herself, and when she’d finally escaped, she emerged as both a woman and a queen, with no time to sort out what either meant for herself.
Lilac might have been naive and young—and perhaps shewouldhave been, Daemon tongue or no. But she hadn’t asked for any of this. And she still had to face her duty. Even if the only way she knew how was with stubbornness.
“You have said to me before that there is no requirement of marriage.”
Her father shook his head, and his mustache trembled. Shook it a little too hard. “And you are correct. But official requirement and prudent arrangement aren’t so far apart, my dear. Marriage offers you safety and protection. It creates allies and strengthens borders against current and future threats.”
“If I am entrusted to protect the creatures and people of this kingdom, then I would think I am able to protect myself, Father.” Her voice began to tremble in anger.
He flinched at her mention of Daemons. “You cannot. You are a woman.”
“Then why not assign me a fencing master? A cartographer in my lessons to learn how to navigate a map and arrange armies? Why was I stuck in a fortress with books and tutors and nowhere to go? Why not let me have both?”Why didn’t you prepare me for this role, she wanted to scream at him. But they both knew why, and it was far too late to do anything about it now.
He had no answer.
Lilac straightened. “I will not marry, and I will not be forced. If you truly care for me, you will let this issue lie.”
Henri’s jaw tightened. He sidestepped to block her attempt to leave, loudly slamming his fist upon the desk. “Do not lecture a father on how to care for his daughter,” he roared. “Here sat a dismembered arm from a murdered member of our house. A former member ofmycourt. Two mendiedbefore you, in our very castle, this afternoon!” He looked around, even if they were alone, and lowered his voice. “France is likely scouting our borders.”
She jolted and took a step back. “The boy?—”
“Yes, that boy you ordered away, out in the hall? His father spoke the truth. Our guards received a pigeon in the early hours of the morning from the street sentries outside La Guerche, warning of smoke signals clear in the night. They investigated and found a small camp of soldiers.”
Her throat tightened as he glared at her. “Were they armed?”
“Lightly. They told our sentries they’d gotten lost. Our men had them leave immediately, which they did.”
“Perhaps it was just that,” she pushed, wanting too badly to believe. La Guerche was right within her border. Anyone could get lost in the thick forests there. “A camp.”
Henri rubbed his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You are this gullible. And you’re telling me you don’t need protection? And you’re about to go to town? It’s madness.”
“I’m safe in the woods. I’ll stay on the path,” she lied.
He stepped back, the disappointment in his face very nearly disgust. “What have you seen in Brocéliande?” He swallowed roughly, as if any reminder of her time in that enchanted wood was still jarring for him. “What happened that made you so… so unmoved?”
“The friends you and mother considered as family, plotting tooverthrow me. That’s what.” She watched her words sink in. “Vivien deserved it. She was a horrible person.”
Henri neared, got in her face, his own now purple with anger. “Never repeat that outside this room.”
She swallowed, tears loosening without her permission. Her mind spun with the new information thrown at her, compiled on her nerves for the evening. How was Henri so blind—how had both of her parents missed it? Even if they chose to remain blind to the fact that Daemons were no more inherently evil than humans could ever be, they still refused to stand against the Le Tallecs in a way that mattered. It was so difficult not to fault Henri and Marguerite for their lack of protection of her. They’d been too preoccupied with protecting their own reputation. He searched her face, but she pressed her lips together.
“What of the vampires?” he asked again. It was clear he would not let it drop.
“And what of men? What of serpents in one’s own court who disguise themselves as allies and wait for the perfect moment to usurp the crown? What of boys who use their titles as shields as they terrorize whatever and whomever they want until they are satisfied?”
She bent, grasping the hem of her gown and tugging one side up to reveal the long scar that ran from mid shin, across her right knee and to her lower thigh. The bruises and scrapes were healed, but the shadows of scars were still visible, pink and raised. Her dagger was visible, tucked beneath her sheer stockings, but he didn’t seem to notice or care.
