Page 44 of Pining for the Prince
“I am trying to save you from a mistake.”
“No. You have decided that I cannot be trusted with knowing my own thoughts and needs.”
They kept their voices low but Hyax would not be averse to making a scene if needed. He was not a fledgling, he was notwet around the wings and had done his duty without complaint for years. He deserved to be shown respect, not subjected to this farce.
“This goes beyond what you want, or what you think is good for you. You should have considered the realm’s needs.”
She was being stubborn but the argument wouldn’t work on him. “Even if I weren’t so far down the succession list that it would not matter, making allies outside of the fae is good for the realm.”
Talia snorted. “If you were so convinced by his great benefit why did you exaggerate his credentials.”
“Because I wanted you to like him, and to be receptive to the one I had chosen. Yes, I massaged his history, but I hoped that you would have forgiven that later once you had got to know him.”
His father leant over. “Now is not the time. You could at least have presented him alongside your suitors.”
“Never has that been the requirement. You chose to interpret the rules as you see fit.”
“Enough!” Talia smacked her hand on the arm of her chair. “You will receive your suitors as per protocol.”
“Fine. But don’t expect me to accept any—protocol does not dictate that I must.”
When he’d been younger, the idea of choosing a consort from a pre-approved list had not bothered him. He expected he would have an official partner and be free to take other lovers as part of a harem. Metra had been the first of his boyfriends to make him challenge that thinking, not that they’d discussed it or that their relationship hadn’t been hidden, more he didn’t like the idea of being with someone who wouldn’t care what he did or with whom. He wanted to be important, be loved and cared for, and at one point he thought that might be Metra. He still couldn’t believe how wrong he’d been.
The suitors and their families were being arranged by name order, lined up to come forwards to meet him. It was ridiculous as he knew several of these men, three of them in such a way that if he accepted them they could have already considered their pairing consummated.
First was Vina and his parents, the son of one of the Ruling Council members and an arrogant prick on a good day—that wasn’t the only reason he wouldn’t be suitable. Hyax thought he was fairly patient, at least in comparison to his fellow fae, but he was in no mood to play nice.
“Councillor Yint, I thought it would be obvious that I would in no way consider your son as an option.”
Yint managed to keep his expression neutral. “I do not recall any reason why that would be the case.”
“He’s promised to be married already. To a woman. And I have never known him to be attracted to a man. I would not be willing to engage in a sexless marriage and neither would I want a partner who failed to find me sexually attractive.”
There were many rules and the key ones were around consent and coercion.
“Is that correct, Vina?” Talia asked. Hyax knew his mother would stand by the principles, and would not force anyone into marriage.
“Yes, Your Majesty. But I know Hyax is beautiful for a man, I am sure I could adjust.”
Hyax clicked his tongue. “You think by that I will submit to you? How about the other way around—does that make you less inclined?”
Vina shuffled his feet. “It would not be something I would actively pursue.”
“Then you’re not suitable and do not meet the criteria on the list.” Hyax turned to his mother. “I thought the point was they have all been vetted?”
She looked furious. “There are many different ways to interpret the criteria. You said you didn’t want a harem because of your… friend. Not that you objected in principle, so a political match could be acceptable.”
“I would expect any future spouse to wish to share our marital bed.” He turned back to Vina. “I would not put you in a position that would be tantamount to marital rape. You will be removed from the list, and I thank you for your interest, it is of course a pity.”
If that hadn’t been an excuse he’d have found another. He was hoping there might be at least one other he could remove in a similar fashion, the idea being to whittle down the list as far as possible knowing there was meant to be a minimum number for him to choose from.
The next in the queue was dismissed quick enough as he was too short, an ancient criteria he’d thought stupid when he was younger but was now happy to insist upon. His mother had tried to get him to waive it but there’d been no chance.
Maili was next up and Hyax thought he would give him the benefit of the doubt. His parents were ambitious, but they would have been better off focusing on his closer friendship with their daughter than trying to use their son. “Maili, you cannot possibly wish to shackle yourself to me. We know we are not compatible in the sense of a peaceful longevity.”
They’d not dated for long, the sex had been explosive and passionate but outside that they had annoyed the fuck out of each other.
“We are older now. You might be a of a sweeter disposition,” Maili said with a smirk.
