Page 42 of The Forgotten Queen
“Castle rules.” Marx shrugged.
They stood in silence for a moment, watching the waves below them.
“Now what?” she asked, glancing up at him.
“Well,” a slight grin played on his lips, “we missed our wedding dance, so I guess this marriage is doomed for failure.”
“Wasn’t it already doomed for failure?” She bit her lip, holding in a smile. There wasn’t anything funny about the situation she was in.
“Oh, come on. I really thought we had a fighting chance.”
They stared at each other for a moment, each of them on the verge of letting a real smile escape.
“How old are you?” she finally asked.
He raised an eyebrow, the innocent action adding to his charm. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I’m just wondering why a man in his mid to late twenties would still require his father to make his marriage arrangements.”
“Ooof,” he grunted. “You went straight for the insult. I thought we would get to know each other a little bit before that happened.”
She smiled in an attempt to soften her blow. “This is me trying to get to know you.”
“Well,” he looked out at the crashing waves, “my father and I have a complicated relationship that I wouldn’t expect anyone to understand.” He shook his head. “I don’t even understand it. I let him force me into this marriage because I feel like I owe him and”—he hesitated like he wasn’t sure he should finish his thought, but he did anyway—“I wanted him to be proud of something I did.”
Sydria appreciated his honest answer. “I shouldn’t be so hard on you. My uncle and his friend said my mother made the arrangements before she died, and I had no choice but to believe them. I owe my uncle a lot too.”
“Why?” His expression had turned serious, and he leaned in, ready for answers.
Eye contact was a terrible thing when she was about to tell him something important. “I was in a carriage accident three months ago, and I lost most of my memory.”
The gauntlet had been dropped.
Would he run away in fear or stay and engage?
“Were you aware of that before you married me?” She had his full attention, so naturally, she decided to look away.
“I was aware.” His voice was softer than she’d expected. “But I still don’t understand how memory loss lands you in an unwanted marriage or why you owe your uncle anything.”
She raised her shoulders. “My uncle saved my life. The carriage accident happened a mile from his house. He was trained as a doctor and was able to save me. His entire life savings went toward my recovery and medication. They have nothing left, and you…well, your father was the highest bidder.”
He nodded…slowly. People only nodded slowly when they were trying not to show how appalled they were by the revelation they’d just heard.
The entire situation was so humiliating.
Sydria had been sold.
“Let’s get this straight,” Marx said. “Your uncle told you that your mother made the arrangements before she died?”
“Yes. She died in the carriage accident. They said I was traveling from Northland to Cristole because I had been chosen to be the queen of Cristole.”
The line between his brows deepened. “Who chose you?”
“I thought you had, but I guess it was your father?” She said it like a question.
“Yes, this scheme has my father written all over it.”
“They said you were looking to marry someone from the working class and that it was a huge honor that I was chosen.”
