Page 15 of Crown of Hearts
“And you’re definitely not marrying Princess Eloisa?”
“Any documents that were signed were falsified and Princess Eloisa is missing, maybe even in hiding for all we know. Everness has shown no interest in renewing the agreement. Now may we please change the subject?”
Every memory was a vivid image in my mind. Of the time I thought Elara was her sister. Of the night in Woodsbrook Manor when Lance drunkenly used her to try to find the jewel hidden in my family necklace. A necklace I never got back from Elara. The thought made me think of her neck, of the kisses I had pressed to her soft skin. I clenched my jaw.
“Why, is it making you uncomfortable?” Gwen pried.
“No, I simply think that politics is not an appropriate conversation for the dinner table.”
She grinned at me. “Liar. You’re thinking that you got engaged to the wrong sister.”
“I don’t believe I see a ring on your finger, Gwen,” I blurted, and her expression immediately changed. I cringed inwardly. I hadn’t meant to insult her, but I was desperate to talk about something else, anything else.
Thatcher laughed softly. “Some poor bastard would have to be tackled and forced down the aisle.”
“Thatcher,” my mother gently scolded, like the second mother she was to him.
“Don’t worry, Gwen darling. I’m sure you’ll marry a perfect gentleman when and if you choose to do so.” She tried to console her.
“There are no good men left in Norrandale, Your Highness,” Gwen replied. “None with titles, anyway, and Mama would have a fit if I married below station.”
I understood perfectly well where she was coming from and even felt somewhat guilty for making the joke in the first place. Gwen would have to marry someone like a duke or a prince, and even worse, if she didn’t do it soon, she stood the risk of an arranged marriage at the hands of her parents. It never bothered me that I would not have the luxury of choosing my own bride. I’d been brought up with the knowledge that my marriage would be for political gain, which was why I didn’t hesitate when itcame to my engagement with Eloisa. It was in the interests of our people. But I was young and foolish enough to forget one very important point. That while the title of the woman I married mattered for our kingdom’s sake, so did her character if she were to be a good queen to my people. Norrandale had been privileged with great queens, my mother and grandmother being two of them. I would be doing my people an injustice if I did not marry someone who measured up to them.
“You’re right,” Thatcher said, in response to Gwen’s comment. “The only eligible man left in this kingdom is this man right here.” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “I can attest to this.”
This made Gwen chuckle. “No offence, Cai, but I’d really rather not be queen.”
“No offence taken, Gwen.” I smiled at her, trying to make amends for my earlier blow.
“And I’d really rather not have this one for a brother-in-law.” I gestured with my head to Thatcher, who met my gaze.
“You wound me so.”
I forced a laugh, grateful the conversation had turned away from Elara. My mind churned with the news from Levernia. I hadn’t expected Elara’s sudden ascension to the throne to be met without opposition, but an attempted assassination was something else entirely. If her people were trying to kill her, then my mother was right: her reign and her life were under threat.
The dining-room doors opened suddenly, and Jack stepped inside. He bowed before saying, “My apologies for interrupting dinner—” he turned towards me — “but you’re going to want to see this, Your Majesty.”
* * *
I followed Jack in silence, his demeanour rigid and hurried. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t good. We reached the cellars of the palace and my concern grew.
It was dark — a musty smell pervaded the air. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been down here. A prison guard bowed his head as we passed.
“What exactly is going on?” There had to be a damn good reason he was leading me into the palace’s dungeon. Most of the cells were empty. A single rat scurried across the floor.
“We found something, Your Majesty,” he responded. “I thought it important that you be notified immediately.” Jack grabbed one of the torches that lined the walls so that he could light our way.
“Well, what did you find?” I questioned with a hint of frustration at his evasiveness. Jack’s pace was so quick, I almost had trouble keeping up.
He stopped abruptly in front of one of the cells and I turned to look inside.
“Oh?” I said in genuine surprise. Three men were tied up there. “Are they...?”
“We believe them to be spies, yes. We found them on the outskirts of the city. They were staying in one of the taverns, asking strange questions about the royal guard and the palace. A fight happened to break out and someone spotted the Argonian mark and reported it. The barman says they’d been acting suspicious the whole time they’d been there.”
The three men were dressed similarly to Norrandish citizens but one of them had a ripped sleeve and a symbol of the kingdom of Argon clearly tattooed on his upper arm. I immediately recognised the mark. Had seen it on thousands of young soldiers as we fought on the battlefields of Argon. If it were up to me, I’d never set foot in that kingdom across the sea ever again. The horrors of that war still haunted me.
“Do you think they were trying to scout our military forces in the city?” I asked Jack. We had no laws against Argonian citizens coming to Norrandale, but once you became a soldier in Argon’s army, you were never allowed to leave. The only way out was by getting killed. Which meant these men certainly couldn’t be here for a friendly visit.
