Page 60 of The King's Sword
“I’m concerned that when you return to Lynk, your husband will question your time with my son.”
A valid concern. “I’ve already written to Rainer letting him know the situation. I’ll be frank with you.” She took a deep breath and continued, “My husband needs me alive in order to maintain his position as king. Your son is doing everything in his power to keep me alive. Rainer will be grateful, I’m sure.”
The queen crossed one leg over the other. “If I can see yourfriendshipwith my son, so will King Rainer.”
“I think Lynk having a strong connection to Avoni will benefit both kingdoms in the long run. If that can come from my friendship with your son, then that is a good thing.” It would hopefully allow their two kingdoms to work together—especially if Lottie was to marry Evander.
Serilda raised a single eyebrow, the look condescending. “You clearly do not know your husband well.”
“We haven’t known each other for very long.”
“You haven’t known my son for very long either and yet, you seem to know him.”
A point well made and taken. Sabine didn’t have an answer for Serilda. The men were so vastly different that she couldn’t even compare the two.
“Rainer is a jealous man.”
Sabine remembered how Rainer had reacted to Markis. However, given that his mother had had an affair with one of her guards, she understood his behavior on the matter.
“I can tell by the look on your face that you know exactly what I’m talking about,” Serilda said. She stood and went over to the railing, gazing at the lake surrounding them. After a minute, she turned and faced Sabine. “I need you to be completely honest with me right now. Your life depends on it.”
“How so?” Sabine feared the queen would ask if her son kidnapped her. Because if Rainer found out that Evander kidnapped Sabine, he would unleash his army against Avoni. The queen had a right to be concerned.
“As long as you answer truthfully, you will live.” Serilda’s eyes narrowed. “And trust me when I say I’ll know if you’re lying to me.”
A sheen of sweat covered Sabine’s forehead. She would have to be honest with the queen—and she’d promised Evander she wouldn’t tell them he’d taken her. “What if I can’t answer your question without breaking a promise?”
“Then tell me that, and we’ll go from there.” She folded her arms.
Sabine nodded. “Okay.”
“Did you know about Rainer’s plans with regards to the Avoni delegation?” Serilda asked, her eyes intently watching Sabine.
She wasn’t sure if the queen was referring to the night of the masquerade ball. “Do you mean about him and your ship?”
“Yes.” Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“He didn’t tell me anything if that’s what you’re asking.”
“But clearly you know something. Tell me what you know and how you came to know it.”
Sabine swallowed, trying to recall everything. She didn’t want to get a detail wrong and be put to death for it. “When I was searching for my sister’s killer, I came by some palace gossip. A few of the women thought the masquerade ball Rainer was throwing was as a distraction so he could have the Avoni ship searched.”
“Why would he have the ship searched?”
“To see if there was evidence someone from Avoni killed my sister.” But by that point, her and Rainer were married, so he knew the assassin was hired by someone in his inner circle—if he hadn’t already discovered it was Lottie. Knowing this, she didn’t understand why he’d search the Avoni ship…unless it was to plant evidence. The night she’d discovered her sister’s killer, the assassin had been doing that very thing—planting evidence to make it look like someone in the delegation had killed Alina. Sabine wiped her forehead.
The queen’s eyes narrowed even more.
Sabine needed to be totally honest. “Now that I’m thinking it through, I see he couldn’t have been searching it. He had to have been planting evidence.” Wanting to pin the assassination on Avoni so he could say he solved the murder, strengthen his position as king, and have a reason to attack his neighboring kingdom.
“Is there anything else?” the queen asked.
“I already told your son Lottie is the one who hired the assassin, Ex. I saw her and Ex in the rooms the Avoni delegation was staying in. They planted evidence there. However, I took it on my way out. I couldn’t read it since it was in another language. It got destroyed.”
“And that’s everything you know?” The queen pushed off the railing and came closer to Sabine. “There isn’t anything else you need to tell me?”
Sabine wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs, trying to think through everything to see if she missed something. Other than the kidnapping, she thought she covered it all. “I don’t think so.”
