Page 90 of Fake Fae-Ancée

"Why wouldn't they?" I interrupted him. "It’s literally written in the stars. Prophecies are binding. It is the one rule that keeps order among Bears. Kai will be my queen. Why wouldn't the Bears bow to that?"

Nicolai’s eyes turned into two small slits. "They will never accept a Fae." There was a beat, before he added: "And neither will I."

We glared at each other.

Ironically, sadly, Nicolai had always been the better prince. He had always done everything right. He had been the best hunter, had shot the most deer, caught the most salmon. At receptions and balls, he had always been more eloquent and popular than me. Yet he was only the second son, the spare. He’d always had to exert himself to meet father's expectations. And then we had lost everything. No, I had cost them everything.

I needed to get our birthright back. Make it up to him.

And I needed to know he was by my side when I faced Yegor.

I drew in a breath before I spoke.

"What if I don't really marry her?"

Nicolai blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What if this engagement is just a means to an end?"

Nicolai was silent for a long moment, blinking "What do you mean?" he eventually asked, sitting down in the armchair opposite me.

I also sat down, choosing my words carefully. "Let's say Kai and I will separate as soon as I become king. We will not get married. She will not be queen. She is only here to make the prophecy look real. But once my destiny is fulfilled and the house of Kalinin is back on our throne, she will leave. What would you say then?"

My brother didn’t answer for quite some time, but his resolve was visible folding into itself. He shot me a puzzled frown. "I would say that you are much more ambitious than I thought."

I needed him by my side. Without my brother and my family having my back the plan wouldn’t work. I had to convince him.

"I owe it to you — to all of you — to restore the honor of our family. I owe it to Mom, to you, to Kostya and to Marina. I even owe it to father, may he rest in peace…"

I sighed, pinching my nose with thumb and middle finger, brushing across the dent where the bone had been broken long ago. Still, I went on: "And of course I know it’s ridiculous. A Bear King with a Fae queen? The Bears will swear allegiance to me at the ball, but they would never accept her in the long run. It is only a ruse. It will be enough to win back our kingdom. It won't be enough to rule."

He didn’t need to know that was exactly what I was going to do — make Kai my queen. It wasn’t just a question of how much I missed her anymore. It was a question of needing her by my side, no matter what. I couldn’t let her go. Never. The thought alone made Bear rise to the surface like an angry shark.

He leaned forward, propped his elbows on his knees and gave me another hard, scrutinizing stare.

"That was your plan from the beginning?"

"All along."

"You’re not really engaged?"

I shook my head. It wasn’t even a lie, but it sure felt like one. "I only need her to make the prophecy look real."

"You won’t get married to her." Nicolai bore his gaze into me.

I sighed inwardly. And told him the last lie necessary to secure his allegiance. "Once it's all over, I'll find myself a decent bride."

My brother blinked several times.

"Wow," he said, leaning back. "Can’t say I’m not relieved."

At least his frown was gone now and I could see his tension falling off. Nicolai sighed, leaning back.

"You two really look like…" he waved his hands through the air. "A couple, you know? Like you’re really in love and everything."

Because we are, I almost said out loud. Or at least I was… Bear bristled against the lie, but I held the course.

"So, knowing this, brother," I said slowly. "Will you support my course?"

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