With a nervous glance at Galian, I followed her, as I'd done so many times, to the other side of her apartments to look over her lush, green gardens.
Before she said anything, she took my hands in hers, then dropped my right to inspect the simple gold band on my left. "Well, I can understand the haste under the circumstances, but we need to see about getting you a nicer ring. At least in public."
I retracted my hand, cradling my left finger with a frown. "I like my ring."
"Unfortunately," she said with a heavy sigh, "your likes and dislikes will have to take a backseat, at least temporarily. In order to make this work, we'll both have to say and do things we detest. But we do it knowing that we're both marching in the same direction. No matter what I say in front of the cameras, I want you to know—in your heart of hearts—that I want your country to be free, as much as I want you to be with Galian."
I half-smiled. "I appreciate that."
"I also wanted to warn you that we will be spending a lot of time together—in front of the cameras—and not all of it will be pleasant. You'll be attacked on all sides, painted as a traitor and a harlot, at best. I fear it's already begun in Rave, especially as you've been named as the primary negotiator of the peace treaty."
"What?" Horror and shame washed over me. "But this was...this isn't... he's the one signing it!"
"And trust me, that Emilie Mondra is doing a fine job spinning the national conversation to make him the hero and you the villain." Korina paused. "Speaking of which, she will be arriving in the next few days to take over wedding media operations for the Ravens. I will have someone assigned to handle the Kylaen media. You and Galian will have to meet with them regularly."
"I'm not meeting with her," I said. "She's vile."
"Remember what I said about having to put on a nice face," Korina said. "We'll need you to be on your best behavior so we can meet with the Ravens in the slums. Part of that is pretending you enjoy vile people's company."
I'd done that plenty in Veres, so very unhappily, I nodded.
"To Emilie and to everyone else, your focus should be the wedding and establishing yourself as a Kylaen princess—"
"A what?" I took a step back. "No way. I'm not a p-p—"
Korina chuckled. "That's how I felt the day after I realized I was going to marry Grieg. Don't worry, dear, the title fades rather quickly. Then all that's left is the work."
I glanced at Galian, who was locked in tense conversation with Rhys and Kader. "I suppose I should've expected it, marrying a prince and all."
I jumped when she took my hands again. "Above all else, please know that you and Galian aren't alone. I'm with you every step of the way. If you stay close to me, if we walk this thin line together, I believe—truly believe—we can find independence for Rave."
SEVENTEEN
Galian
Morning came too soon, in the form of the alarm ringing. I groaned and reached for it, intent on shutting it off and sleeping more, but then I remembered why I'd set it. I had a shift today, and per my mother's instructions, I needed to go in to pretend everything was normal.
It would've been easier had I not stayed up until well after two making love to my wife.
I glanced down at her; she hadn't stirred. For a moment, I was content just to watch her sleep, thanking whatever stars had aligned for us that we were finally able to be together. Even though I had to go to work, knowing she'd be there when I got back warmed my heart.
I dressed and ate a quick breakfast before meeting my car downstairs. Johar sat at the wheel, her lips pressed into a thin line.
"I thought you were going to Rave?" I asked, sitting in the back.
"Leaving as soon as I drop you off," she said. "Kader's not fit for duty, not even driving your princely ass around."
"Ah," I said with a nod. "I mean, you can trust one of the other guys, can't you?"
"Snyder's going to be taking over until Kader's better."
I nodded. "I like him. I think."
She didn't respond.
"Is he chattier than you?"
I caught her displeased look in the mirror.
"Just trying to make small talk, Johar," I said, turning my ring around on my finger. "I mean, I know you all think I'm scum, but if we're forced to spend time together, we might as well be pleasant about it."
"I don't think you're scum. And take off your ring."
"What?"
"Your ring. Take it off or your father will have a fit."
I glanced at the wedding band on my left hand. With a grimace, I pulled it off and stuck it in my pants. "I wish this wedding would hurry up and happen already."
"I wouldn't mention that to your wife, seeing as that'll also mean her country is officially Kylae's again."
This time, it was my turn not to respond.
We arrived at the hospital to more than the usual amount of attention. The photographers were relentless in their questioning, asking me if I was happy or upset about my engagement. I offered them a neutral smile and allowed Johar to forge a path into the hospital.
"I won't miss that," she said, shaking her shirt.
"Well, take care of yourself," I said. "And thanks for...well, for everything."
She nodded. "I'll see you soon, Highness. Wish me luck out there."
Although she'd probably meant the tabloids waiting to mob her when she walked back to the car, I said a little prayer that she'd be successful in Rave. We needed all the help we could get.
Theo
I awoke alone in the bed, and for a moment, wondered where my amichai might've run off to. But a hazy memory of a kiss, a promise to return after work, as well as a handwritten note on the nightstand lessened my fears. Korina had told him to go to the hospital, after all, and I supposed that meant early mornings and late nights.
I lay in the ridiculous bed for almost half an hour, before giving up on going back to sleep. I should've hated all this luxury—after all, everything my body touched belonged to a royal bastard—but, as I ran my bare feet along the silky sheets, I decided I'd be indignant later. This bed was comfortable, as were the memories of what Galian and I had done in it.
I rolled onto my side and let my fingers dance on Galian's pillow. I was rather impressed he'd gotten up so early for his shift, especially considering how late we'd stayed up. After breakfast with his mother, he and I took a tour of the castle, which lasted all of half an hour before we gave up and returned to his room to continue what we'd started before breakfast.
I rolled onto my back and toyed with a lock of my hair. I wasn't completely confident he would bring me contraceptives, so I made a mental note to ask Rosie the next time I saw her. After all, unlike Rave, Kylae didn't have the need to replenish their people after a costly war—
Which was, in effect, over.
I groaned and stared at the top of Galian's (and, I supposed, my) canopy bed. The despair of knowing my life had been in vain threatened to take over, but I wouldn't let it. I wasn't completely powerless; I had Galian, his mother, and brother. Kader, Rosie, and Johar. There was still a chance the rebels in Veres would be emboldened by Bayard's treachery. Bayard's administration had made the deal, so if he weren't in power, it would be null and void.
Filled with fire and morning vigor, I swung my legs over the bed and walked the length of the large room that Galian called his "bedroom." There were expensive oil paintings adorning the walls and Jervanian cherry wood furniture, including a desk with a stack of papers. The plush crimson carpet I stood on covered most of the room, the stone floors of the castle visible on the edges of the room. A fireplace sat dormant in the corner, and a smile twisted my lips as I thought about how I would stay warm with my amichai in a few months.
His massive closet was larger than the living room in my old apartment in Veres. I inhaled the scent of him deeply, allowing myself to sink into the fact that he was mine. My husband. In all my wildest dreams, I'd never thought we'd make it this far. And even though there were miles to go
before we could relax, it was comforting to know we'd face those obstacles together.
In the closet, there were even more dresses and shirts than the day before. Galian had said his mother's people would be responsible for buying my things, and although I'd been horrified at the thought of someone else picking out my underwear, I couldn't deny that it was nice to open one of the intricately carved drawers and discover a plethora of clean items.
I languished in the shower, finding it stocked not only with Galian's particular brand of soap, but also a lavender-scented one that left my skin soft and supple. There were lotions and cosmetics in his vanity area, more than I'd ever seen before, and all for me. Korina must've arranged for this finery; I'd have to remember to thank her later. I tried some of the powder on my face, but frowned—it was entirely the wrong shade. I washed it off before foregoing the entire set and leaving the bathroom.
Galian's private suite consisted of his bedroom, closet, and bathroom, but there was a semi-private sitting room on the other side of the bedroom that he called his parlor. There were a few uncomfortable couches, a writing desk, and large windows open to the blue sky. I stood in front of them, gazing out onto the green, lush gardens and allowing the sun to wake me further.
My stomach rumbled with hunger, but I wasn't sure what the protocol was. Did Galian ask for a meal to be delivered to his room? If so, whom did he ask?
The door jiggled and I spun around, nervous for no reason. I was Galian's wife—of course I deserved to be there. But the idea of being in this castle, in enemy territory, without him was suddenly terrifying.
A young Kylaen woman popped her head in, glancing about the room until her gaze landed on me. I think she might've noticed the scared look on my face, because she smiled warmly as she slipped through the heavy doors.
"You must be Princess Theo."
I choked on my spit. "Who's calling me that?"
"You're to be Prince Galian's wife, aren't you?" She smiled. "You need to start getting used to the title."
"Please don't ever call me that again," I said, placing my hand over my heart. "Theo is just fine."
"Very well, Theo, my name is Filippa. I'm Queen Korina's personal assistant. I've come to see if you'd like your breakfast delivered."
I nodded. "I wasn't sure who I needed to..."
"It's no problem at all, Your Highness."
I winced at the title, but didn't correct her. I'd thought I had to be crowned or something in order to be called that. Before I could say another word, she was opening the doors for a gray-haired woman, who shuffled in with a plate of food. She placed the gold-plated tray on top of a table without looking me in the eye then bowed and left before I could properly thank her.
I stood for a moment, staring at Filippa like an idiot, before I realized that she expected me to eat the food she'd brought. Slowly, I crossed the room to the table, jumping when Filippa held out the chair for me.
"Please, sit," she said with a kind smile.
"You really...this is too much," I stammered, but sat down all the same. She pushed my chair in then lifted the golden cover off the tray, revealing a mouth-watering meal of eggs, bacon, sausage, and some puffy bread I'd never seen before. Filippa poured coffee from a golden carafe into a china cup, and offered me milk and sugar, which I declined. Then she stood, hands clasped behind her back, watching me.
"Er..."
"Please, Your Highness—"
"Theo, please," I insisted. "I'm not, nor do I want to be, a princess."
She cocked her head. "But you're marrying Prince Galian?"
"His royal status was one of his cons, trust me," I muttered, picking up the gold fork and staring at it.
"Is there something wrong with your food?"
"N-no, but...I mean, are you going to watch me eat it?" I felt like a complete idiot.
She chuckled. "Royal protocol is for me to wait until you've tasted the meal. Then I'll leave you in peace."
"Oh..." I picked up a piece of bacon and chomped down on it. The sweet, salty pork melted in my mouth and I tried to keep in a moan. "It's very good."
"Excellent," she said, bowing. "I'll leave you—"
"No, stay," I said, having shoved the rest of the bacon in my mouth. "Please, I'd like some company this morning."
She hesitated, as if she didn't understand. But I figured, if she was Korina's assistant, perhaps she'd be an ally.
"I mean," I swallowed the bacon, "Galian's at work for the next...however long, and I don't...well, I don't really know what to do with myself. And you seem to know what's going on around here. I could use some tips on how not to get beheaded."
She snorted, but then took the seat opposite me. "Beheadings were outlawed over a hundred years ago."
"Good to know," I said, drinking the most delicious coffee I'd ever tasted. "You know, if Galian grew up eating this way, it's no wonder he whined so much on the island." She smiled, but didn't respond, so I inhaled more food, only pausing to remind myself not to eat like a total barbarian in front of her. "The past few days have been completely... I don't even know which way is up anymore. One minute, I'm meeting with the Raven rebels, the next I'm—"
"Theo, dear?" Korina's melodic voice echoed through the room.
In an instant, Filippa was on her feet, her gaze on the floor and her face bright red.
Korina saw the two of us and smiled brightly. "Filippa, darling, thank you for keeping Theo company this morning. I have a favor to ask. Can you please run to Rhys's office and ask him to meet with me at his earliest convenience?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." And before I could say another word, my new friend rushed out of the room, not making eye contact with the queen.
When the door closed, Korina turned her kind glance on me, but there was a little annoyance in it. "Darling, Filippa works for the king. Please be careful what you share with her."
My mouth dropped open, and two crumbs fell out. Then, blushing, I closed my lips and wiped the corners. "I'm so... I didn't..."
"Darling, it's fine. You can't be expected to know all the loyalties of this castle," Korina said, taking the seat vacated by Filippa. "But a good rule is if you haven't spoken to a person before, expect their intentions not to be aligned with yours."
"You'd think I would've known better by now," I said, picking at the remainder of my breakfast.
"Filippa fooled me for a bit as well," Korina said. "I wanted to let you know I've scheduled a dressmaker to stop by today. We won't have time to discuss anything, so please keep your comments brief and your smile bright. I can't say there won't be a photographer here either."
I grimaced, but nodded.
"I will tell Filippa to collect a list of all the charities dealing with the poor and the refugees in the slums," Korina continued without stopping. "With any luck, we should have our first meeting within the week. But I'll ask you to keep any comments on the task at hand. Grieg will have spies, so we'll have to be delicate."
"I will," I said. "And this dressmaker..."
She had the good grace to pity me. "I'm afraid you'll be expected to wear a rather refined set of clothes, in public, anyway. If you want to be accepted in Kylaen society—and, if we want to make anything happen, you do—then you'll have to put aside your military training and learn how to be a lady."
"Fantastic."
Filippa returned, much to my annoyance, and stood ready to answer whatever direction the queen might offer. Korina's countenance changed almost immediately, and she grew colder, her head drawn higher. I supposed this was what she meant by putting on appearances.
"Filippa, dear, we'll need to see about getting my hairdresser here, as well as my esthetician. I can't have her going on camera this afternoon looking like this."
I tried to recall that Korina was playing a part, but she was very good at it.
"Yes ma'am," Filippa said with a similarly haughty glance to me. I only supposed her earlier sweetness was an attempt to draw information out of me and now that she was found o
ut, she'd take her cues from the queen.
It was going to be a long day.
Galian
The sun was setting by the time I finally got off my shift. Snyder proved to be much nicer than Johar, and we had a great conversation about his family on the ride home. But even though I'd been on my feet for twelve hours, I was wide awake and eager to see what awaited me when I opened my bedroom door.
To be honest, I'd been looking forward to this all day. The sight of her curled up on one of my couches, holding a steaming mug and reading a book was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen. I opened the door fully and leaned against the doorframe for a moment, burning this into my memory.
"Amichai," she said, before furrowing her brow. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I replied with a smile. "You just... I've been waiting to do this for months now."
"What?"
"Come home to you. Like this."
Her lips parted in surprise, and I closed the door behind me, leaning against it and watching her.
"Um." It was rare for Theo to be at a loss for words, so I enjoyed the way she squirmed and fidgeted.
"Don't you dare ask me how work was, or else I might not be able to take the pure normalcy of it," I said with a grin.
She finally laughed, putting her cup on the table next to her and sliding off the couch to come meet me. "How was work, amichai?"
"Uh!" I put my hand over my heart. "I can't take it, amichai. Too much normalcy."
She slipped her hands around my waist and kissed me gently. "Say it again."
"Amichai?" Her eyes lit up, as if the word were as pleasurable as my lips on her skin. "I've gotten pretty good at it, hm?"
"Just keep saying it," she whispered. "Then I can forget all about the weirdest day of my life."
"Oh?" I said, taking her hand and letting her walk me back to the couch. "How so?"
"Let's see. First I woke up without my husband because the son of a bitch left me to the wolves." To my surprise, she climbed on top of me, straddling my hips. "Then I met Filippa—"
The Complete Madion War Trilogy Page 59