Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 104842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“I’m their leader, and I will do all that’s expected of a leader.”
“Okay.”
“But anything that pertains to my personal life—my consort, my eventual heir, and our entourage—is no longer for public consumption.”
“Yes, my prince,” I soothed him.
“You’re placating me.”
“I’m not,” I said quickly. “I agree. It’s time to rid the palace of all its vipers.”
“Yes.”
“And on the subject of vipers, please inform Alrek that his mother is no longer living in the palace, but in Paris now with two of her sisters.”
He cackled, actually cackled, and that was naughty but understandable. Had there been a list of palace vipers, Lady Chione’s name would have topped it. “I’m so pleased, but how did you manage that?”
“I had nothing to do with it. On your father’s orders, Lady Chione was exiled from the palace and is not allowed to return.”
“I’m stunned by this news. She was his first courtesan, as well as the first to ever give him a child.”
“Well, I don’t think your father thinks too kindly of her at the moment.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
“Am I still on speaker?”
“No.”
“Okay, so I think Alrek running away didn’t help his mother’s case to remain in the palace. Your father blames her, which is insane.”
“Well, my mother is the superior woman and the superior mother. She raised Cassius and me a certain way that I can assure you, Alrek was not.”
“But there are so many other factors that go along with—”
“You always have to try and make me see reason.”
“Of course.”
“Of course,” he repeated. “Well, I’m happy she’s gone. I remember falling once as a child, and she laughed. I went running to my mother, bleeding, and she comforted me, and when I told her what Chione had done, she said two things.”
I loved these talks with Varic. Usually they happened late at night, in bed, in the dark, and he would speak to me as he was now, softly, in confidence, revealing secrets he only ever shared with me.
“She said to make certain I never put myself or anyone I loved within Lady Chione’s grasp, and that she’d laughed because she hated me so completely.”
“Hated you?”
“As you know, Alrek and I are only days apart. My father’s courtesan and my mother were pregnant at the same time, but my father was only waiting outside one room, pacing the floor, and that was my mother’s.”
I sighed deeply because even though Lady Chione was a horror of a woman, she’d deserved more, and so had Alrek.
“I was the one he showed off, and my mother was the one whose side he never left. My father sent Lady Chione jewels, provided her servants, but he didn’t bathe her son. He didn’t fall asleep with him on his chest, and he didn’t carry him on his shoulders or tell him stories.”
“You love him so much.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Maybe remind him that you do before you have your talk.”
“My father is a great man, and I know he loves me. But Cassius was just like him. Same temperament, same vices, same hunger. They were so suited as king and heir, more like drinking buddies than father and son.”
“And then Cassius died.”
“Yes. And there was me, who was so much more like his queen, whom he loved but never understood. We have been at odds since I learned to speak.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“It’s because he’s always wanted more of everything. More gold, more lovers, more land, just…more.”
“And you?”
“Me? You know. I’ve always been on the side of temperance and planning. I can fall into debauchery like any other, but I could never stay long. Too much to do.”
“Gideon was right about one thing: you will make a wonderful king.”
“Well, I’ll certainly be a king who has much more room for visitors, as every last courtesan will be expelled from the palace when I take the throne.”
I laughed, and it was nice that he joined in.
“Tell me more about Lady Chione,” he instructed.
“There’s nothing else to tell. Your father sent her away, and Solveig, Alrek’s intended, returned home and is now engaged to Duke Leif Olsson.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know him, only that he’s a duke. When he called for permission from your father to marry her, I gave it in his stead, as the king was indisposed.”
He scoffed. “Indisposed indeed.”
“The duke seemed like a nice guy on the phone. I called Solveig to make sure she liked him, even though, as you know, I can’t stand her.”
“For good reason. She was terrible to you.”
“Yeah, but Alrek was jealous of you, and I’m sure some of that rubbed off. But regardless, she’s head over heels for Leif, so that’s good.”
“Only you would check, or care that she was happy.”
“It’s important to me. I don’t want any loveless unions on my watch.”
Varic groaned, and then I heard him exhale. “This is working, you know—us, talking as though something horrible was not about to happen before I called.”