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“You’re obsessed with that word.”
“Shouldn’t I be? I don’t see why you are not concerned.”
This talk makes me uncomfortable. “I’m not… I’m not the one they’d send for a wedding like that. And to wed the Crystal Court king… they might send the princess herself. It’s a dream alliance.” Maybe not, if I recall what I overheard, but there was no guarantee Otavio would succeed.
“An alliance that was carefully planned. Fair, maybe they’ll send the princess. And they might send her maids with her. Same problem.”
I’m rattled by how much he knows about me, and yet I don’t want to ask how he learned it and reveal that he’s right, in case he’s bluffing. Also, I still don’t think King Renel was the alliance Otavio and Andrezza meant. “The odds that your brother will want to marry Princess Driziely are zero.”
“Then you’re not paying attention. The Krastel King has spread far and wide the myth that his daughter is the most beautiful woman in the world, the most enchanting, that men who catch a mere glimpse of her go wild with desire.”
“That’s nonsense.”
“Obviously.” He gestures towards me. “I’m here looking at you and know that it’s a ridiculous farce.”
Wow, thanks! I mean, not that I think me and the other substitutes can drive anyone mad with desire, but the way he says it… I keep my face flat, though.
He continues, “You know why your king is doing it? To make her a coveted prize. The man who marries her will attain a symbol of power, a symbol of prestige. Yes, my brother would eat that up.”
“Because you obviously think he’s stupid.”
“Not at all.” His forehead has a slight frown. “He’s brilliant. And he knows that symbols matter.”
None of this makes sense. “He can have a beautiful fae wife.”
“He can have hundreds of fae lovers. That’s a different issue. He won’t pass up this opportunity.”
I roll my eyes. “I guess you have it all figured out, then.”
“Oh, I do.” I can see the scheming, the evil in his words, his poorly contained anger. “It’s about predicting your opponent’s moves. I won’t lie.” He leans forward, his face close to me. “There is a satisfaction in owning something that would be his.”
As if he didn’t have a whole bunch of stuff stolen from his brother. “I’m not a thing.”
“For him, you’d be.” He’s still close, his smell fresh and citrusy.
Perhaps this is not the best time to realize I haven’t even bathed before coming, so I stick to the topic, and I’m honest. “And I wouldn’t be the one sent to marry him, if that ever came to pass.”
“Well, that’s not a risk I’m willing to take. Happy now? That you know why I married you? So you won’t be wondering if I’m planning to feed you to the fish.”
His logic is based on some bold assumptions, but I understand that he doesn’t want me spilling his secrets, which means… It hits me then, and I meet his eyes. “You’ll keep me as a prisoner.”
“Right. Such a pity, you were so free before that. And prisoner, wife, is that really different?”
“A wife can come and go as she pleases.”
“Not all of them, no.” He points a finger at me. “That said, at least you won’t be?—”
“Raped. I know. Can you stop?”
“I was going to say mistreated, but it’s true that your point is a lot more valid. And I’ll protect you.”
Still, this is a punishment, but I can’t be the only one who’s unhappy. I smile at him. “Congratulations. You just married a measly…” I was going to say substitute, but I don’t want to reveal that. What should I say? Maid? Attendant? “Guard.”
“You are the legitimate Crystal Court Queen.”
Am I supposed to laugh? Maybe not. “I meant before.”
He smirks. “You were the future legitimate Crystal Court Queen.”
