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“You’re awake?” Her voice was soft and sleepy. “What time is it?”
“It’s not morning yet. Sleep.”
She yawned and then closed her eyes again. Her fingers trailed over my chest, drawing lazy circles. I listened to the steady rhythm of her breathing, letting it lull me into a state of peace.
“Tell me something honest,” she said.
This game only ever went one way—with one of us, sometimes both, spilling our emotional baggage.
“Why don’t you tell me something honest?”
“I asked you first.”
Her tone was light, but I still felt uneasy about what was to come next. I inhaled deeply.
“I’m happy I met you.”
She chuckled. “You don’t think I’m an insufferable nuisance?”
“Oh no, I do,” I teased. “I just think your more pleasant traits are worth suffering for.”
She giggled and rolled on top of me, propping herself up with her hands planted on my chest. Her smile was bright as the morning sun. Almost bright enough to make me forget about the darkness surrounding us.
But then her smile faltered, and she looked pensive.
“It’s your turn,” I reminded her. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted whatever truth was on her mind, but it was better to speak of it now than let it fester.
She didn’t look at me when she spoke, instead staring at the spot on my chest that she traced with her fingertip. “I don’t want to marry your brother.”
My bones turned to ice. I didn’t want to think about Cyrus, especially not while Emilie was naked and tangled in the sheets with me.
Thinking of my brother made me feel guilty. He would never forgive me for this betrayal. I didn’t know how I would ever forgive myself. The only thing that kept me from spiraling into misery was the ability to push it off until we were far from Murvort and safe.
“What’s going to happen if we return to Osavian?” she asked.
“When,” I corrected. “When we return.”
Her silence was staggering. Each day we spent trapped in this mountain etched away at our hope of getting out.
“When we return to Osavian, we will figure it out.”
“Your mother will hate me. Your people will despise me. Cyrus’s first wife, Isabella was so beloved by the kingdom. And I am every bit the traitorous whore you thought I was.”
“Don’t you ever say that again.” The words stuck in my throat. I hated that I’d ever belittled her like that. How wrong I had been…
“I wanted to do something meaningful as queen and all I’ve done is make a mess. Your family—my family—will never forgive me. I’ve ruined everything.”
I rolled over, pushing her to her back and placed both of my hands on her cheeks. “You haven’t done anything that I haven’t done with you. Whatever sins you’ve committed, I’ve committed too.”
“What will we do?”
“First, we will get out of here. Then we will talk to Cyrus. Perhaps he can be convinced that this marriage isn’t for the best.”
She laughed, unamused. “Didn’t you try that already?”
“I did. But that was before. We can try another angle. After everything you’ve been through, you’re not in the right mind to be queen.”
She laughed more earnestly. “So your plan is to tell him I’m unstable?”
