“It smells like sex.”
My nose scrunched as my head shook.
She frowned and stomped her foot, believing me at last. “Damn it. I'm really rooting for you two.”
Sebastian metme at my room to walk me to his father’s study for my biweekly meeting. Neither of us had much to say this afternoon, but the look he gave me when we arrived said enough. He went to grab the door handle, but King Hawthorne opened it from his end.
“Good afternoon, Miss Willawood.”
“Hello, Your Majesty.”
The king turned his attention to Sebastian. “I will be speaking to Maeve alone today, soldier.”
Anger flared inside of me. I ground my jaw, hating when he referred to Sebastian as anything other than his son. It just seemed so wrong to me.
The look Sebastian gave his father suggested that he wanted to argue, but knew better than to even try. “I guess I’ll just wait out here then,” he said, then sank against the wall and to the ground, where he reached into his bag for his current read.
The king held the door open for me and I entered his study, sitting in my usual seat. He sat down behind his desk, crossing his hands in front of him. “I heard you have not been feeling well the past few days?”
I cleared my throat. “No, sir, I have not.”
“I trust you are feeling better now considering you made it to our meeting?”
“I am.”
“Good. I believe it is long overdue that you and I have a discussion just the two of us.” He granted me an insincere grin. “There are a few matters I have been meaning to discuss with you. First and foremost, I wanted to let you know that we have uncovered the name of the one who spoke of your gift tothe Draemornians. Duke Sinclair has been working day and night to locate the traitor, and believes he is close to doing so. Once captured, he will be executed.”
I clenched my fists. I already knew this.Fucking Fletcher.
“In addition to this good news?—”
I scoffed. Good news? Since when was killing someone considered good news? Don't get me wrong, Edward Fletcher deserved some sort of punishment, but death seemed a bit harsh.
I coughed to try and cover my ass.
King Hawthorne glowered at me, but disregarded my rudeness. “There is a more serious matter to discuss. The King of Draemor has presented me with an option to cease his threats of war against Caelestis.” He paused to watch my reaction, which was a fake look of alarm as I already knew that as well.
“Cyprian Beaumont did not address you by name, meaning he still does not know who you are specifically. However, he did request that Caelestis hand over their constellastone-gifted individual, in return for a peace treaty.”
I yawned, showcasing my boredom with the conversation.
“I would be a fool to release the most powerful individual Caelestis has ever seen into the hands of our enemy. So naturally, I declined this bargain.”
He stared at me, awaiting a thank you to leave my lips. He was an idiot if he thought he would ever hear those words from me.
“Is that all?” I asked him, disregarding everything he'd told me. Why couldn't Sebastian be here for this meeting? He already knew all of this, too.
He scowled at me. “No, Miss Willawood, there is one more thing I wish to discuss with you.”
I adjusted my posture in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable from his words.
“May I remind you that in less than two years, you will bea soldier of Caelestis, and I expect you to act as one. That title does not come lightly.”
I had to avoid rolling my eyes. He was acting as if I wanted to become a soldier—as if it were a privilege.
“If war does commence, youwillutilize your gift in whatever means necessary to protect my kingdom. If that means you must use your power to kill every single Draemornian who threatens Caelestis, then that is what you will do. If that means you need to train around the clock to be superior in combat, that is what you will do.”
That comment almost made me laugh. He had no idea what Sebastian and I had planned in regard to my training.
