Darragh slid in beside him and pulled Finn close. It hurt that his husband’s body remained rigid and unyielding, but Darragh knew he deserved it.
“I married you for your authenticity,” Darragh murmured. “Because you treat me like a man first, a monarch second. Because you bring laughter into my life and push back when I need it and give a damn about repairing what’s damaged.” He pressed his face against Finn’s hair. “Thomas can’t change any of that.”
Finn didn’t respond. Eventually, his breathing evened out into sleep, but even unconscious, he remained tense, curled in on himself.
Darragh lay awake, fury building in his chest. He was struggling to believe all he’d learned, and yet now that he knew about it, it was impossible to ignore.
Thomas - quiet, loyal Thomas who’d served Darragh’s father. Who’d helped Darragh navigate his first year as king. Who’d apparently decided that a fifth son with no court training had no business wearing the consort’s crown.
And maybe Thomas wasn’t wrong about the court training. Maybe Finn did lack the polish and diplomatic experience that someone else might have brought to the position.
But Darragh had chosen Finn anyway and had seen past all the logical objections to the person underneath. He had believed that love and authenticity were enough.
It was me who was naive.
The court was brutal to outsiders. Darragh knew that. He had watched it devour well-meaning people before. He should have protected Finn better. Should have anticipated that someone would try to undermine him. Should have built strongerdefenses around his husband instead of just insisting that Finn be himself.
Being himself was never going to work for Finn if someone was actively sabotaging every act.
In the quiet of the night, listening to Finn’s quiet breathing, Darragh made a silent vow.
Things would change. He wouldn’t just be supportive anymore - wouldn’t just reassure Finn that everything would work out. He’d be a true partner. He would actively help Finn navigate their world rather than throwing him into it and expecting authenticity to carry him through.
No more letting his advisers question Finn’s competence. Darragh was determined to establish Finn’s authority so clearly that no one would dare undermine it.
Protect who I love instead of assuming love is protection enough.
Finn shifted in his sleep, a small sound escaping his throat. Darragh tightened his arms around him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I should have seen this sooner. Should have protected you better.”
Darragh closed his eyes but didn’t sleep. He just held his husband and planned for the morning, when they’d bait the trap and wait to see if Thomas would damn himself.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Tell me again why we’re creating a diplomatic nightmare on purpose?” Finn stared at the document Darragh was drafting - a complete reorganization of delegation room assignments that would place rival kingdoms next to each other and separate allies. “I thought we were messing with the table arrangements.”
“We’ve done that, too. But this is equally important, and again, Thomas won’t be able to resist ‘fixing’ it.” Darragh made another notation. “This puts Queen Valdis two floors below her required accommodation level and assigns the Montclaire ambassador to the east wing, which everyone knows has plumbing issues.”
Helena reviewed the document over Darragh’s shoulder. “The Northern Collective representative is placed next to the Southern Alliance envoy. They haven’t spoken in three years.”
“Perfect.” Darragh signed it with a flourish. “Finn, you need to make this look legitimate. Put it in your handwriting, file it properly, reference it in conversation.”
Finn copied the assignments into his neat script, his stomach churning. The fake document was so obviously terrible that any competent person would immediately flag it, which was the point. It was bait too tempting for Thomas to ignore.
“What if he doesn’t take it?” Finn set down his pen. “What are we going to do if I am wrong about him?”
“You’re not wrong.” Aldric’s lips tightened with suppressed anger. “After you came to us, I’ve been reviewing records from the past three months. Every incident has Thomas’s fingerprints on it. He had access to your office, to the wine delivery schedules, and to the furniture orders. He was present at every critical juncture.”
“But why?” Finn’s voice cracked. “What did I do to him?”
“I hate to say it, but it’s because you exist.” Helena’s tone was matter of fact. “You represent everything Thomas believes is wrong with Darragh’s approach to governance. He’s spent years trying to make Safe Harbor more refined, more diplomatic, more acceptable to the established kingdoms. Then Darragh marries a carpenter.”
Finn flinched at the blunt assessment, and Darragh caught his hand. “Finish the document. We’ll make sure Thomas overhears us discussing it, then we wait.”
/~/~/~/~/
An hour later, Finn stood in the main corridor outside the council chamber, speaking loudly enough to be overheard. Thomas was in the adjacent room - Finn could see his shadow through the partially open door.
