“I never had him anyway, Drea. I lost him when he was taken away, and he’s never coming back. That boy is a stranger to me.”
“You still have a chance to repair things.”
“I lost my chance when I failed to locate him as a child. You were there when I was searching for him. I nearly killed myself trying to find him. You can’t say I didn’t do everything I could. You were the one who told me I needed to stop!”
“I know that, Cameron. I realize you tried as hard as you were able.”
Drea’s words were cutting as she hissed, “Even so, I wonder if you were happy to give up the search, because that meant you no longer had to share your birthright.”
Cameron’s voice had grown small. “Kelly wasn’t supposed to get pregnant. That wasn’t part of the plan. I told her not to go through with it, but for as much as I tried to talk her out of it, she had him anyway. Look where it’s led.”
Oberi felt the blow of his words as hard as I did. My Familiar cringed against my legs as I struggled to breathe past the strike my father had delivered that was far more painful than the slap he’d just dealt me.
I was never wanted by my dad. Maybe I’d always known it deep down, but I’d hoped my conception had been planned… something my parents had wanted together, and not something that had happened by accident.
It was stupid to have wished for that. I was unaccepted and unloved. Everywhere. By everyone.
“Then what was the plan? You find a Nivita girl, run off into the sunset and live happily ever after, with no ties to anything, no obligations?” Drea sounded disgusted. “That’s not how this family works.”
“Perhaps not when my father was alive, but I’m in charge now,” Cameron growled. “I’m running the show, so I call the shots.”
“Well, you’re good at abandoning people. I shouldn’t be surprised you’ve thrown Charlie aside, because you’ve cast away others. I’m sure you’ll expect your son to come crawling back in a few years’ time, like I did.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“I know you settled for me when you could no longer have Kelly. You knew I had feelings for you before you left for Kinpago, because I told you so, but you rejected me and ran off. Then when you came back after your wife was gone, I was all you had.” Drea sounded on the edge of tears. “I chose to marry you after I knew I was second in your eyes. You’re not convincing me I made the right choice. What would Kelly think, if she could be here to witness what you’ve done?”
“This again.” Cameron had turned to patronizing. “I’m sick of having this argument, Drea. I won’t continue it any longer. It doesn’t matter what Kelly would think, because she’s not here. You are, so why does it matter?”
“Kelly isn’t here to advocate for her son, so I will do so on her behalf! Imagine the shame if your father knew. If he saw you lay hands on your son, he would make sure you never forgot the punishment for doing so. I’m certain that as we speak, Cassiel turns in his grave!”
“Don’t you dare speak of my father. You have no right!” Cameron thundered. “You were not born a royal nor a noble. You know nothing of my plight, so you will keep silent, and keep your eyes where I tell you to put them. You do not think, act, breathe unless I command it! If that means you must look away, then look away. I will not ask a second time.”
Drea’s voice grew incredibly cold. “Since I should learn my place, let’s see who will warm your bed tonight, your majesty.”
“Drea—” Cameron called after her, but I was certain she was already gone. Cameron gave an angry noise, and I heard glass shatter against the wall.
Drea’s visit to the training center makes a lot more sense, Oberi mused.
I got out of there, because the last thing I needed was someone to catch me eavesdropping. My father would probably give me another smack.
I couldn’t believe Cameron had talked to Drea that way. I’d done some horrible things to Ava, but I would never consider speaking to her as if she was beneath me. Even when I’d tried to lock her up, I’d still recognized my wife as an equal— better than me, even.
Cameron liked lording his power over people when in reality, he didn’t have any, because he had no idea how to rule an empire. Looked like Drea was starting to realize that.
As we walked, I noticed the hall was silent. Cameron had ordered his guards to follow me everywhere I went, but I realized they weren’t around now. I wasn’t sure of the last time I’d heard them. It could’ve been days.
I scoffed at my father’s incompetence. It was to be expected, but it still shocked me that he was capable of such complete and utter foolishness. It was clear that the guards had stopped taking his orders seriously, particularly those orders that weren’t magically binding, and it looked like this was of them. If the Elves, who were spectacularly loyal people, were disobeying the Emperor’s orders after a lifetime of being trained to obey them to a fault, then he really was a terrible ruler.
I assumed Drea must’ve had something to do with the guards’ absence. She had to be advocating for me behind closed doors and telling them to stop following me around. She was actually a good stepmom… and I hadn’t been very kind towards her.
Now that my father had declared our relationship over, I wasn’t sure he’d send more guards after me, anyway. He just didn’t care, and never had. That was abundantly clear now.
Are you okay? Oberi asked gently, putting a paw on my shoe.
I struggled to answer past the knot in my throat. “I’m fine. It’s not like it matters. I don’t want him in my life, anyway.”
Oberi let it drop, but pressed against my legs to let me know he was there. None of us could do anything about how Cameron ran the place. But in the meantime, I was sick of doing nothing and needed to get my mind off my father. Takahashi had requested my presence in the Hidden Legends Archives after my prince lessons, so I started that way now.
