“This isn’t about you—or her,” Kallias snarled. “It’s about your kingdom, boy. Act like an heir, or I’ll treat you as the bastard you are.”
I recoiled, the words stinging. Terror poured through me, freezing my veins. Scythe’s face mirrored my shock as we both backed away, barely able to move without making a sound. On shaking limbs, we fled down the passage, praying they hadn’t heard our frantic scramble.
My heart pounded, refusing to calm even as we crawled onto my plush carpet and shut the door. Neither of us spoke as we shoved the chest back in place, then slumped to the floor in exhaustion.
Scythe grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight, forcing me to meet her eye. “It’s just a phrase,” she said. “Simple name-calling.”
Bastard.
Coming from King Kallias, I wasn’t sure how much truth lay in her statement. Or his.
Chapter Five
Nienna
When Edith arrived in the morning, I was already awake. Scythe had smuggled my robe and headscarf away for washing, and the older maid’s skeptical gaze landed on me, though she kept her questions silent.
“Lady Fyrn’sol requested your company for tea after you bid farewell to His Highness Ronan Draconis.” Edith tugged my hair free of its braid, her tone careful. “Several high ladies are expected as well.”
I rolled my shoulders and straightened my spine. It was better to deal with their whispers and accusations directly than let them fester behind closed doors.
Why couldn’t Tallon stand by me for just one evening? Next time, I’d cling to his arm and stick to his side like a sucker fish.
I swallowed, my thoughts flickering to the king’s words from last night.Bastard.Surely Scythe was right; it had to be a curse hurled in anger, nothing more.
There was so much about Radaan royalty that I now questioned. Across the seas, people knew there was no love lost between Queen Eldeiade and King Kallias. She’d died nearly two years ago, a victim of the same plague that had swept the palace. Yet after last night’s talk of banishment, I wondered if there’d been more to their rift than mere estrangement. No king would idly threaten to exile his queen; it would tarnish not only his family but the kingdom’s honor.
Radaan thrived on principles of honor and respect. Elohios, the god they worshiped, demanded no less from the royal line. I knew the basics of Radaanian beliefs, though religion held little place in Tallon’s life—or so I’d been told—and so I hadn’tprioritized it myself.
Scythe had slipped away that morning, intent on finding anything she could about the late queen. If there was truth in the king’s capacity for violence, I needed to know if it extended to those in his path—particularly those close to his son.
I frowned at myself in the mirror. On the dance floor, Kallias behaved with an almost surprising warmth, the hint of a friendlier man beneath the iron mask. Cold, yes, and remote, but he didn’t strike me as someone who would murder a wife. Or his son’s future bride.
“A little longer, and you’ll have permanent lines from that frown,” Edith hummed, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, loosening the tension in my brow. “I’m just… concerned about the tea,” I admitted, smoothing my hands over my dress.
“Princess, you were raised among dragons. A few high ladies with too much lace and perfume are hardly worth fretting over.”
I scoffed and grinned, though a pang pulsed through me at her words. The beasts held more honesty than these courtiers, I was certain. At least a dragon wouldn’t hesitate to show its teeth before going for the kill.
A hollowness settled in my chest. Soon I’d be saying goodbye to Ronan, to Gyrak, to the only pieces of home I had left.
“I still can’t fathom why Prince Tallon abandoned me,” I muttered, eyes drifting to the emeralds Edith pinned in my hair—reminding me of the green of Kallias’ coat from last night.
“Perhaps he had other matters to attend to.” Her lips thinned, though she didn’t seem convinced by her own words.
The exchange I’d overheard told me otherwise. He had no affairs that mattered—at least, not according to his father.
“I’m sure it was important.”
I forced the lie to sound easy, then rose as Edith helped me into a gown that shimmered like liquid sunlight. Golden fabric poured in graceful cascades with a slit on one side to keep it as functional as it was formal. Beneath, gold-toned breeches and leather boots kept me grounded in practicality. Thankfully, the hem hid them from view, allowing me to blend in with Radaan’s style without losing myself.
Edith clicked her tongue, fingers tugging at the snug fabric that clung to my arms. Her pursed lips spoke volumes about her disapproval of my refusal to embrace the kingdom’s bulbous-sleeved fashion.
But I was Draconis. No ridiculous, puffed-up sleeves would cover my shoulders.
Once she declared me presentable, I stepped out, my frustration flaring as guards fell into place beside me.
