Ronan scrunched his nose in disgust. “You saw them? Likesawthem?”
Mother sighed, brushing her hair over one shoulder. “The man is a fool.”
Her words stung. I valued her opinion more than most, and she thought him foolish, a lovesick boy handing over everything for a girl. But I knew him better than that.
“He’s not a simpleton,” Father said, watching me closely. “There’s a reason he made that offer. Nienna, tell him I’ll meet him in my study after dinner.”
I dipped my head and rose. They would speak of me once I left—I was certain—but I needed to see him.
My boots clicked through the halls, and I kept my expression carefully neutral as servants glanced my way. Smiles hovered on their lips, eyes curious, searching for signs. They wanted to know if this meant security. Would we feast again with Radaan’s backing or go without, cut off from both Radaan and Innaku?
I rapped lightly on the door to Kallias’ quarters.
Greaves opened it with his usual discipline, but surprise flickered in his eyes before his mask returned. Inside, I spotted Fallione with his head cradled in his hands. Kallias stood nearby, one hand braced on the table, the other buried in his hair.
When he noticed me, his face twisted in something between relief and resignation. “Everyone out.”
His advisor rose, cleared his throat, and bowed before exiting. Greaves followed, footsteps clipped and reluctant.
“What was that?” I asked, narrowing my gaze. He looked like a creature too long in a cage.
Kallias exhaled and winced as he raked his fingers through his hair. He pulled out a chair and gestured. “Sit.”
“And if I want to stand?”
“Sit,” he repeated, flat as iron.
I took the seat across from him. He leaned forward, elbows braced against the table’s surface, fist pressed to his lips, gaze distant.
“You offered Draconia your entire kingdom.”
My voice stayed even, though his eyes told me he was still caught in a storm he couldn’t navigate.
His nostrils flared as he turned to me. “Because I had no other choice.”
“You have Tallon–”
“I burned that bridge,” he interrupted. “For you, I gave him up.”
I recoiled as if he slapped me.
“No need to feign offense,” he said. “It wasn’t a difficult decision. The boy makes my blood boil. He’s impulsive. Cold. Cruel when he thinks no one’s watching. The beast would make a terrible ruler. You are the wiser choice.”
He looked away, eyes landing on a mounted fish along the wall. “But more than that—I have my reservations concerning his legitimacy.”
His throat bobbed in a thick swallow, but he remained silent, letting that sit with me.
“I heard you call him a bastard,” I murmured. “Scythe and I… we listened in. Through the passages.”
His frown eased a fraction, and he huffed out a breath. “What else did you hear?”
My expression tugged into a coy grin. “Nothing important.”
His hands returned to his temples, circling as if to scrub the thought away. “My concern isn’t the throne. Not even the scandal of illegitimacy. I tried for months,years,to sire a child.” His teeth bared in a tight grimace. “My doubt is that I can produce an heir.”
Surprise flooded me. I never once considered that. If Tallon wasn’t his, and if he’d tried that long with his late wife…
Was it her?
