She turned his words over in her mind. “If unrest can be exploited, would House Mezerin see it as an opportunity?”
“They have a knack for knowing which embers to stoke—and which flames to fan.”
“Would they go so far as to work with someone like Castiel?”
He didn’t answer immediately. “You glimpsed Castiel Vaelmont on the same day Lady Annaïs invited you into the city. That alone warrants consideration.”
A chill traced down her spine. “Would they truly risk destabilizing the kingdom? Destroy everything to climb higher?”
Marzius’s gaze darkened. “House Mezerin once ruled Asadia, long before House Asad. When their last Alpha line died out, power slipped through their fingers. Without Alphas, their influence waned, and my king’s ancestors rose in their place.” His voice dipped lower. “They have not forgotten that loss. Nor have they stopped trying to reclaim what they see as their birthright.”
Reiya considered this carefully. It wasn’t just history—it was a wound that had never fully healed, a reminder that power was never truly secure. And if the Mezerins still harboured ambitions . . .
The captain exhaled sharply, as if brushing away the past, but his toneremained edged. “It was a time of betrayal and bloodshed. Brother turned against brother, tearing Asadia apart. Provinces fell to ruin, left defenceless against famine and raiders. The youngest son—King Azarion’s grandfather—claimed the throne, but not without cost. He’d killed his brothers. And the kingdom’s scars remained long after the war ended.”
So the echoes of that war still lingered, not just in history, but in the tensions that simmered beneath the surface of Asadia’s court. Power was never seized without cost, and rarely was it relinquished without consequence.
“It must’ve been a dark time,” she murmured.
“A monarchy encourages heirs, but ambition paired with power breeds destruction. That war reshaped our royal traditions. To prevent such tragedy, the roles of royal brothers were divided—one to govern, one to command the army. If there were more princes, they would be delegated to other aspects of governance. But even divided, ambition can fester.”
His gaze flicked to hers, sharp. “That is why the bond between brothers is sacred in Asadia. Without it, peace crumbles.”
Reiya thought of Kaelen and Alarik—their playful bickering, their unspoken understanding, the fierce loyalty tethering them together. She’d sensed it from the beginning, but now she saw it for what it was: more than love, more than duty.
It was a safeguard. A foundation. A necessity.
His voice softened. “Your presence has strengthened that bond, Princess. The people see it too.” He hesitated, then added, “When rumours began about Lady Annaïs and the princes—” He stopped short, his expression unreadable.
She tilted her head. “They feared history would repeat itself.”
“Alphas are possessive by nature. The suggestion of discord over an Omega has the power to rattle the kingdom. It awakens old fears.” His voice cooled. “And Lady Annaïs . . . She is not blind to what can be achieved if the princes were at odds. Neither is her father.”
Her stomach twisted. She had suspected as much, but hearing it spoken aloud gave it weight she hadn’t been prepared for.
Marzius continued, “For a time, even I wondered if she was drivinga wedge between them.” His eyes darkened slightly. “But whatever she intended, she didn’t succeed.”
She lowered her gaze as they continued walking. Kaelen and Alarik’s bond had withstood pressures she hadn’t fully realized. The weight of it rested on her shoulders, too—a delicate thread she hadn’t known she was holding.
As though the captain sensed her thoughts, he said, “The people saw your bond with the princes when you arrived. You’ve quelled those fears. Together, the three of you represent stability.”
She looked up, lips curving. “You flatter me, Captain. The princes would tell you I was stubborn to the point of defiance when it came to marriage.”
He chuckled. “I imagine the Tazahrin would call that your best quality.”
His tone was warm, but the gravity lingered.
Reiya exhaled slowly, her gaze steady. The danger wasn’t just whispers in the court or Annaïs’s careful games—it was the fragile balance she and the princes now walked, a balance that could shift with the smallest misstep.
But if the court was watching, so be it.
Let them see the bond they were shaping.
Let them wonder just how strong it might become.
That evening, Alarik was summoned to inspect a nearby military outpost with Captain Marzius, assessing its readiness amid growing concerns over bandit raids on caravans transporting water to the north. He wouldn’t return until late at night.
Kaelen, meanwhile, had sequestered himself in his study after meeting Zahalyar’s leaders, fully absorbed in drafting the crucial tax proposal to fund the aqueduct expansion to alleviate recurring droughts.
