Ethenn didn’t like that either.
“We’ve been summoned,” Thom said cheerily. He leaned against the doorframe. “Sounds as though the Administration has got their ducks in a row enough to debrief us now.”
Ethenn furrowed his brow. “All of us?”
Thom shrugged. “Sounds that way.”
“Ah.” Ethenn shoved Thom into the hall. “Lead the way, then.”
“We’re meeting in the council chamber,” Thom said as they walked. “Apparently, the ministers think it’s less stuffy than the throne room, but I disagree. I don’t like standing at the end of a table while they all prattle on.”
“You don’t like many things,” Ethenn noted.
Thom grinned. “That’s true.”
They walked in silence for a moment.
“Have you talked with Ilain recently?” Thom asked.
“No,” Ethen said flatly.
Thom eyed him. “Why not?”
“There isn’t really anything to say.”
“That’s certainly not true. There are many things to say. ‘Hello. How are you? I’ve missed you. Please, for the love of Allore, take me back.’”Thom smirked. “Would you like more examples?”
Ethenn ignored him.
“You’re being an idiot,” Thom said.
“I’m being practical,” Ethenn argued. “She deserves a life better than marriage to a man she doesn’t love.”
Thom rolled his eyes. “You’re so bloody blind,” he muttered. “All right, look, I promised to fix this, so I’m gonna fix it.” He grabbed Ethenn’s sleeve, pulling him to a stop. “What I said after the Time Keep—it was a lie. I thought you’d figured that out, but it seems you haven’t. Ilain didn’t ask me to flirt with her because she didn’t have an interest in you—it was because shedid.”
Ethenn frowned at the confusing words. “What?”
Thom nodded vehemently. “Ilain liked you, evidently from the start. But she couldn’t be with someone who wasn’t a Warrior, so she tried to discourage you so neither of you would get your hearts broken. Convoluted, I know, but true.”
Staring up at his friend, Ethenn considered his words. There was no reason for Thom to keep lying. What he said was what he understood to be the truth. Ilain genuinely had feelings for Ethenn from the beginning—or at least, an attraction to him.
The sudden revelation sent a spiral of heat up his spine.
Ilain liked him—she’d had an interest in him. Yet, she’d denied them both because she was too dedicated to the Alliance. The truth hardly made it better.
With a low scoff, Ethenn decided it wasn’t enough. “It’s too late,” he said. “If she had said something sooner, maybe things would be different, but...”
“But what?” Thom said irritably. “She likes you; you like her. Go find that woman, haul her into a room, and make her your wife for real.”
Ethenn gave him a flat glare. “We’re not betrothed anymore,” he said. “And beyond that, I don’t want to be with her.”
“Why the bloody hell not?”
“Because whatever she felt, I’m not the right man,” Ethenn said. “If she’s going to spend her life ruling this country, she needs someone who can rule at her side. I’d muck it up.”
Thom raised his brow. “As the reigning champion of muck-ups, I can guarantee that you won’t. It’s not in your blood.”
“Hedonistic rat.”
