Ilain blinked, her jade green gaze vibrant in the light. An uncharacteristic nervous laugh slipped out of her. “We can discuss this later,” she said.
“No, we can discuss it now. What price?” Ethenn pressed with undue confidence.
“Ethenn—”
“Ilain, answer the bloody question.”
She blinked. “I think you need to give someone else the Fire Relic.”
“And I think you need to stop deflecting,” he returned. “What did you mean?”
Ilain opened her mouth, but no words came out. She fidgeted uncomfortably, her fluttery sleeves rippling around her with each movement. “I would rather not discuss this in front of...” Her hand gestured wildly at the ministers.
“You’re the one who brought it up in front of...” He waved his hand in a mocking of her gesture.
Ilain curled her upper lip at him. “And you ignored it until Thom pestered you.”
“I’m a little slow sometimes,” Ethenn said truthfully. He tipped his chin toward her. “Tell me what you meant. What price aren’t you willing to pay?”
Ilain took a step back as though she were afraid of him. Her beaded dress glittered, its pale blue like the faded sky on a clear winter day. “I...” Ilain’s voice was almost soundless as she fought for words. “It’s you.”
Ethenn’s brow drew together, the Fire Relic stirring the emotions inside of him. It was him. He was the price she wouldn’t pay. But... “What does that mean?”
A gentle smile came to Ilain’s lips. “I think you know.”
“Pretend I don’t.”
She chuckled lightly. “I can’t become the Highlady Chancellor,” she said. “Not if it means marrying someone else.”
Ethenn blinked as her words sank in. “Hm.”
Her brow quirked. “Hm?”
“Mm-hm.” Ethenn drew in a long breath. “So you won’t marry someone else because you meant it. I didn’t believe you, but you—you did; you meant it that night?”
A faint blush swept across her pale skin. “I did.”
“You love me?”
“I do.”
“That’s...” He heaved a sigh. “That’s bloody fantastic.” Immediately, Ethenn turned to the ministers. “Is our betrothal still valid?”
An air of collective confusion swept over the room. The ministers cast fleeting glances at each other while their friends tried to stifle their laughter. Archminister Essen and Archminister Dudleye shared a knowing look.
“As we were only now informed that you wished to end it, the contract still remains, which means that, yes, you are legally betrothed,” Dudleye said.
“Ilain is my wife?” Ethenn asked, pointing toward her.
“Yes.”
“Great.” Ethenn shuffled on his feet, fighting the urge to let out a whoop of joy. “In that case, Ilain and I would like to be married and Bonded without delay, as previously discussed. You lot figure out the paperwork and details to perform both of those ceremonies tonight, and you can send us wherever the hell you like after that. In the meantime, my wife and I have some things to, uh...take care of.”
Without bothering to wait for their reply, Ethenn strode across the room, grabbed Ilain’s hand, and pulled her out the door before anyone else could get out a word. He marched her through the halls, trying to remember which path would get them back to his room the fastest.
“You really need to give that Relic to someone else,” Ilain said, breaking through his concentration. “You’re starting to become dangerously impetuous.”
“Admittedly, four days with it has weakened my threshold for caution,” he quipped. “But as we’re going to Bond in somewhere around twelve hours, I’m not sure it matters much.”
