Page 54 of His Realm

When Isabella and Messina finally emerged, he looked better, more like himself, and excused everyone else and asked me to attend him.

Once we were alone, he started pacing again, wringing his hands.

“Your Majesty?”

He inhaled through his nose. “I want to tell you what Varic and I discussed.”

“Of course,” I said quickly, watching him move back and forth in front of me.

“You will accompany Varic to Decimus’s holding, with his guard, and yours, Hadrian and Tiago too, and of course your hendr, as well as the prisoner.”

I nodded.

“Once there, Varic will question my uncle, and will then investigate the holding and all that is occurring there.”

“Good,” was all I could think of to say.

“Varic has asked that I send no message ahead of your arrival.”

Normally, I would never ask him questions, but he suddenly looked so overwrought. “Would you prefer to tell your uncle we were coming, Your Majesty?”

“I wish none of this was necessary at all,” he retorted, and I heard the edge in his voice, the anger, but more than that, so much sadness.

“Can you tell me why you’re so⁠—”

“Jason,” he said, taking hold of my bicep and walking me out to the patio. “I have to tell you something that only Gideon knew.”

“Is this something you should wait and share with Varic as well?” I asked him.

“No. He won’t understand.”

Varic wouldn’t understand? “Pardon me for contradicting you, Your Majesty, but there’s not much Varic can’t grasp.”

He shook his head. “I⁠—”

“You’re botching it,” someone said behind me.

Turning, I saw a man. He was about my height but slighter, with tight, lean muscles, the sculpted abdomen I did not possess but could see under a nearly sheer T-shirt, and a long, beautiful gray mane. The contrast with his dark, tan skin and his pale, nearly opaque blue eyes made him absolutely striking. The fact that he was covered from head to toe in black leather was also doing wonders for his overall presentation. The concern was that he hadn’t announced himself.

“Who are you, sir?” I asked him.

Quick flashing smile. “I’m Cirillo, Varic’s first love that you’ve no doubt heard of, and I’m going to marry the prince.”

I took several steps back, and he closed on me quickly. Not as fast as Dae-Jung could have, but it was close.

“You misunderstand,” he rushed out. “I don’t want to. It’s why I orchestrated the ruse to begin with, where I was supposedly lost on the battlefield, but there was no…way…why do you look confused?”

“Because I am,” I confessed. And since the look on his face seemed just as lost as I felt, I was no longer afraid of who or what he was anymore.

He huffed out a breath, seeming put out. “You have no idea who I am, do you?”

“No, sir, I do not.”

“Varic’s never spoken of me?”

“Nope. Not once.”

He threw up his hands and whirled around to face Messina. “The prince’s consort has no earthly idea who I am. Do explain to him, please.”