Page 44 of Bride of Ash & Dust

I stare at my fingernails as my mind spins.

I should agree with him. King Malrik wants that mine, apparently, and here’s how he gets it. Even better, I’ll be the one who won the mine for him. What was that he said when he pulled me into one of his lesser rooms to tell me about my impending marriage? Fucking to serve your kingdom is a damn sight better than fighting for it?

But this isn’t my kingdom.

And what in the gods’ many names will they do to the woman I promised to protect if I give her up now?

I turn toward King Malrik and smile. “Your Highness,” I say softly, as if it’s all the same to me who controls the new gold mine, “your informant must have been misled. She was a virgin.”

My gut pulls tight, and every instinct that’s kept me alive for the past fifteen years screams at me. King Malrik narrows his eyes. Behind him, both of the servants open their mouths to gape at me.

“You’re sure?” the king asks.

It’s bad policy, lying to the king. It’s too easily discovered, and there are too many unpleasant ways to die from it.

But sometimes it can’t be avoided.

“Yes,” I say, with another easy smile. “The princess of Marion was a virgin before our wedding night. I would know, sire.”

I’m horribly aware of the bandage on my thigh. If that infection gets any worse, if I have to visit a healer, and if word gets back to the king that the blood on my marital sheets was mine and not Lilias’s, then not even the gods will be able to save me.

The king rocks back in his chair and brings his hand to his chin. He’s frowning at the parchment on his table like he’s weighing his odds in a gambling hall.

“I see,” he finally says.

He looks up at me with an expression I can’t quite read. That low pulse of alarm throbs through my gut again. Kings are always dangerous. But something about that look makes me want to reach for my dagger right now.

“Well,” Malrik finally says, as he reaches forward and rolls the parchment into a tight tube, “at least now you know what some of the treacherous citizens of Marion are saying about your wife.”

I nod slowly, almost a bow. The king leans back again and taps his fingers on the desk.

“I think,” he begins, as if the idea is just coming to him, “it would only feed the rumors if your wife were to be with child. And we wouldn’t want that, now, would we? So, perhaps you can keep your hands to yourself for a few months.” He meets my eyes. “Don’t worry,” he continues. “I’m sure there are plenty of willing women in this castle you can fuck instead of your wife.”

My jaw clenches. I force myself to keep smiling.

“That’s never been a problem for me before,” I say.

Malrik laughs, short and sharp. “That’s my boy,” he says.

My pulse beats at the inside of my skull like a mallet on an anvil. But this is good, damn it. The more distance between the princess and me, the safer she’ll be. And, gods, I don’t want to get anyone pregnant. The thought of trying to protect a child in this place makes me feel like I’m being buried alive. No wonder Princess Acelina sends her kids away as soon as they’re born.

I push back from the desk and come to my feet.

“Oh,” Malrik says, stopping me cold. “One more thing.”

I keep smiling. Whatever he’s about to say, it’s probably the real reason for my visit. He likes to drop the important bits like this, as if they’re an afterthought. It makes them easier for him to deny.

“When is your wife’s brother coming for a visit?” the king asks. “Prince… What was his name again?”

“Prince Elrick,” I reply.

“It must be hard for him to get away, with his father’s health failing. He must be shouldering quite a bit of the royal obligations.” The king shakes his head. “Still, I thought he might come for the Planting Festival. To see his sister, of course.”

The room fills with expectant silence. Both of the servants stare at me.

“I have no idea if he’s coming to visit,” I finally say. It’s the truth, even if it feels like another lie.

Malrik huffs like I’ve disappointed him.