Page 47 of Unmasked

Reaching into my pocket, I took out the two tests, clenching them tightly before sitting down. I placed them on the table, pushing them in their direction.

The Reeve’s eyes jerked up to mine, wide. They transitioned to an emotion I knew all too well… hope. Happiness. Pride.

The Magister picked up one of the tests, holding it for a few seconds before placing it back on the table.

“Scotland.”

The word left me, deep… full of threat.

Silence.

“The laws⁠—”

My hand lifted, flattening before The Magister.

Silence.

“Look over your laws again. We’re talking about my heir. About the continuation of my line.”

“Unavowed… I know every word of the laws for The Order. Every ritual. Every prayer.”

“Then we make a new law,” I ground out. “A law that protects unborn heirs and their unprotected mothers. What of the trials? Of my marriage to Penelope? What does the laws say about that?”

More silence.

“There is no law concerning an expecting Intended because she should not be pregnant.” His words were hesitant. “The honor—the prevention of this exact thing happening—rested on you, Sire. Penelope must go through the trials for you to make her your queen… pregnant or not.”

My lips parted. “You’re saying I did this.”

“… You did do this… did you not?”

My lids closed as I breathed in through the rage. Darkness surrounded me, and the devil inside me came to life within it. I opened my eyes, narrowing my gaze at him like the enemy he appeared.

“The child is mine, yes.” I grabbed the tests, putting them back in my pocket. “What if I marry her anyway?”

The Magister shifted. “There is no marriage before the trials. But… if you were to marry her… she would never be queen, and your child… it would not be legitimate. It will not inherit your title. These are the laws of The Order.”

My gaze lifted, and heat burned my eyes.

“So, I can’t stop her from going to Scotland. I can’t protect her from the trials. And my child… a child that should be celebrated, is now in danger. And there’s nothing I can do. Is that right?”

“Sire—”

“Unacceptable!” My fist slammed against the table sending coffee spilling over the sides of mine and The Reeve’s cup. “You’re making a new law.”

“Sire, I can’t.”

“You’re making a new law. You’re doing it. You’re making a law, and you’re going to protect my Intended and my child.”

“Unavowed, you don’t understand. In the laws for the trials, it makes it clear. They remain, no matter what. They cannot be altered. They cannot be added to. It’s a safeguard to protect the Crown.”

My fingers pressed into the wood as I leaned forward, nearly snarling.

“That safeguard could kill my heir. It could kill Penelope.”

“The heir… should not technically… be here yet.”

I was leaning over the table so fast, jerking The Magister up to face me before I could stop myself.