Page 109 of The Infernal Battalion

He sat up all the way, glaring at her. “Why would you think that? Do you know my father?”

“I don’t,” Raesinia said. “But I am the Queen of Vordan. I have... resources you might not. What can it hurt just to talk about it?”

“You’d be surprised,” Matthew said darkly. Then he sighed and put his face in his hands. “Why not? Half the Keep knows by now, I’m sure. Like I said, Borelgai and secrets.”

“I’m from Vordan,” Raesinia said. “And we can keep secrets.”

Matthew snorted, then took a deep breath.

“There’s a man I’m in love with,” he said.

Ah. Raesinia tried to keep any surprise off her face. “I see.”

“His name is... not important. You wouldn’t know him. He’s in the Life Guards.”

“And your father found out?”

Matthew nodded miserably. “We kept it secret for years. I have a reputation as a wastrel, so nobody pays close attention to the company I keep. While my brother was healthy, my father didn’t care. He thought he’d have all the heirs he needed. But when he got sick...”

“The king started pressuring you to marry.”

“And when I kept turning him down, he got angry, and started investigating.”

“He told you he’d send your lover away if you didn’t go along with this,” Raesinia guessed.

“Worse than that. There’s all sorts of duty he can send a Life Guard to where he’s likely to get killed. I... can’t risk that. Even if we can’t be together.” Matthew swallowed hard and forced a smile. “I should have told you from the beginning. If we go along with Father’s plan, maybe he’ll let me choose my escort. Then you can have your lover and I’ll have mine, and we’ll be a perfectly happy couple.”

“Your father won’t allow that,” Raesinia said. “He’d be worried people would find out.”

“I know.” Matthew’s smile faded. “But what else am I supposed to do?”

Leverage, Raesinia thought. “Your father has a hostage to hold over both of us,” she said. “We need something we can hold over him.”

“Unless you’ve got a spare heir to the throne lying around, I doubt you’ll come up with anything.” Matthew cocked his head. “You could always just leave once he’s dispatched the ships you wanted.”

“That only helps in the short term. I still need him to keep Janus from taking the kingdom.” She sighed. “Besides, he’s decided I’m a prisoner in the Keep. I can’t even visit the city, much less take a ship.”

“That, at least, I guarantee is a bluff,” Matthew said.

“How can you be sure?”

“Father’s desperate to avoid another war with Vordan,” he said. “He’s still paying for the War of the Princes. That’s the point of all of this, in the end, in addition to getting him an heir who seems likely to live out the decade. He wants to tie Borel to Vordan.” The prince looked pensive. “If you walked out the front gate, I doubt he’d really be able to stop you. Not without causing an incident that might lead to war.”

“Fair enough. He knows he’s got the promise of aid to keep me chained here anyway.” Raesinia frowned. “The king has debts? I thought Borel was a rich country.”

“Borel is extremely rich. The Crown is very poor. It’s traditional.” Matthew waved a hand. “How do you think Goodman got so powerful? He paid for practically half the fleet. That’s why Father won’t cross him unless he knows he’s got something to gain.”

“Goodman,” Raesinia said, half to herself. “Goodman is the key to this. He has to be.”

“He’s the richest man in the world,” Matthew said. “He’s central to quite a lot of things.”

“I mean that if we can get leverage on Goodman, then we can put pressure on your father.”

“Good luck. The other merchants have been trying to tear Goodman down for years. If it could be done, one of them would have found a way. It’s a dog-​eat-​dog world, as they’re so fond of telling one another.”

Raesinia was thinking about the Second Pennysworth Bank, the proud marble facade that had seemed so impenetrable until the mob arrived. And the way the panic spread. Cora had talked about it, something she hadn’t quite understood at the time, but—

“You have friends,” Raesinia said abruptly. “The best people in Borel, I expect.”