Page 56
Kent
I had messed up. Watching Rue retreat within herself, I knew in the deepest level of my being that I had made a mistake springing the fact we were magically linked to her like this.
Resisting the urge to chastise myself, I chose to focus on convincing her I was a good choice instead.
“How has Mela been?” Wishing I could reclaim her hand, I began rolling my sleeve back down my arm.
Rue gave me a sideways smirk that clearly meant she knew what I was doing by changing the topic so abruptly. “She and Jas have become almost inseparable. Are you certain you don’t wish to continue to press me for a decision?”
“Clearly, you don’t know me well.” I dampened my shock and horror at the idea that she thought so poorly of me.
She shook her head. “Perhaps it is more because I have spent so much time around the wrong men.”
“Men like Yurtin?” Buttoning my shirt cuff, I grimaced at the memory of the bully. “Not all males are monsters.”
“I know.” Her voice lacked conviction. “I don’t mean to besmirch your reputation or intentions. It is just—” She shrugged one shoulder, almost as if she was trying to shake off a hand resting there. “The foundling home contains cast-off children abandoned by their sires for various reasons. And the tavern is constantly full of men avoiding their wives, children, and the responsibilities that come with them. I know other men do right by their spouses and offspring, but they are few and far between.”
“A fact I am intimately acquainted with,” I pointed out. My father remained a prime example of the worst with blood on his hands and murder on his record. “But I am not my father.”
Rue nodded. “I know.” A shiver shook her shoulders.
“Here.” I reached to take my coat from her arms. As soon as she relinquished it, I unfolded it and dropped the garment over her shoulders, taking care not to touch her. I didn’t want to seal our connection tighter that it already was without her consent. Then I stepped back so as not to crowd her. “Would you like to walk further? I have an hour before my next session with Greyson.” I offered her my arm.
Rue ignored my offered support and studied my face. “Only if you wish to. This must be very awkward for you.”
“I can survive awkward,” I assured her. “Especially if I earn more time in your company as a reward.”
“I would enjoy a walk.” Her smile was small but warm.
Taking the assent and the smile as hopeful signs, I motioned to where the trail wound deeper into the woods. “This trail wraps around toward the stables and back to the gardens, or we can return to the lawn outside the conservatory.”
Rue turned toward the stables and started walking. “Lady Lyra says your schedule has been very full this last week.”
I fell into step next to her. “All the hours of training have been very tedious, but I have learned a great deal about how the Unseelie government works, or at least how it should work in theory. Greyson insists the actual function is more nuanced. Politicking that goes on behind the scenes changes everything.”
“In what way?” A breeze threaded through the trees, stirring leaves above our heads and making the tendrils of curls around her ears flutter distractingly.
“The law says one thing, but the king can overrule it if he is so inclined, so factions focus on placing pressure on him or those close to him in order to prompt him to act. For example, the law says that a designated agent of the crown oversees all foreign trade—Lord Greyson currently holds this position.”
“Will you keep him in that position once you are king?” she asked.
“If I am king—” I emphasized the first word before smiling down at her. “Yes, I would. Greyson appears to be a man of morals, despite his kind’s reputation. What about you?”
A small crease appeared between her sweeping brows. “What do you mean?”
“Are you finding your new circumstances comfortable?”
Her mouth tightened at the corners before she turned her focus to the path ahead, hiding her expression from me.
“In some ways, Mela and I are much better off here. We are fed and clothed, sometimes to excess.” She motioned to her gown, a garment of finely woven wool cut in generous folds that flared out from her tiny waist. “In others, it is very similar to our previous circumstances. Power dynamics and usefulness determine one’s value. Mela and I need to find our place in all of it before you leave. It appears that Jas has a genuine affection for Mela. Hopefully that will secure her a place at her side as she matures.”
“I am not planning on leaving anytime soon.”
“You will have to, eventually. A king should rule from his court.”
“The court follows the king.” The arrogance of the statement had struck me hard when Master Yardon first declared it to me. However, now it appealed to me purely because it meant I didn’t have to leave Rue and Mela if she refused my eventual proposal. I could follow her wherever she decided to go.
Though I could see it causing issues if she decided to live outside the Wild Wood. The near-constant pull of the wild land magic of the kingdom on my own magic had grown increasingly familiar and welcome. It would be hard to give up the way it enhanced my personal magic when I performed larger spells. Greyson had been teaching me how to interact with the kingdom’s magic in small ways, and every time I reached for it, the euphoria of the connection tempted me to stay integrated. It was as though my magic and the land’s were meant to be entwined. Even now, I sensed the threads teasing my senses just out of reach, waiting for an invitation.
