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Riona smoothed her features into a cool mask and stepped around the corner. Both men froze when they saw her, and she graced them with a smile that promised she had heard every word of their exchange.
“How nice it is to hear that you are concerned about my honor, Prince Eamon,” she said as she approached, savoring the fear that flashed through the Kostori prince’s eyes. “You’ll have to take my word that I am, to use your own phrasing,unsullied. Unless you propose that I spread my legs so you can check?”
“No, my lady,” Eamon blurted, horrified. “That’s not what I meant at all.”
“Then I would advise you to keep your concerns about my virtue to yourself. Have I made myself clear?”
“Yes, Lady Riona.”
“Good. Prince Auberon, you may release him.”
Auberon begrudgingly let go and took several steps back, although his icy glare never left Eamon. A bruise was already discoloring the prince’s cheek. In an effort to appear unruffled, Eamon straightened his doublet and ran a hand through his hair, shooting a hateful look at Auberon.
“If the story that Prince Auberon shared with the court wasn’t enough to turn their favor against you, Your Highness,” Riona continued, “your behavior tonight certainly is. Go to your guest house and tend to that bruise. We shall see in the morning if the king still deems you worthy of a place here in Innislee.”
“My lady, I did none of the things of which he has accused me. I am sorry for allowing my anger to get the better of me, but I will not tolerate slander against me and my kingdom.”
“And yet you felt it appropriate to accuse Prince Auberon and me of an intimate affair,” she snapped, allowing her anger to bleed into her voice. “Watch your step, Prince Eamon. I may be too much of a lady to resort to threats, but the next time you make speculations about my private life, I may not be there to keep Prince Auberon from following through on his.”
Another flicker of fear passed across Eamon’s face, and he dropped into a low bow. “Of course, you’re right. I beg your forgiveness, my lady.”
“Then I suggest you demonstrate you are worthy of it. Leave us.”
Surprise, anger, and indignation flashed across Eamon’s face, but he merely straightened and murmured a farewell before making his escape. As soon as he turned the corner, Auberon leaned against the wall and crossed one leg over the other. He frowned as he examined his knuckles. “Perhaps punching Eamon in the face wasn’t the wisest thing I could have done in that situation, but itwasthe most satisfying.”
Riona walked toward him and took his hand, frowning as she studied the bruises already forming on the ridges of his knuckles. “Is there any truth to the story you told the court?”
“Have you ever known me to lie, Lady Riona?” he asked, one corner of his mouth rising into a smirk. “You can stop fussing over my hand. I’ve suffered much greater wounds than a few bruises, and I have a feeling I’ll suffer a few more where you and Prince Eamon are concerned.”
She released him and took a step back. “Thank you for defending my honor.”
“You’re welcome. I’d marry Eamon myself before I ever allowed him to speak one word against you.”
Although anger still blazed in Auberon’s eyes, there was a flicker of something deeper there, too—something that caused Riona’s pulse to stutter. She looked away, telling herself she’d imagined it. “How does Prince Eamon know that we’ve been meeting in the Royal Theater? Aeron didn’t tell him, if that’s what you suspect.”
“I know he didn’t. Eamon had me followed,” Auberon said, his tone laced with frustration. He rubbed the back of his neck and muttered a string of oaths under his breath. “I should have realized it sooner. I was…distracted this morning, and his spy caught me by surprise.”
“Is that why you told the court about the slave? You wanted to get back at him?” she asked. “Now he’ll tell the whole court that you and I have been sleeping together!”
“He won’t say a word. He’s a coward and a snake, but he won’t insult you and your king by tarnishing your reputation. He only hoped to scare me into silence. Since it didn’t work, he’s going to slink off to his chambers and nurse his wounded pride.”
Before she could say a word, Auberon pushed off the wall, stalking forward until they stood almost nose-to-nose. Riona sucked in a breath at his sudden proximity.
“One would think that if he did speak, you would be relieved, if not grateful,aramati,” the prince said, his voice icy. “You promised me that if I helped you, you would speak to your uncle on Drystan’s behalf. Do you think I haven’t realized that you’re just biding your time and hoping to find a way to avoid an arranged marriage? Well, Eamon has just handed you the way out. You could have simply wandered into the nearest brothel and had your pick of the whores, but sleeping with an Erdurian prince—and not the one who came for your hand in marriage—would be unforgivable in the eyes of the court. You’d be free.”
Riona seethed, insulted that he would think her so shallow. “If I were to find a way out, it would be on the merit of what is between my ears, not what is between my legs.”
“Ah, I see. You’re a noble with principles.”
Her hands curled into fists at his mocking tone. “One of us has to have them.”
“Might I remind you thatI’mnot the one whose uncle is trying to sell her off to a stranger?” Auberon stepped closer, forcing her backward until she was pinned against the wall. He braced one hand on either side of her head. His expression hardened, his blue-gray eyes as deep and cold as the Tranquil Sea. “One word from me could launch a thousand warships. One word could send soldiers into this very city to claim you for my brother, since he was too kindhearted to demand the marriage after my poisoning. What could you do to stop it? Tell me, what use are principles when one is powerless?”
Riona glared up at him. “When one has lost everything, principles are all we have left.”
“And what do you do when even those have been stripped from you?” Auberon asked. He dipped his head and whispered in her ear, his breath soft against her neck, “What do you do when everything that made you who you are has been destroyed?”
“Are we still talking about me, Your Highness, or you?”
