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Isn’t there someone else he can bother?
I decide to ask him a second later.
“Now that you’re married, I won’t see you nearly as often,” he laughs. “I have to bother you while I’ve got the chance.”
I scoff.
Considering how my marriage is going so far, I don’t see much changing about my daily routine. After consummating our union tonight, I don’t plan to spend more time with the princess than I’m forced to. I’m sure I’ll be looking for reasons to track down Oryx later, even if it’s for meaningless conversation, but I don’t tell him any of that. He’ll see soon enough.
“Do you want to speak to our siblings?” Oryx asks, gesturing with an open hand to the corner table where our two sisters are flirting with a pair of nobles.
Orabelle, who’s only younger than me by a few months, leads the table’s conversation. Her shimmering emerald dress stands out against her black skin, and in her typical quest for over-the-top fashion, she’s draped strands of glittering gems from her horns that match her earrings and the thick pendant around her neck.
My other sister, Xaina, sits quietly with her hands in her lap. She’s in a lilac pantsuit, a popular trend in other countries that hasn’t caught on in our kingdom just yet. With her pale skin and dark horns, I frequently mistake her for my mother from a distance.
They both look like they’re enjoying themselves, and I hardly feel like interrupting their evening with my sour mood. Besides, Orabelle would never let me live it down if I ruined her chance with a prospective suitor.
My mother might be stern and unbending with her punishments, but Orabelle would enjoy making my life a bigger hell than it already is.
“Not at all,” I assure him as I steer the other way. “There will be plenty of time for conversation later.”
I wonder for a brief moment where my last sibling, Zenobios, has slunk off to, but I try not to give it much thought. I saw him for a brief moment as we filed into the event hall with the crowd, but the slippery bastard disappeared shortly after. He’s probably in his room laughing at how stupid we are for breaking tradition and welcoming a human into the castle.
That, or he’s just minding his own business. He hasn’t had much to do with the family for years, and I’m surprised he hasn’t packed up and found refuge in a new kingdom. It’s only a matter of time.
“Fine,” Oryx sighs, jerking his horns toward the hallway. “Outside then.”
No one bothers to look in our direction as we step out. Thankfully, they’re all too caught up in the excitement of the ball, and we take off down the corridor.
Walk.
That’s my only thought as my feet speed along with a mind of their own, no clear destination in mind.
“You seem bothered,” Oryx says, either oblivious to how annoying he is or desperate to piss me off. Does he want me to make a scene? I wouldn’t put it past him. “You should be excited. What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” I say through gritted teeth, my eyes flicking to the right briefly. “You’re joking.”
His brows hike up his forehead, and he tilts his head to the side when he looks at me. “Hardly. I knew you were upset about the arranged marriage, but I think you’re overreacting, brother.”
“Overreacting?” Anger peaking, I can’t seem to stop echoing his stupid remarks. “Maybe you’reunderreacting, Oryx. Or maybe, since it’s not your life, you don’t care about the gravity of the situation.”
I come to halt in the middle of the hall, and he follows suit. The light-hearted expression fades from his face, and he shifts his weight from side to side as though grounding himself. Good. He realizes how far he’s pushed me. My patience is non-existent at this point. I just want to roar and smash something and be left alone.
He’s silent for a long moment, probably debating how best to proceed without being attacked where he stands. “I get that you’re angry, Nor.”
“Do you?” The muscles in my back tense reflexively.
He doesn’t miss a beat. “Of course, I do. You’ve been grumbling about it all week. It’s not what you had planned. There are dozens of better mates for you out there, but this is how it has to be for now. Father has to have a good reason for choosing the human, even if he hasn’t said what it is.”
“What good reason could there possibly be?” I wring my hands together for something to do. It beats punching the wall. “What can I possibly stand to gain from this? Everyone will see me as a weak king. My offspring…Gods.What kind of respect can my offspring expect? This is completely unfair. It’s lunacy. It’s—"
“Nor,” Oryx growls, cutting me off.
It’s a good thing he does because I was spiraling.
I clamp my mouth shut to let him speak, to distract me from my rampant thoughts.
“If you want the throne, you’re going to have to suck it up and accept responsibility,” he says, clamping a firm hand on my shoulder and boring holes into my eyes. “It is what it is for now, unless she dies or annuls the marriage and leaves.”
