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“Darsan Leif, if I mean anything to you, you’ll get out of my way,” I say with all the sentiment I can muster.
I don’t want to drag out our secrets in front of Lizette, but I will if I have to. If I’m shipped off to Ulleh, everything between us comes to an abrupt end. There will be no more “what ifs” or “maybes.” I’ll never see him again, and this is my only chance to fight for a different destiny. If I can get through to my father, what we have can continue to blossom.
“You mean everything to me, Irissa.” He stares at me open-mouthed, and I realize I’ve struck a nerve. He’s so flustered, he forgot my title.
“Then move,” I plead. “So I can fight to stay in my kingdom, my home. So I can stay here with you. If you won’t let me through, you’re a stranger to me.”
The look of dismay in his eyes tells me I’ve won. His shoulders sag, and he drops his gaze, unable or unwilling to look at me anymore.
“Fine,” he sighs. “But if your father wants my head on a spear, it’s your fault.”
He steps out of the way and my heart leaps into my throat. The doors look bigger and more menacing than I remember. There’s no telling how many nobles are meeting with my father, but I imagine a handful of men from the local villages huddled around the throne.
My confidence wanes, but I quickly remember why I’m here, why I risked so much by revealing my relationship with Darsan to Lizette.
I’m betrothed to the prince of Ulleh, our rival kingdom, and in a week’s time, I’ll be carted away to my wedding.
I can’t let that happen.
Honestly, I’d rather be dead than married to a disgusting beast. If my father won’t change his mind, maybe death is a viable alternative after all.
With a deep breath, I march toward the doors with my head held high and shove them open before charging inside.
CHAPTERTWO
Irissa
The throne room has lost a lot of its grandeur over the last few years. Unnecessary luxuries, like ornate tables and chairs, were sold to recuperate the money the kingdom is hemorrhaging, but the bones of what the room once was are still there.
Evenly spaced pillars and burgundy tapestries line the walls of the long, narrow space, and a gold chandelier glitters overhead, marking the center. Unlike the rugs withering away in the halls, the rarely-used floral rug running the length of this hall is still plush underfoot.
My father is seated in a shining gold throne on a dais at the end of the room, flanked on either side by guards wearing armor identical to Darsan. A modest group of people crowds around him. A few men are poised in front to voice their concerns, but most stand off to either side, waiting their turn to speak. When the doors clack against the doorframe, heads turn in my direction and a rush of whispers ensues, quickly capturing everyone’s attention.
“It’s the princess,” someone says loudly enough for me to hear.
I keep my head held high, eyes glued straight ahead, not slowing my pace. I’m halfway across the room before my father’s gaze meets mine. His dark brows droop over his cold, dark eyes, and I can already tell the odds aren’t in my favor as his lips curl downward. A gold crown encrusted with fat, burgundy gems sits atop a mop of shoulder-length, brown hair.
“You’re interrupting a rather important meeting,” he says, his voice echoing through the room, even though he doesn’t raise it.
“My apologies,” I say, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. “This is an important matter that couldn’t wait.”
I stop behind the villagers, my arms crossed tightly over my chest as hatred seeps out of my pores. It’s oozing from my body, spilling onto the floor, and I have no intention to stop it. He deserves every one of the words poised on my tongue like daggers, ready to be set free.
While his eyes bore into me, he’s silent, and I wonder if he’s going to accept my challenge, or if the guards will drag me from the hall. I’m ready for either, but I won’t leave without the last word.
“How could you do this to me?” I yell, even though there’s no reason to. Everyone in the hall is dead silent, and we’re only a few feet apart. “How could you betroth me to someone so vile, andwhydid I have to hear about it from Lizette?”
A squeak behind me tells me Liz finally caught up. She’s shocked I brought her into this.
“Because it’s what’s best for the kingdom,” he states. “Now, be gone until this meeting concludes or—”
“Or what, father?” My voice pierces through the hall. “Are you going to lock me in my room? Are you going to kill me? Well, joke’s on you, you’ve already signed my death sentence. If you kill me now, you’ll only be sparing me a few days of torture.”
My father leans back in the throne and rubs his chin with his fingertips. I expected him to lose his cool, yell at me,something, but the way he seems so collected irks me. He’s listening without hearing, and it makes me want to scream louder.
“Are you not going to own up to it and tell everyone what you’ve done? How you’ve handed me over to monsters?”
“I’ve done what I must to protect this kingdom,” he says, dropping his hand to the arm of the throne and leaning forward, like he might stand at any moment.
