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I glance back and forth between the two of them. “Would one of you tell me what’s going on?”
Tiberias nods, then tells a servant to bring me a chair. He does, and sets it facing my mom and uncle.
I sit. “Now will you tell me?”
My mom rests her hand on his and leans toward him. “Which one of us should tell her?”
“Does it matter?” I exclaim.
He cups her chin. “I will.” Then he turns to me. “It’s hard to know where to begin.”
“How about by telling me why you two are acting like lovebirds?”
Tiberias tilts his head, clearly confused by the bird reference. “The truth is, we’re in love. We have been for many years.”
Now it’s my turn to be perplexed. “Come again?”
“My father pledged Drake to marry Emery, not realizing how I felt about her. And since a king’s pledge can’t be undone, we were stuck. She had to marry the wrong brother.”
I take in the news, finding it makes sense. “So, now you two are going to marry?”
They both nod.
“And you’ll basically be my dad.”
He and my mom exchange a look I can’t quite decipher before he turns back to me. “Actually, Marra, I am your father.”
My mouth falls open. “What?” I rub my ears. “Did you just say you’re my dad?”
“Yes. And Drake never questioned it because he had no clue about our true feelings. You look like me, but—”
“He thought I looked like him since you two shared the same face.” I take a deep breath then glance at Mom. “Are you sure about this?”
“One hundred percent. I discovered I was pregnant the morning of my wedding, before Drake and I—”
“You don’t have to say more.” I cringe, not wanting to think about any of it. “I get it. Did you both know?”
Both of them nod. Mom answers, “I told him right away. That’s why he’s always been more invested in you than a typical uncle.”
“And since he was my only uncle, that was something I never questioned.”
Silence settles between us.
“Do you have any questions?” Tiberias asks.
“Only about two thousand.” I rub my temples. “Why didn’t you let Mom and me stay here when you banished Dad?”
He frowns. “With them being married, it wasn’t an option. Your mother had to go with him.”
“Even though you were king? You couldn’t have done something?”
“I can’t change laws at my whim, no. It’s a long-standing decree that protects the people. One my brother skirted and twisted, and you saw how well that worked. I could’ve had my brother killed for his act of treason, but I couldn’t stand the thought, even though it meant you and your mother had to leave with him.”
“You didn’t want us to stay?”
“He did want you here,” Mom insists. “Tiberias pleaded with me to leave you, but I couldn’t stand losing both him and you.”
“And I couldn’t say no to her. It broke my heart, but I let her take you to the surface. At least I knew you two were together. It was the only thing that gave me comfort. And now, everything has been made right. We’re going to finally be the family we were meant to be.”
