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Chapter Twenty-Six
Aika
When I arrive back at the estate, Mother is in her bedroom and the servants are nowhere to be found.
I let myself in, slipping the door shut behind me. It’s clear why she has ordered the servants away. She doesn’t like anyone to know she can change her appearance at will.
Wearing wigs is one thing, and she puts the drops in her eyes that keep them looking golden brown more often than not, but the tonic is an ace she likes to keep up her sleeve.
Here she sits, in the middle of the day in her most public home, her skin mottling between umber and bronze while her obsidian fingernails clack against the gilded armrests in an agitated pattern.
“I’ve done as you asked, Mother,” I announce, pretending not to notice the way her nerves are clearly on edge.
Because of King Einar?Is all of this because of his visit?
“And?” she demands. “What did you find out about Einar’s purpose in being here?”
Again, I hear the odd note of familiarity when she says his name.
My mind whirls, trying to put the pieces together, all the things that are intricately tied to my sister’s death. The irony is that if Zaina were here, she probably would have figured this out by now.
But if Zaina were here, none of this would be happening.
I inhale a sharp breath, shielding against the sudden onslaught of pain and trying to remember what Mother just asked me.
“Nothing,” I say belatedly. “Other than everyone talking about the tiger, it’s only rumors, nothing that even made sense.”
Nothing makes sense.
“Chalyx,” she corrects absentmindedly. Instead of questioning me further like she normally would, she only waves me away. “Leave it be for now. You have bigger things to worry about, anyway.”
Like marrying into the biggest country this side of the world, which only causes more questions to churn in my mind.
I practically flee from the room before she can see the mutinous ideas that have been forming in my head since the day Damian brought news of Zaina’s death.
Corentin is bigger than Jokith, with more trade routes and more influence. If she planned on one of us marrying here anyway, why send Zaina, who she constantly referred to as her most valuable asset, to Jokith first?
It doesn’t make sense, unless there was something specific there that she wanted, something more than just power.
For the first time in as long as I can remember, I allow myself to wonder what the point is of Mother’s endless machinations.
And if they were worth Zaina dying for.
