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He disappoints me more than anything, and it’s clear he will never break free of Mortianna’s stronghold.
Finally, I let myself open my eyes to see Cyra busying herself around the room.
She makes her way to the tub, drawing me a bath, then moves back into the room, laying out a beautiful black gown across the bed.
Black.
The color of mourning.
I haven’t had the luxury of mourning properly. A normal person is allowed weeks, months, years even, but not me.
Rami took that from me.
Now, I’m forced to stand with my head held high in front of the entire kingdom and grieve our loss of the king with them.
IronHaven needs me, and I need to prepare myself for whatever Rami and the queen dowager have in store for me. I won’t put anything past them at this point.
“Hey,” I say to her, wiping the sleep from my eyes.
“Hey, yourself, Princess.”
She walks around the bed, pulling me into a hug. “Uh-Princess... Is there a reason why you are naked?”
She drops her arms and steps back. I can’t help the smile that tugs on my lips. “Just thought I’d try something new. Besides, there’s no law saying I have to wear clothes to bed.”
She stiffens. “Right. But—uh, just forget it. You have a long day ahead of you.”
I nod, biting down on the corner of my lip. The memory of Greyson’s head between my thighs rises to the forefront of my mind.
She claps her hands together. “Well, hop to it, Princess. Today will be a full day as people from all across the realm will be in attendance.”
I do as I’m instructed. Standing naked, I take a look at my night garment on the floor before moving toward the tub.
Just as I’m about to step in, she speaks.
“We need you to look your best for your future husband.” There’s actual glee in her voice. Actual. Joy.
It rocks me to my core. My feet falter as my heart beats rapidly in my chest. I spin on my heels and level her with a wicked glare.
“What do you mean, husband?”
“Why, the king of course. King Naveen—of Morose?” Her words send shards of ice through my system. Searching out every ounce of happiness and contentment, killing it instantaneously.
She’s too busy being overjoyed to even notice me. “He would not miss the opportunity to pay his respects to the late king—or to meet his future bride, silly.” Her words are spoken in a manner that says this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it does.
Other than Rami’s words last night, I haven’t given much thought to the man. I thought I’d have longer to prepare. There’s not a doubt in my mind that my brother will want me married as soon as he arrives so he can ship me off with him when he returns to Morose.
I take a deep breath and step into the tub.
I’m not ready to leave IronHaven.
This is home. This is where I belong.
My thoughts begin to run rampant as I take a deep breath and sink under the water. I run through every possible scenario in my mind, and none of them are good.
King Naveen is known for his cruelty and harsh behavior. This is not the type of husband I pictured for myself or that my parents would have wanted for me.
Who imagines waking up to a tyrant every day?
