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“King Frederick had no brothers. His cousin was disqualified when he was imprisoned twelve years ago. Augustus was his only son. Since there is no family, by law, the Crown defers to the highest ranking house in the kingdom. Lord Galvin Hunt, House of Pearl, was next in line after Augustus. Dead,” Leo said.
“I never liked him,” Augustus slurred.
“Lord Melvin Hunt, Lady Hattie Hunt, then Lord Vasille Greene. All dead.” In one simple, coordinated attack, Lord Nathan had wiped out the next four in line for the throne.
Leo let out a shaky sigh. “And then fifth in line,” he said, the pad of his finger landing on a familiar photo.
“No,” Augustus breezed, sobriety coming to him like a painful slap.
Leo looked up at us. “The House of Rose.”
I snapped my attention up. “No. Everyone thinks Christine is dead. They won’t defer to her.” Bile licked my tongue, and saliva puddled in the back of my mouth as fear of the unknown came to the fore.
Leo didn’t seem convinced. “Christine just made a big show of escaping DuPont tower. I easily found out what you were up to, and who knows how many informants Lord Nathan has? What if…what if he plans to prove Augustus isn’t the rightful heir? What if he uses the contract King Frederick signed to their family to marry off Christine? The lords will honor it out of fear.”
“Making him…the next king,” Augustus said, his tone deadly. The words left his lips, emblazoned in white fire, burning through the heavy tension in the room.
“No,” I argued. “We have to continue as if Christine is dead. It’s the only way.”
“And what if Lord Nathan continues to kill to get his way?” Christine asked. We all spun around to face the door. She stood there with her shoulders rolled back, the silk of her robe falling delicately off her shoulder. She chewed on her top lip for a moment while observing us.
“Let him paint the streets red,” I said. “Kill them all. I’m not letting him get close to you. The best course of action is to continue to let the world think you’re dead.”
She shook her head. “The best course of action is for me to marry August immediately. Like, right now. If I’m next in line, then this solves everything.”
Leo shook his head. “I don’t like this.”
I stroked my chin. “It’s actually brilliant. If the two of you marry now, it secures Augustus’s spot as king and protects Christine. All we need is a wedding ceremony.”
We all looked to Augustus, who was still drunk, still a broken mess. “Christine, I’m not sure I want my place secured.”
Fuck it all. I boomed with anger. “You don’t get the luxury of backing out, Augustus. The alternative is Lord Nathan marrying her.”
Christine’s eyes sparkled with sadness. “Do you not want to marry me, August?”
He straightened and marched over to her, cupping her cheek in his palm. “Of course I want to marry you. I’ve never wanted anything more. It’s just…a lot right now.”
Christine ran her hands across Augustus’s chest with frailness and fear. She touched his face with softness, a tender caress from his chin to his lips. “I know, but the plan was always for us to get married, right?”
Augustus looked at Leo and me. We hadn’t even begun to navigate our tumultuous relationship but didn’t have the luxury of time. “Of course, love. I want you. I adore you. I’m just a little fucked in the head right now. And then it’s not just me. I’m still coming to terms with the idea of knowing two other men possess your heart, too.”
His forehead creased and her bottom lip quivered. I took a step closer to the two of them and put my hand on Christine’s back. “A lot has happened and we still have a lot to figure out,” I said quietly. “But we need to move quickly. Lord Nathan will know that his attack has revealed his plan. We don’t have much time.”
Augustus let out a deep sigh. “When?”
Christine turned to look at him. “I suppose you should sober up. We need to find a church. Have formal witnesses. The certificate. We also need to announce that I’m alive.”
“The lords won’t recognize a wedding unless we follow the proper protocols. They’ll need to be in attendance,” Augustus said.
Leo’s mouth hit the floor. “Don’t you think this is all a little sudden?”
“Maybe,” Christine replied with a smile. “But I don’t want to marry Lord Nathan, and I absolutely want to protect all of you. This will solidify our position.”
Augustus stared at Christine, processing the simple way in which she spoke. None of this was romantic or thoughtful, and I wondered if it bothered my brother to have such a clinical approach to supposedly the happiest day of his life.
I personally was trying not to think of it too much. I knew that eventually Christine would marry Augustus. I’d resigned myself to that future of living on the sidelines, accepting scraps of her affections like a greedy addict. But now the reality of it all was staring us both right in the face.
Augustus spoke to Christine. “Are you sure?”
