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“Your grace?”
Klaus looked up at Jacques and zoned in on the unwrapped box the scrawny man held in his hands. He wanted to be surprised, but that was no longer a reaction fit for this scenario.
“Yes, Jacques?”
“Miss Sapphire wants to return your gift.”
The box was placed on the table where Klaus had a stack of papers waiting to be signed. Carefully, he set them aside and opened the box, where the jewelry set was untouched.
“Did she say why?”
“She said rings are a symbol of ownership in ancient magical times and Miss Emerald accepting them means you own her. She said you’re not supposed to own Miss Emerald but be mated to her in a respectable, equal manner.”
He gritted his teeth but didn’t let out the curse he wanted to. Instead, he pushed the box back to Jacques.
“Remove the ring, then, and give the rest back to her…Emerald, not Sapphire.”
“Okay, your grace.”
Jacques left. Not even fifteen minutes later, the man returned, still holding the box and announcing words that Klaus already knew by heart.
“Miss Sapphire wants to return the gift.”
“Why?” he bit out.
“She said bracelets are also a symbol of ownership, especially since they were used on slaves. Gold bracelets were used as shackles in old times before the slave owners realized the inconvenience and replaced them with iron shackles.”
“Let me guess. Emerald accepting the bracelet means she accepts being enslaved and I’m supposed to be mated to her in a respectable, equal manner.”
“She did say something like that.”
“Anything else?”
“That she will see you and Em for dinner, but you can skip it anytime you want.”
Oh, the witch had a way with words, and he didn’t know whether to laugh or roar out his frustration. He took a calming breath instead.
“I see.”
“Shall I remove the bracelet, then?”
“No. I’ll hand it to Emerald myself. Later.”
“Very well, your grace.”
Jacques looked relieved and he didn’t blame the guy. For his part, Klaus tried to distract himself with the papers, mostly requests from all the people in Oslo that would take hours to get to verbally. He granted the ones asking for new facilities and a switch in positions, then the ones requesting a leave from service due to pregnancy. The last ones were longer, with the request giving their identity away.
“Request to leave the island so they can check if they have any surviving family,” he muttered, then scribbled away.
No. They will die if they set out alone. Bernard, organize a crew and check out their old island. Track down clues and see if there are any survivors. Bring them here.
When he was done, he set the papers aside and walked out of the room with his box in hand, minus the ring and bracelet. He arrived in the dining hall first, where the long table was set with the finest dinnerware. He sat alone, willing Emerald to come first.
Sapphire wandered in, deliberately underdressed in a plain brown dress…or perhaps it wasn’t deliberate. He peered at her glittery fingers, then the ponytail that loosened with activity. There was a small streak of dirt just below her ear. Uncaring, she plopped down on the chair nearest him—so Emerald wouldn’t sit there—and bit back a tired sigh.
“Good evening,” she greeted, masking her tiredness with politeness.
“Good evening. What have you been up to?”
