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“She was born and raised in Ironhelm, like the rest of us. Carrottrove is part of the kingdom!”
“She’s an outsider to those who have never left Ironhelm City,” Ryland explained in a clipped voice.
“Then they need to travel more,” I snapped. “That’s not Zephy’s fault.”
“It didn’t help that she up and left the kingdom to sort itself out the night before your wedding,” Ryland added bluntly.
I tensed, but I had to have known that this would eventually come up.
“Thank you for your candor,” I said stiffly.
“It’s a compilation of problems, Cade. It’s not just one thing. Miss Zephyrine had a bunch of strikes against her.”
Ryland exhaled and straightened himself, smoothing out the front of his uniform, and I realized that he was among some of those who had a problem accepting change. I steeled my bemusement and rose from my desk, shaking my head.
“I never misled anyone in the kingdom,” I told him firmly. “If they got the idea in their heads that I was going to marry a local, that’s on them, not me.”
“You’re right, Cade. But that doesn’t change the fact that this is where some of this animus is coming from. You asked for the truth, and I gave it to you the best I could.”
I paused. “Is this coming from Stralia?” I asked slowly.
“No, Cade,” he said quickly, and I exhaled, glad that Stralia wasn’t causing trouble.
I still wasn’t sure what to do with her. I’d kept my distance from her in the palace, but I couldn’t bring myself to put her out. Ironhelm Place was as much her home as it was mine, and despite how close she’d come to ruining things with Zephy and me, she couldn’t be faulted for what had happened. She hadn’t deliberately sabotaged our union. She hadn’t known that Zephy was going to come looking for me and overhear us that night, but still, I couldn’t help but feel like Stralia was responsible for not getting her emotions in check. It wasn’t fair or rational, perhaps, but neither was Stralia sometimes.
Since Zephy had returned, I’d seen very little of her, Stralia keeping to her duties in the north wing where I’d re-stationed her, and our paths crossing rarely, if at all.
If she remained out of my view, I had no reason to banish her—and given our long history, that was not what I wanted to do. But just knowing that she was still around and apt to run into Zephyrine… it made me distinctly uncomfortable at times.
I realized that Ryland had more to say on the matter, and I jutted my chin toward him.
“But?” I prodded.
“But I’m not surprised that there is unrest because of an outsider,” Ryland added.
I glowered at him. “Zephyrine is not an outsider. She’s the queen, who has been here for months, working her butt off to learn the ways of the kingdom. The sooner everyone gets that through their thick skulls, the better off they’ll be, because she’s not going anywhere.”
Again, Ryland dropped his gaze, nodding. But I didn’t feel as though he entirely agreed with me, and that bothered me a great deal. If my oldest friends didn’t side with me, what were the others saying and doing behind my back?
A knock on my office door ended our conversation, Grisella appearing as Ryland moved to open it.
“The Queen would like a word, Alpha,” the house manager informed me.
My scowl deepened. “She doesn’t need to be announced, Grisella,” I grumbled. “Let her in.”
Zephy brushed past Grisella, casting the gray-haired matron a wary gaze, which I caught, but Grisella ignored it, remaining in place at Ryland’s side.
I stared at them both expectantly.
“You can go,” I snapped when they didn’t move.
“Are you sure, Alpha?” Grisella asked, causing my jaw to slack in amazement.
I glanced at Zephyrine as if to ask her silently, “Her, too?!”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I weren’t,” I replied shortly, raising an eyebrow.
Grisella hesitated, casting Zephy an indecipherable look, but the air in the office chilled at least ten degrees since their arrival, and I tensed, waiting for the guard and servant to leave.
