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“I’m trying to wrap my head around everything you just said, but one thing still confuses me. You said that it took you both a while to figure out what type of methods worked on you. But didn’t Cleo just offer sex? What possible methods could sex even have?”
“It wasn’t just sex. There were plenty of times that fucking wasn’t even on the menu. That didn’t mean that they were any less effective. In fact, most of the things we did together that didn’t involve intercourse were the ones I got the most benefit from.”
When Kat still looks confused, I see a door opening up for me.
One that I thought was locked.
“You’d have to see it for yourself to fully understand. All I can tell you is that for a crowned prince of the south to have been riddled with such constricting emotions, was of no use to my kingdom. Cleo helped me shed that burden in order for me to once again be free. And I would gladly pay any ransom to ensure I’d never lose my freedom again.”
I watch Katrina attentively as she takes it all in. Every honest morsel of it and the ending hook I dangled in front of her. So, when she opens her mouth to say the two words I was yearning to hear, I school my features to not let on how ecstatic I am that she took the bait.
“Show me.”
Chapter 38
Katrina
“I don’t think this is wise, my queen,” Inessa worriedly proclaims as she fixes my hair into a tight bun. “Going out like this, in the dead of night, to a pleasure house, no less, seems like a risk you don’t need to be taking.”
“It’s not a risk. The king will be with me to ensure my safety,” I state matter-of-factly, just so that my beloved friend will remain clueless as to the nerves that are currently wrecking through my entire body.
“I think what Inessa is trying to say is that being alone with the king is a risk in itself,” Anya explains with a playful hint to her tone as she continues sewing the black cape I requested to wear tonight.
“Fine.” Inessa rolls her eyes. “That is exactly what I mean. The king doesn’t inspire confidence. He’s a slippery devil, that one.”
“And if you two are going to go to a whorehouse, he’s bound to get a whole lot slippier,” Anya jokes before cutting the string with her teeth.
“Enough out of you,” Inessa reprimands. “Those crude jokes are unbecoming to a lady. I blame your friend Cleo for being such a bad influence on you.”
Anya’s playful expression falls flat to the floor.
“I don’t think Cleo is a bad influence on Anya,” I defend my sensitive friend. “She’s showing Anya how to tap into her own power.”
“Power?” Inessa scoffs. “We are women, Your Highness. What power can we hold in a world ruled by men?”
“I say plenty. But then again, I’m the only queen of all of Aikyam, who all men have sworn their allegiance to, so what would I know on the matter?” I raise my brows at her.
“I’m sorry if I have insulted you, Your Highness, but not all of us can say the same. We can’t rely on a crown to keep us safe,” Inessa rebukes, never one to mix words. “It’s all fine and well, Anya’s behavior here in the south where cruder things are said, but once we return home, people will not be as understanding if they catch her saying such things.”
My shoulders slump at how true her words are.
Here, Anya has managed to find happiness in her free-spirited ways.
But once we return home, she will have to bite her tongue or risk prosecution.
“Then all the more reason for me to go out into the city tonight and experience all the south has to offer. If I want to be a queen who will introduce change to my kingdom, one that ensures all people, of every walk of life, are treated equally and fairly, then what better place to learn from than Nas Laed? Here there is no gender bias or inequality of any kind. I say we have much to learn from the south, and I’m a willing pupil that yearns to be taught.”
Inessa takes in my words, but still seems unconvinced.
“Speak, Inessa, since I know you’re dying to,” I blurt out.
“A person would have to be blind not to see how enamored you are with this… city. However, I need you to have a clear mind when making any decision. Yes, Nas Laed does seem to favor a freedom that we women aren’t accustomed to, but I don’t think that is the case in the entire realm. You were locked to your room in Braaka but Anya and I did venture out. And what we witnessed there could not be more opposite to what we found here.”
I look to Anya for confirmation and am troubled when she nods.
“Inessa is right, Kat. There was no happiness in Braaka, only famine.”
Inessa flings her arms up in the air as if finally vindicated.
