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“I already denied that request.”
“He says if you don’t want to break your word, you should speak with him.”
I had no idea what that meant. “I’ll be there shortly.”
The guard retreated.
Atticus stared at me, his eyebrows furrowed in consternation the way Father’s did.
“It’s a long story…” I told him the tale.
“Why is he alive?” he demanded. “He should be killed for his crimes, not imprisoned.”
“He did get me back safely—”
“After he took you.”
“But if I’d escaped on my own, I would have died on the journey. He kept me alive. And he did get me out of there. I don’t think death is a fair punishment.”
“Father is the most just king there ever was, and I know he would disagree.”
“It’s over now,” I said. “Let’s move on.”
* * *
I made it downstairs to the dungeons, which were all empty because we hadn’t had a prisoner in a very long time. Crime was limited in Delacroix because everyone was well-fed and housed. There was no reason to steal. Domestic abuse and rape were also rare, because my father had a zero-tolerance policy for such crimes. Perpetrators wouldn’t end up in the dungeon anyway.
There was no natural light this far below the castle, so the sconces on the walls were the only form of light in this dark place. My heart raced as I approached the cell in the corner, dreading the moment I had to look at the man who’d broken my heart before I even had a chance to give it to him.
He sat against the wall, one arm propped on his knee, the back of his head resting against the stone. His eyes were locked on mine, dark like saturated soil. There should be hostility and rage in that gaze, but instead, there was quiet defeat.
The guard placed a chair for me to sit and then moved back to the doorway where he could watch us, out of earshot.
I sat down and continued to stare at Aurelias, seeing the way his appearance had changed in the last two days. His skin was paler than I remembered, his eyes were bloodshot, and he somehow looked thinner. His armor and weapons had been taken away, so he sat there in a shirt and trousers, the pale skin of his arms tight over the cords of his veins.
He continued his quiet stare.
“You got me down here to give me the silent treatment?”
“Tell him to leave.” He nodded to the guard near the stairs.
“I’m not an idiot, Aurelias.”
“We need to speak in private, and I don’t want a servant to overhear this conversation.”
I didn’t oblige and continued to sit there.
“If I could break through these iron bars, I would have done it already.”
After I released a sigh, I turned to the guard and gave him a nod.
He moved up the stairs, and then his footsteps disappeared.
“If you leave me in here, I’m going to die.”
“Misery can’t kill you.”
“Misery isn’t the culprit.” He got to his feet and walked to the bars, his arms sliding through and resting on the iron center bar. “If you want to keep your word by sparing my life, then you need to let me go.”
