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“Go ahead.” She’d propped her boots up on the railing. “Whiskey?” She held out a bottle.
“No, thanks. Are you a pirate too now?”
“Pfft. If I get demoted, I’m going to Mother’s playhouse. The life of a pirate isn’t for me, although I can’t pretend this isn’t nice.”
Jari settled in the chair and looked out over the dark water that merged into the starry sky far out.
“When you do whatever at Ash Island, what’s next?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I’m not taking him back to court,” he said.
“He’s the King now, and he’s got two Kingdoms.”
“He doesn’t want the crown anymore, and I’m not bringing him back to that snake den. I’m not making him go back to that role either. He’s been through enough shit.”
She took a swig from the bottle. “It’s not exactly a choice. If Father doesn’t kick me out, I’ll be the Queen one day. We’re born into this-”
“And I’m giving him a choice because no one else fucking gave him one,” Jari said with an edge. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to get nasty. I just want him to be free. It’s been one thing after another for him. I want him safe without so much weight on his shoulders. I think he should get some say in his life for a change.”
She shifted a bit in her chair. “Technically, I could reject the position. If I outright refused, Father couldn’t do much about it. If he dragged me into the Temple, had the mages stick the crown on my head, coronate me, and dragged me back to the office, he couldn’t actually make me do any work and fulfill my Queenly duty. I could sit and doodle cats all day. He wouldn’t do that, but…the role is still expected. It’s not a real choice in some ways because it would strain things, andsomeonehas to rule.”
“I get that, but he sold a guy to another King. I don’t think he minds forcing people.”
“I’m his daughter, so it’s different. Not that Father should show such disregard for others who aren’t related.” She groaned. “Elira, I dread going home and facing him. Mother won’t be too happy when she finds out that I went with him on this part of the way.”
“You were trying to do the right thing and being a loyal daughter and Duchess seemed like it. You came through in the end. I’ve done shit too.”
“Not like that, I bet.”
He leaned back in the chair. “I have, and I still want to make it up to him.”
“Aurelius?”
“I’m not going into details on that specifically. It’s more than my business, and I’m not going to spread it around.”
“I get it.”
“Let’s just say I was sixteen and had a shitty Father who tried to force me to be like him.”
Este sighed. “I might take a break from being Duchess and go to Mother’s for a while. Calytrix can take over for me so I don’t come back to find myself buried in a pile of work. Technically, Father can’t stop me from taking a vacation if I need it to…recuperate, we’ll say. Or maybe he’ll take away my title since I committed treason, and then I’ll always stay with Mother and perform. I have most of the plays and songs memorized anyway.”
“I hope you can decide to do what you want in the long run.”
***
Aurelius got up late and said he wanted to spend the day doing nothing and speaking to no one except for Jari.
“But you’re not going to spend all day in here. Go out, talk to others, and get some air.”
Jari looked at Aurelius who had gotten back into bed after eating. “I don’t want to leave you, and you don’t like being alone.”
Aurelius hugged Jari’s pillow. “You’ve been pasted to my side for the most part during this trip. I think you need a break from me. Maybe some alone time would also be good for me, and we can’t be pasted to each other’s side every single second. I know you can’t go far on the ship, and I’m safe. Do me one favor.”
“What?”
“Would you ask if someone has a book? I would like to read later after a nap.”
“I’ll ask.”
