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I fought to keep the grin off my face at the thought ofwhat a wonderful weapon she would be. Paired with one of her precious dragons, we would be unbeatable.
Cirro was still standing in front of me, his face reddening under my gaze. I lifted my eyebrows, no longer wanting to entertain his tantrum, and he grunted unhappily, shuffling his feet as he moved past Ed and I to take the fabric sample back to Rosa.
I smiled at Rosa in the mirror, nodding my head at her. She curtsied low and hurried out of the room, her complexion flushed, as though she could not wait to be out of here.
I did not blame her.
“Are you excited to be wed, Your Majesty?” Ed’s voice came from behind me as his head popped up behind my shoulder. I blinked, taken aback slightly by his question. I had not really thought about it.
“I suppose,” I shrugged, scrunching my nose, “It’s more of a necessity, isn’t it. No one takes a King without a Queen seriously.”
Ed nodded, stepping back from me and looking over his work on the back of my suit. He had pinned a ceremonial sash over my shoulder, that would also be dyed the same emerald green, but the ends would fade into black.
“That is true. Although, a King cannot be without a Queen to guide him.” Ed smiled at me, and I pressed my lips together, giving him a tight smile in return.
It was one of the many laws of this Kingdom that I could not wait to abolish. A King should be just that — a King. He should not have to worry about the thoughts of his wife, nor should they be expected to be equal to their Queen’s. If it was up to me, as it soon would be, it would be the King’s word against no one’s.
My father had not been happy about getting married to my mother, but their love had blossomed in the months leading up to their ceremony, and by the time they were wed, they were inseparable. My father did not go a day without my mother at his side, and he had always claimed that she was the better half of his soul.
That did not stop him taking multiple mistresses, though.
My brain wandered back to a conversation my father and I had once, when I had caught him sneaking one of his many mistresses out of the castle. I had asked him why, if he was so infatuated with mother, would he bother with anyone else. He had claimed it was what was expected of kings, and I would never understand. He wanted the fun of being with someone without the worry of them producing heirs.
I had rolled my eyes and left him to it. I did not want any more explanation than that. I had decided then that I would not like to be married, ever.
Clearly, the universe had other plans.
A knock on my chamber door pulled me from mythoughts, and I watched Cirro as he shuffled his way to the door, his breath huffed and his greasy hair falling in front of his eyes as he moved. He barely pulled the door open enough for him to poke his head through the crack, his snappy tone echoing through the hallway outside.
Whoever it was that had interrupted us sounded panicked as they rushed to explain whatever it was, they needed us to know. Cirro straightened himself up, nodding his head briskly and shutting the door without a word. I raised my eyebrow at him as he turned back into the room, his complexion paled under his red cheeks.
“Your Majesty, there has been a… disturbance, in the dungeon.”
My blood ran cool, though I did not let it show. I kept my face schooled into a mask of indifference, eyeing Ed closely as he continued to potter about in the room behind us. He did not seem to be paying any attention, but I could never be too careful.
“Send a healer down with more sedatives.” I said in a hushed tone to Cirro, “Do not let anyone else know.”
Cirro nodded, bowing his head to me.
“Of course, Prince Cal—“ He choked on his words, as though they tasted like acid in his throat.
A shiver of uncomfortable magic ran through the room, making all three of us groan out loud. Ed shook his head, his hands coming up to cup his ears as though they hadpopped. Cirro coughed, hacking up whatever had been stuck in his throat, and I ground my teeth together.
Saffron was going to have a nightmare of a day once I got my hands on her.
Cirro cleared his throat again, his eyes watering as he lifted a hand to his chest and hit it a few times. He looked at me, blinking through teary eyes and frowning, his eyebrows knitting together in the middle of his forehead.
“Apologies, Your Majesty, I think I have something in my throat.” He croaked, and I simply nodded in response, not trusting my own voice to not show my annoyance. “Is there anything else you need?”
“Find Kira when you are done with your task.” I looked back into the mirror in front of me, pulling the front of my suit so that it felt more comfortable in the suddenly too hot room. “Tell her we are meeting the priest this afternoon.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Cirro turned on his heel, scurrying from the room and leaving Ed and I alone.
I watched Ed closely for the rest of the time he was with me. His skin had paled, but he did not seem to be acting any different than he had before. He chatted to me as he finished up his work, his tailoring tools spread around the floor beside me as he knelt to pin the bottom of my trousers. I tried to keep my voice as calm and polite as I could, but the tension in my back was making it difficult for me to breathe.
Once I had changed out of my suit and it had been packed away ready to be dyed, Ed excused himself, rolling his mirrors and tools out of the room with him. I let out my breath, rolling my neck back so I was staring at the ceiling for a minute.
I was exhausted. I had barely slept the last two nights, having spent most of it sitting at an injured Maeteo’s bedside. He had been unconscious for the most part, which I was thankful for, but when he had woken, he had mumbled utter nonsense. Fionnuala had kept him relatively well drugged, meaning his awake windows were few and far between.
