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True.
“Make this deal, and we’ll go about this tactfully. It won’t happen immediately, child.”
I sighed. It was a fair deal. I hated most of the men in the village except Gregoire. But if he were betrothed, that option was off the table. A husband would need to come from an outside town. Plus, a journey to Demora and back would take weeks, giving me time to think of a way out of this.
“Deal.” I stuck out my hand for her. My father coughed loudly, but with a searing glance from my mother, he quieted.
“Deal,” she said as she put her hand in mine. I felt heat against my palm. Magic solidified deals, something that had sparked in Catalan since the queen had come into power. Some dark magic arose with deal-making that no one understood—nor tried to.
“You’re betrothed?”
I had coaxed from my father that Gregoire promised himself to Tillimina. A red-haired beauty that was dumb as a stump but had breasts the size of the watermelons we grew in our garden. No wonder he liked her. Gregoire would have a perfectly docile wife to give him beautiful babies.Boring.
Gregoire thrust a hand through his hair. “What did you expect, Autumn? For me to wait forever?”
I had. As selfish and self-centered as that was, Ihadexpected it. We had been fooling around for years with no permanence. I never realized how important marriage was to him. He’d been with other girls, and I’d dallied with… one other man. Neither of us were threatened by where our relationship was going—or so I had thought. I presumed we had a silent agreement that we would marry when we were ready, but until then, we were free to do as we pleased. He deserved a good wife. I just… wasn’t sure what to feel. I was more upset that my future was now up for consideration than him being with someone else. I thought I had everything planned and set whenever I wanted to take it—a low-lying fruit to pluck at my choosing.
“I guess it’s a good thing I’m leaving then. I’ll miss your wedding.”
“Autumn, don’t be like that,” he paused, processing my words. “Wait, where are you going?”
“I need to travel north to bring the weapons to the Demora royals.”
“Alone?”
“No, not alone, Gregoire.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Ah, no, thanks. I don’t want to upsetTilly.”
“She’ll understand.”
“Thanks, but no.” I’d rather bring along the demons of the Underworld than him. Had he not been betrothed I would have wanted him with me. We’d have had fun. Not only sneaking off into the woods together but he was one of the few men I could banter with and enjoy being around. Typically I just wanted to punch them all in the throat. Most were too intimidated by me to get that far.
He sighed and his eyes were genuine when they held mine. There was the shiver of what was still between us, something that would always be. The history was difficult to ignore. He knew I would never speak to him the same. That nothing would ever be the same.
Would he mourn that as much as I would?
This was my problem, in all fairness, not his.
I gave him one last long look, taking in what I was losing. His short dark hair, the brown eyes that ignited with passion and shone with sincerity. He was a good man. I was stupid to have let him go, but I couldn’t change it. I had learned not to dwell on things I could not change, and so I turned on my heel and continued to the next man on my list.
Magic Mirror Standing Tall
I glanced at the mirror when I came through the door. My eyes always gravitated to the gilded behemoth before they scanned the rest of the room. Just being near the mirror gave me unwelcomed anxiety.
The queen was at her vanity. Two nude maids brushed out the queen’s long golden hair. Nudity was nothing new in the palace. My own was on display more often than I liked to admit. Sometimes the queen felt the need to be cruel, push our limits, and embarrass us with our bared bodies. Other times she did it for fantasy purposes. You never knew which side of her you would get.
The queen ran a black painted fingertip over one of the maid's nipples on her ample chest. The maid released a soft moan and edged closer to the queen until she straddled her lap. With a tight breath, I stepped further into the room. I should be desensitized to such acts, but I still wasn’t. My parents loved each other openly, and I know passion was a part of it, but not likethis. I wasn’t used to seeing bodies used in such an open way and for sex to play a role in power. It was still a little fascinating but becoming unsettling by the day. The excitement from the beginning had quickly changed to apprehension.
The queen ran her hands up the girl's thighs, over her hips, her ribs, and then both hands palmed the maid’s breasts. The maid threw her head back and arched into the queen's touch. I stood to the side and watched in male fascination until the queen finally acknowledged my existence after she had pleasured the maid, and the young woman returned the favor. I hated that I didn’t even know these maids' names and saw them every day. There was no point in getting to know the staff or guards because they angered the queen too often, and she had them removed. Amira disapproved of us developing bonds, and learning names made creating attachments easier.
“What is it, Huntsman?”
“My lady Queen. Bereille has sent me to fetch you.”
“What does that impudent rodent want now?”
