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“Yes, you can,” I interrupted him. “Those and much more.”
At first, His Holiness just stared at me, still smiling, but then, that smile vanished and his face fell into a cold, arrogant expression.
Good. He understood. He was showing me his real face. No more games.
“Gunther has been a faithful, and powerful, ally,” he said. I knew there was a cunning man hiding in that robe of his. Of course he had already heard the rumors.
“Two gold chests. Which will be enough to complete the construction of your new summer residence with ease.”
Two gold chests were enough to fund a small army, but His Holiness wrinkled his forehead and slurped the tea.
“After visiting your castle, I think I would like some upgrades to my new residence, to add a little more luxury to it.”
Greedy little bastard. And he called himself a man of God. But Gunther had turned my own people against me. Ridding my kingdom of him was priceless.
“Three,” I offered.
“Four.”
Four was a lot, especially with the new feeding and clothing programs I wanted to implement for the poor in the North.
“Three,” I said again.
His Holiness’s cocked a brow.
“But you can take the tea as well. I have several pounds of it left. You probably already know that it’s worth more than all the paintings combined in this room.”
Staring into his teacup, His Holiness chewed on his lower lip for a moment, then looked at me again.
“The Lord approves of such a generous donation to his highest servant.”
The Lord?I almost laughed. If there was a god, wasn’t he supposed to look after the poor and destitute, not the rich and richer?
“It would mean so much to this crown to please the Lord and his loyal servants,” I said, trying hard to sound serious.
His Holiness smiled again, falling right back into his kind-old-man act. “Where would Her Majesty suggest Gunther might be sent to spread the word of the Lord?”
I rose to my feet. “Somewhere far, far away. Where villages are known for their violence and diseases.”
His Highness’s forehead wrinkled as he looked up at me.
“I mean,” I corrected myself, “finding followers in such forsaken places would mean the most to our Lord, don’t you think?”
Slowly, His Holiness nodded. “It would.”
I was about ready to leave when I suddenly remembered something. “There is something else,” I said to His Holiness.
He placed his teacup on the table. “Speak, child.”
“I am to be married. To...” My voice broke off. If I said it out loud now, there would be no turning back. Yet I had to do it.Just say it.“To Lord Rune Blackwood.”
“The bastard son of King Algar?”
I raised my chin. “Yes.”
With narrowed eyes, His Holiness stared at me. For a moment, I expected him to burst out into laughter. But much to my surprise, he didn’t. Instead, he grinned and picked up his teacup again.
“May God be my witness, I’m glad you and I can do business peacefully,” he finally said. “Very wise move, I have to say.”
