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“Thank you, Griffon.”
“His title was earned, Aria. You will address him as such,” Aden reprimanded. “It is considered a slight to ignore titles. We have much to teach you, my darling.”
“I do believe you addressed him by such a moment ago. I was merely following your lead, my dearest Aden,” I said in a saccharine tone, which had Zyion’s lips twitching in my peripheral. Griffon moved toward one of the guards, and the moment he did, I looked Aden dead in the eyes. “I’m so sorry. The lack of sleep must be getting to me.”
“I am ashamed of my behavior, sweetest one,” he gushed. I turned, making a face, smiling at Zyion. “You must let me make up for my rudeness. I’d love to show you the gardens. Alone, of course.”
“I’d rather choke on a dick.” I whirred beneath my breath. Zyion’s shoulders shook, which caused Aden’s face to redden. He might not have heard what I’d said, but it was obvious he knew it wasn’t kind.
“What was that, darling? I didn’t catch what you said over the noise of the room,” Aden inquired.
“The bugs are rather thick, so after I eat, I’ll be retiring for the night,” I supplied. As Griffon took his seat again, another chair was brought over to the table for me. Zyion moved to sit opposite of me on the other side while Aden sat beside me, with Esme seated on my other side.
The moment my ass hit the seat, Esme hissed, “Where thehellhave you been? I was about to make a huge scene before they explained what had happened. You fucking vanished into thin air!”
“I don’t really know where I went,” I admitted, still uncertain how I’d ended up sucked into a crystal. Aden had said something about my using magic openly, but that wasn’t me at all. How could they not tell the difference between magic use and mana-charged enchantments? I’d bet even Fennix and Fennia could tell the difference. That thought had me wondering where they had scattered off to. I’d seen the little traitors in the garden when they’d been rubbing against Zyion’s boots, but then they’d both vanished.
“You can’t just disappear on me,” Esme susurrated in an angry tenor. “I seem to remember you promising to stay with me.”
Frustration grew until I exhaled a long, irritated puff of air. “It wasn’t as if I had a choice. How was I to know touching it would send me elsewhere, Esmeralda?”
The aroma of cooked meat hitting my nose had my stomach cramping with hunger. A sideward glance at the pile of food lathered high on Esme’s plate had my attention sliding to the platters covering the table with piles of meat, fruits, breads and pastries. Without waiting for more of an invitation, I forked a large, juicy sausage from the tray of them. Another platter had a pile of strange green berries and white berries resembling strawberries. Adding a few of them, and then a piece of spiced bread to my platter, I wasted no time before digging in with delight.
When Zyion handed me a napkin, I realized that I had an audience watching as I devoured my platter. Had I known they would all be so rude, I might have breathed between bites of the perfectly baked meal. Next, Zyion passed me a mug of ale, and when I glanced at him in thanks, I found him smirking. Yup, he was amused that I had the juice from a sausage dribbling down my chin.
Whatever.
After I’d dabbed it away, Griffon cleared his throat beside me.
“I’ve set you and Esmeralda up in the west wing of the palace. There are only a few others who live in that wing,” Griffon explained.
“Thank you.” I wasn’t sure if I should address him as Your Majesty, but seeing as Scylla admitted I’d be ascending to his throne, it felt awkward to do so.
“Why would you place your daughter in the west wing of the palace? I’d prefer she be near at hand. I intend to court her,” Aden challenged before biting into a slab of meat even as he pushed bread-like croutons into it as well. My eyes honed in on the way he raucously crunched it as if he lacked any manners. Of course, I had little room to talk. I had just stuffed my face like I hadn’t eaten in months. Before he’d finished chewing, he continued on. “It would be much easier for me if Aria were near my chamber.”
“I don’t think she intends to be courted,” Griffon pointed out as if conveying the message to a spoiled child.
My attention flicked to Zyion to see what he made of this argument, but his focus was on my lips. It made me self-conscious that maybe he’d felt the same way about my manners as I felt about Aden’s, and I wiped my mouth with the napkin again. My appetite vanished as I chewed my lip and pretended to ignore the conversation.
“I think Aria isn’t sure what she really wants or needs, Your Majesty. After all, she’s been fucking our mortal enemy for months now. I’m sure the princess had a reason to be screwing our enemy’s king.” Aden’s cold, cruel eyes held mine, revealing the true bastard behind the polished mask.
“Enough, Aden,” Griffon warned.
“Why? If she is to be my bride, shouldn’t I know where her loyalties are, Griffon?” Aden persisted.
“‘Sir’ or ‘Your Majesty’, Aden. Remember your manners,” I offered, which caused his face to turn mottled with anger. “But what’s a girl to do when she finds herself thepetof a king?”
“I imagine a girl would be scared,” Zyion said, peering across the table with a mischievous smile aimed at me.
“Terrified,” I lied, dragging my thinning eyes to Aden, who rattled weakly.
The chuckle that burst from Aden’s lips was harsh. “It is high time the princess learns the truth about her dragon king. Unless, of course, she willingly took his dragon cock?” My ears burned as he handed out another insult. “You said it yourself. Aria is young and inexperienced, she requires guidance on responding to her peers appropriately, Griffon.” My hand holding the knife tightened, imagining running Aden through, before stabbing him through the eyeball. “We might have misunderstood the situation? King Karnavious could have taken advantage of her as she entered the Nine Realms. Either way, she needs to understand her loyalty is to us and not the dragon swine. I won’t have my bride out seekinganythingwilling to bed her merely toprotecther.”
“I didn’t fuck Knox Karnavious to protect myself, if that is what you’re implying, Aden.” The anger building inside me was boiling over. My fists tightened on the table before I slid my entire focus toward him. I was acutely aware of every person in the room, wholly focused on this conversation.
“So, you willingly slept with our mortal enemy? Do you even know the history between the bloodlines?” he spat out, as if he found the words foul. “Or that his grandmother murdered yours?”
“Did Knox rape me? No. No, he didn’t have to do that, Aden. His cock and my vagina met before I ever entered the Nine Realms. In fact,” I slammed my elbows on the table, glaring withering at him. “Knox was the first and only man I’ve been with. If you’re taking notes, you will want to write it down. I fucked willingly, and I liked it in case you need to know that answer as well.” I offered him a smile that was all teeth.
