Chapter 13
Blue
“I am no one of great value, milord.”
He shook his head. “The only one here who seems to think that is you.”
I shook my head. “Be…be that as it may, I have more to report to you, Pri—”
“Mikael,” he automatically corrected me.
I cringed, it went against everything in me to be so informal, but… “Mikael.”
His smile was soft, gentle. And so very undarkfaelike. It made me feel strange and I wasn’t sure I liked it.
Slipping my hands together, I rested them in my lap, trying not to fidget under his inscrutable gaze. “Father is sending me to Duke Keelan’s estate.”
“Assassination? But no…” Prince Mikael shook his head and answered his own question. “Keelan holds the greatest supply of mana orbs in the realm, he’s an invaluable asset to whomever can procure him. Thus, he wishes you to strengthen an alliance, no?”
Mana orbs were stones buried into the very soil of Demonia, orbs of significant value to the Arcana tower. Father was making a play for the mages. A foolish cause, we’d not succeeded in turning the mages to our side last time, but we had created a valuable asset from that trip.
Lady Symphonia, a woman of great beauty and independently wealthy. She had the ear of the Prince to the East. Her allegiance had secured his and thus father’s army had become greater than Mikael’s own.
“Apart from Keelan’s wealth with the orbs, he wouldn’t alter the outcome of the race by any significance. So, my question to you is, who is the real target there?”
Gods, he was fast. My pulse fluttered. “Lady Symphonia.”
He nodded. “Hm. Prince Keelan’s favored mistress. And my former almost father-in-law. Well now, what an interesting turn of events.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I suppose I should finally make an appearance in the East. In mourning, of course. I’m abjectly desolated at the loss of such a fine and noble princess such as Scimica.”
“I was beginning to wonder if you were truly a dark fae, but no, I see it there now.”
His eyes danced with mirth. “The lady questions my blood, ah, the irony.”
“I never…” but as I saw him barely containing his laughter, I realized that yet again he teased me.
“Beautiful,” he whispered. “Everything about you, so beautiful. Be my mistress, Blue.”
Hearing those words, coming from his lips, it was like a slap of cold water to my face. The reality check I needed.
Mistress, because I could never be anything more to him. And who was I to expect more anyway?
I stood.
He frowned, reaching out a hand as though to stop me. But just before he did he stopped himself. “Did I offend you, my lady?”
Yes. Deeply. More than he could ever imagine.
“No,” I lied with ease. “But I must be off. The Emperor arrives shortly. Prince Mikael.” I dipped my head, then turned on my heel and marched away, without looking back.
My throat felt tight. And my eyes burned.
Damned royals.
I was a bloody fool.
So, what else was new?
~*~
Mikael
The moment she walked away I felt her magic fade. “Severos,” I called to my lead knight.
He materialized as though from thin air.
“Majesty?”
He had short blond hair, buzzed tight, as all of my knights wore it as a sign and outward pledge to me and the kingdom of the West. Yellow, almost golden irises set within black sclera. Severos had lost one of his antlers in the bloody siege at Hangman’s gulch ten years ago. As a result, he’d suffered dishonor with his village and could never return. He would never have a bride and if I’d not accepted him into my guard, he’d have been cast out from society in disgrace.
The caste system in the lower realm had been here forever, and no emperor had ever bothered to change the attitudes of their people. It was an accepted lot in life.
I thought of her, she was a beauty, yes. But she was more. Gods, she was so much more. Why was our system like this? Damian was an idiot, the true power had been sitting before me not even a minute ago.
A muscle in my jaw flexed as I thought of the sudden icy look in her crystalline eyes.
“What would you say if I asked you to be mine?”
Severos coughed, looking suddenly perplexed and shocked by my question. “My Lord? I…am impo—”
I held up my hand. “Not you, you ugly bastard. I asked a maiden earlier to be my mistress. Is that not considered a great honor to be the mistress of a prince?”
He frowned, glancing over his shoulder, at the exit that Blue had just slipped through.
“The…the mutt?”
Even sitting I snatched him up by the collar, yanking his face to within inches of my own. His golden eyes widened. “Call her that again and I will cut your tongue out and toss your carcass to a dragon.”
Severos swallowed hard. “I. My apologies, master. I forgot myself.”
With a snarl, I tossed him from me. He quickly brushed the front of his shirt down. But his golden gaze turned once more to mine, more contrite this time. He had something more to say.
I curled my lips, waiting for him to work up the nerve to say it.
“If… if I may answer your question, I would like to do so now, my Lord,” he said, all contriteness.
Annoyed with him now and wondering why I’d asked my guard such a ridiculous question, I almost shook my head. But I was also curious. My reaction had been extreme, I’d own that. Still, it had grated to hear my guard speak so callously of her.
“Speak. But know this, if you say something I do not like I will kill you myself.”
Again, he swallowed. “Yes. Yes, my Prince. I have been studying the…erm lady—”
I growled.
He flushed, but to his credit, he did not wither.
“And she is undeniably beautiful, even for one with her blood.”
I thinned my eyes, but he held up his hand. His cheeks were stained red, but he stood his ground beneath my furious glare.
“I saw your interactions with her. You seemed changed while she was here. I’ve not seen her around before and yet there was a level of intimacy between you two I’ve never seen you exhibit with another. You spoke to her as a peer. If I might be so bold, imagine you and she were in each other’s shoes, how would you have felt just now receiving such an offer from her?”
I opened my mouth, ready to blurt out that I would have felt honored to have had someone of my station take notice of me. But the more I thought on it the less I thought that was actually true. I would not deny I was a prideful male full of fae hubris. I snapped my mouth shut as a hot worm of discomfort slid through my stomach.
No, in truth I would have been furious if someone had made me such a crude offer. Blue had the same fire within her as I did. I’d seen it once before and even more so this time.
A hot sinking feeling settled in the pit of my dark heart.
I still wanted to gut him like a fish, but his words made sense. And the more I thought of it, the more I understood I’d insulted her. Gravely.
My fingers curled on the armrest as I clenched it tight into a fist.
I’d made her feel inferior. In fact, I’d all but said it. That she was worthy to lie in my bed but only in secret. Very few mistresses in the realm ever stepped outside of those heavy shadows. I’d all but told Blue that, though I valued her mind, she was still my inferior in every way.
“Dammit,” I growled, dropping my head into my hand and groaning, “Severos, follow her. I want to know what she’s doing, what she likes, hates, I want to know it all. Also, reach out to Prince Damian, I wish to seek an audience with him. Privately.”
~*~
Blue
Walking into the servant’s quarters I looked for Dehlia, the housekeeper. She was a tough woman, with hard looks that came from years of working herself from sunup to sundown.
Gray hair that she kept tucked beneath her coif. Short for a dark fae, though she was a giant compared to me.
“Dhelia,” I said, catching sight of her giving a stern scolding to a maid who was currently sitting with legs askew on the floor, sobbing. An overturned pan of asparagus cream soup was scattered around her and staining the front of her gown.
“Tis a good thing you didn’t get none on that Lord Byron and his missus. Tch.” Dhelia heaved an aggrieved sigh before shaking her head. “Now. Go. Change. We’ll talk later, Liyl.” The young-looking brownie wiped her tear-stained face with her sleeve before sniffing and rushing off. A throng of maids took her place, quickly cleaning up the mess.
The poor girl would probably not be there come morning. Dehlia ran a tight ship. Still, that was more courteous than most young maids would be treated elsewhere.
“Blue?” She said, turning toward me. Her face composed, a cool elegant mask of refinement. Matronly, and slightly plump, there was an air about Dhelia that made one believe no matter how great the task, she could handle herself and those beneath her with ease.
If Dhelia did not like me, I never knew. She was one of the rare purebloods that worked for Father, but she was professional to her core and did not abide idle tittle-tattle.
As any pureblood who opted to go into the service of another noble house, she’d had her fae characteristics permanently disfigured. Dhelia was of the wolf tribe, in her case, her ears had been cropped. Her reason for choosing this path was her own, but father had no idea how fortunate he was to have her.
“We’ve just received word that the emperor will arrive shortly.”
At that, her bright red eyes flickered, and I wasn’t mistaken that the sudden rush of blood blooming in her cheeks could be anything other than pride. She worked hard to run such an efficient household; the emperor wouldn’t have come otherwise.
However I did not think she would particularly enjoy hearing my praise.
“Hreald is busy bringing in the casks of the emperor’s favorite wine, I need you to kick those nobles out of Father’s bed and get him dressed in his ceremonial suit,” I said crisply.
Her eyes sparkled. I’d always amused her by my refusal to call the rabble in Father’s bed what she believed they really were.
“As you wish, miss.” She bowed and turning on her heels, she marched with purpose toward Father’s room. It was easier to send her to wrangle father, for whatever reason, he tended to listen to Dhelia.
Leaving the kitchen, I headed toward my quarters. Moving in a nonsensical pattern, once I arrived, I opened the door, leaving it open a crack. I had to get back soon. But I needed a moment to breathe without the eyes of the kingdom studying my every move with their obvious disdain.
Planting my hands on the sitting table, I leaned forward and tipped my chin to my chest, squeezing my eyes shut as I slowly counted to ten in my head. Out there I could never afford to show weakness, but it did not mean I never felt it.
A strand of my hair gently brushed my cheek.
With my thumbnail I sliced through the tape hiding the dirk I kept tucked beneath the frame of my table, curling my hand around it. I took a deep, steadying breath. Then in one lithe movement, I turned and flung the dirk at the deepest section of shadow hiding just beside my bed.
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