Miavel

Silence engulfed us and I couldn’t hold his gaze any longer, the sheer audacity of my actions and words against one of the most powerful people in the world, had the fight in me fading faster than it had shown up. Adrenaline was sure trying to kick it up though, and his next actions only added more fuel to my racing heart, like throwing alcohol on a small fire.

His hand slowly rose closer to my face, gently grabbing a strand of hair next to my ear. I was frozen. It was as if I wasn’t even present in my own body anymore, so everything was on automatic. Somehow, it decided it was best to be completely still, unable to move, to just let him do whatever the heck he wanted at this point. If I died, I died. If I lived, what a miracle that would be. I would be very grateful for the second option.

Stepping back away from me, he let it fall from his fingers.

“I believe you.”

“Thanks?”

The incredulousness in my voice was not unheard, by me or by him. One corner of his mouth twitched. It was so small, I figured I imagined it.

“But, Princess, there is something you ought to know…”

I held my breath, waiting for the worst to happen. I mean, for all I knew, he could just whip out his sword and declare that anyone who speaks that way to him has to die. That particular scenario would only end one way.

The next words out of his mouth threw me for a loop. I thought he was going to give me a warning about not doing anything crazy or to behave. Not this.

“Don’t trust anything you hear unless it comes from me.”

I shook my head, without consciously choosing to. Trying to make sense of his words was like wading in knee-high mud.

“What?”

Trust him? Okay.

Trust only him?

My breath caught a few times as I tried to figure out how to ask such a ridiculous question.

“Are there–”

But he cut me off, his face expressing nothing but solemnity. For some reason, when I met his eyes this time, I felt this rush of immediate trust in his words.

“Retaliating against you to get at me won’t do them any good, especially since we didn’t marry for love.” He leaned closer, never dropping his gaze from mine. His voice dropped deeper, sending goosebumps down my arms. “You’re to be convinced to do things. To turn on me.” His hand gently caressed the skin under my chin before settling and lifting my face higher so I stared up at him silently. “I’m only telling you because…”

His voice trailed off, his eyes suddenly sending a new signal to me. Something was off. Something was different. Him. There was something with him, about him, that was affected by me. Who in their right mind would spy on someone and then tell them of dangers to come, if they had never cared about the person in the first place?

“Why?” I breathed out.

“As a warning.” His eyes seemed to sharpen again, and the new feeling faded. “This isn’t your little kingdom anymore, Princess.”

My eyes twitched as I tried to hold back a glare at his utterance of ‘princess’.

“Your husband’s kingdom practically runs on lies.”

Lies?

My brows furrowed.

Was he speaking of the rumors? Or of something else entirely?

“Lies? What lies?”

His thumb landed on the spot just under my lower lip. The movement had my heartbeat skyrocketing. Nobody this close had ever been this gentle… even if they he was a bit threatening as much as he was helpful with his words right about now.

“If I tell you, you’ll be very deep in deadly danger.”

“Aren’t I already?”

An almost imperceptible shake of his head accompanied his next words.

“No. I’ve made sure of that.”

I gaped openly at his statement. Made sure? Made sure?! What the heck? Wasn’t warning me of the potential danger from others basically the same as putting me in danger? Or was it because it put him in danger? He did say that others might convince me to turn on him.

Something seemed to bubble in my chest at those thoughts.

He wanted me on his side.

He wanted me out of danger.

He made sure I wasn’t in the deepest part of danger, even if he was already neck-deep in it.

Despite not having a handle on what exactly I was feeling, I popped the bubbles. Those thoughts were like a dream and this was reality. I wanted something concrete. I wanted real answers.

“Made sure?” I asked him incredulously. “What’s that even supposed to mean? How can you make sure with something so intangible?!”

He leaned in until his thumb was a handspan from his chin. The gust of his breath tickled my skin.

“It means, Princess, that I’d prefer for my wife to stay breathing beyond her first week in our marriage.”

As he pulled away, the loss of his touch chilling me, I deciphered those words. I recalled my first day here. How he’d told me that my duty was to live. I hadn’t taken his words so literally. Did he truly mean that he wanted me to live? Like actually live and breathe and survive?

He didn’t want me to die?

My chest felt warm as the surprise dissipated. Maybe I was making him out to be far worse than he was. Maybe the lies were about him. Maybe everyone had it wrong. Maybe he was the opposite of what they said.

His brows furrowed when I met his gaze again.

“Unless, of course, you prefer otherwise. Then, I’m sure I could help you out with that.”

Every bit of warm fuzziness was gone instantly. Oh, all of me was stone-cold shocked. The only heat in me was rising in my cheeks, in embarrassment, at reading it wrong. At reading him wrong.

It was all a lie?

I’d fallen into a trap. A dumb trick on me.

Warm feeling?

Yeah, right.

I should’ve known it when I felt it. This was about his reputation being maintained. It would look mighty awful if a strong man can’t even keep his wife alive for a week. It would look worse if he tried to marry anyone after me.

Worse?

Ha.

What a load of crap.

Like it could get worse.

As I followed him out of the office, I turned the opposite direction without a backward glance his way. He didn’t deserve it, no matter how I ached to do it. Just one look back?

But, no, I thought to myself, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction he’d never even see to begin with.

Because there was no way he’d do the same to me.

“Take me to the Emerald Room,” I told Rogers, who was patiently waiting for me.

I needed plant therapy.

Now.

Talyn

I watched Miavel walk away, down the corridor, Rogers at her side. I wished it was me there. But it couldn’t be. I couldn’t be there right now.

It wasn’t safe.

I turned and headed to go oversee the knight’s training. In my mind, I recalled this morning.

An hour ago...

“Your Majesty,” Rogers called as he bowed respectfully.

“Your report?”

“Yes. So, to begin with…”

He went on to explain Miavel’s day yesterday. How she enjoyed the Emerald Room, how she chose a suitable amount of dresses and had at least a dozen more ordered. How she’d baffled them all by choosing the shoes with little to no raised heel in them. Madam Delaine and Timothy both had taken a liking to her.

The tour of the palace had gone well. She’d even picked up a Thera Law book as well as a few others of various genres.

After his report, him and Alecc both seemed to want to say something.

“What is it?”

“Hm?”

“Huh?”

I looked between them before sighing.

“You both want to say something. Out with it.”

They exchanged a look before Rogers spoke.

“Your Majesty. Do you really need to watch her this closely? Do you truly believe her to be a spy?”

I thought over his words in silence for a moment before returning his question. I was curious of his answer. Considering his former questions, I had an idea on how he’d answer it.

“Do you think she’s a spy, Rogers?”

“A spy? Of course not,” Rogers stated bluntly, without a shred of a smile on his face. It seemed he’d be very insistent on his answer being right.

Not that I would ever think it was a wrong assumption.

I smirked.

“Alecc?”

“No. I really don’t, but that’s not the point, Your Majesty?” He rolled his eyes. “The point is whether or not you think she’s one.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

I laughed.

“Of course she’s not a spy.”

They let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Then?” Alecc prompted me.

Shifting my gaze to Rogers, I told him the unthinkable for someone I, as well as them, never thought of as a spy.

“Keep giving me reports. As often as possible.”