Prince Fernando
She tried to kill me.
She deserved her sentence. The woman hated me. Saw me as nothing but an obstacle to her children.
But the brother in me revolted at the idea of my siblings surviving their mother’s death. Will they blame me?
I didn’t care if Lorenzo wanted me dead, but little Luca and my precious Valeria. I loved them. Truly. Without limit. The thought of losing their affection hurt more than the queen’s betrayal.
Soft footsteps raised me from my musings.
Diedre approached the garden bench, reminding me of my sister with her Astralini dress and a fresh face free of cosmetics. Two of her ladies trailed behind her, lightly touching the foliage but keeping their attention on their princess.
“Do you feel better?”
I patted the spot beside me, an invitation for her to sit. She did, though she kept a modicum of space between us.
“I’m as well as anyone can be after this morning. I regret you had to witness it.” My words rang hollow, despite the genuine sentiment. I rubbed my knees, wishing I knew what else to say. Perhaps experiencing near-death freezes our senses until we’ve breathed for a few days.
She clasped my hand and her slim fingers gripped my tawny palm with more strength than I expected.
“I’m sorry you had to go through it.”
I met this sweet girl’s gaze. Truth spilled from my lips, even though I never intended to discuss it.
“Queen Catarina hired the assassin. I told you on the journey here, she isn’t my mother. But she attempted to have me assassinated …” I blew out an exasperated breath.
Diedre grew more pale as her eyes widened. “What?”
I cradled my forehead in my palm. “If only it were one of the radical political factions or someone, anyone else. By royal command, she’s being executed. It will destroy our family.”
She released her hold on me and clasped both hands to her chest. “Can he do that? Take the queen’s life?”
I blinked. “He’s the king.”
Diedre shook her head. “No. In the Northern Clans, she’d undergo a trial with the leading houses. They’d discuss the proper consequence. It’s been less than ten hours. How was her involvement discovered already? Yet he’s ordered her executed. It’s too fast. He acting without guidance and it will hurt his family, like you said.”
Her passion made my heart twinge. “That woman tried to murder me. What else should be done?”
She adjusted her posture and pursed her lips. “Forgive me. It’s just that, where I’m from, the king doesn’t have unlimited power. I wasn’t aware he could execute his queen.”
“Don’t apologize.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Of course he can end her life when there’s proof of treason. If we let her live, she might succeed next time.”
“What if he sent her north? We have remote dwellings where she’d stay, but have no access to her contacts. Lord Quinn had to banish his aunt this way, though her crime was kept hidden. My nanny explained certain scandals should not be discussed.”
I bowed forward and stared at the pebbles beneath my shoes. When my mother was banished, she traveled south. She was forbidden to reenter Astralind, but she wasn’t imprisoned as far as I was aware. She didn’t write either, so my knowledge was limited.
“The king made his decision. There’s nothing we can do, even if we wanted to.”
Her shoulders slumped.
Diedre
The sentry ushered me into the king’s study, but my handmaidens had to stay in the hall. I breathed past the tightness in my chest. The realization that my future husband could end me with a wave of his hand filled me with dread. But we weren’t married yet, and my future father-in-law would incite war if he tried to punish me.
“My dear, you wish to speak with me?” King Sartorius motioned for me to sit before him.
My confidence dissipated into thin air, and my reply came out as a squeak. I cleared my throat.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
He smiled indulgently and leaned back in his bejeweled chair. His demeanor should have been sad if he was losing his wife, but his tone was cheerful.
“You may begin.”
My limbs trembled, and I clasped my palms to get control of myself. How I wished Paisley, Anya, or Sloane were beside me. “I … um …”
He bent forward, setting his elbows on the ornate wooden desk. His eyes roved over me and my nerves went numb.
“Would it please your majesty to send the queen to the north? My father could imprison her in a secluded castle instead of a public execution-”
The ruler’s gaze darkened, and he interrupted me. “How do you know about this?”
My mouth opened, but words refused to come.
“Did Fernando discuss this with you?”
I closed my jaw and nodded slightly.
Red seeped up the king’s neck and spilled into his features. He rose, towering over me. “And you presumed to overturn MY decision?”
My heart raced, but paralysis tied me to my seat. My tongue clung to the roof of my mouth.
He lowered his head; I assumed, to control his temper. His voice came out clipped and cold when he uttered, “you will learn your place in my kingdom, Princess. Get out.”
I found the strength to scramble away, stepping over the guard’s shoes and out the door he held open. Sobs screamed for release, and they did the moment I escaped the study. My handmaidens rushed to me.
“What happened?” Sloane asked.
All three hovered with worried expressions.
I gestured to the stairs, and we moved toward our suite. Tears soaked my heated face, and I needed privacy.
My ladies didn’t question me again until we entered the safety of our rooms.
Between hiccuping cries, I said, “we need to go home. We aren’t safe here.”
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