Page 92 of A Queen This Fierce and Deadly

Sylvielle, Caliar, and Verdion had not.

Now, Conreth brought welcome news. Sylvielle had finally agreed to fight with us. Caliar and Verdion had reinforced their refusal.

While the Arslan had ignored the summons from their king—something Conreth had told us through gritted teeth—we were hoping Rythos would finally be able to convince his father of the seriousness of our situation.

But today…today, I would attempt not to think of war—as much as one could while in the midst of it.

Because today was my wedding day.

Rekja had given us full access to his castle, instructing us to make the most of this day. I’d immediately handed all of the details over to Lorian, who had handed them over to someone else.

Conreth came to our rooms after we broke our fast.

Lorian and Conreth had an unspoken agreement to stay away from each other except for war strategy. If Lorian was surprised by Conreth breaking this agreement, he didn’t show it. But I caught the wariness in his eyes as he watched his brother.

Conreth turned to me. “I owe you an apology.”

Unfortunately, I wasn’t as used to hiding my expressions as Lorian. The corner of Conreth’s mouth tipped up.

“Me?”

“Yes. Because of my actions, you watched Lorian die in front of you.”

I flinched. I couldn’t help it. Just the words, and I was back on that ship. Lorian snarled at his brother, pulling me close.

“I’m fine,” I told Lorian, driving my finger into hisribs. He gave me a doubtful look but turned back to his brother.

“Because of me, you had to use your power in a way that was forbidden. And now, you can’t use that power,” Conreth continued. He attempted to keep his expression stoic, but it was clear he was bothered by this. At least, it was clear tome.Who knew what Lorian was thinking?

Conreth seemed to be waiting for me. I nodded.

“Lorian was correct. If we had worked together, I might have killed Regner’s general. Perhaps I might have even managed to kill your cousin. Instead, I allowed my fury and frustration to take over, playing right into Regner’s hands. You deserved better. Both of you.”

For the first time, I felt a tiny drop of hope. Perhaps one day, Lorian and Conreth would truly be brothers again.

“I would like to attend your wedding,” Conreth said. “I know I don’t deserve it. But I would like to watch my brother on one of the happiest days of his life.”

A lump began to form in my throat. I hadn’t realized Lorian hadn’t formally invited his brother to our wedding. I’d thought it was a given that he would be there, if only because he was an ally.

I glanced at Lorian. He was watching Conreth with a calculating look in his eyes.

Uh-oh.

“Yes,” I said.

“On one condition,” Lorian murmured.

Conreth’s expression turned guarded, but he nodded.

“I need Renit.”

Conreth’s brows drew together like two whitecaterpillars about to fight to the death. He opened his mouth, eyes firing at his brother.

But he paused, took a deep breath, and considered it.

I didn’t know what Renit was, but from the intensity in Lorian’s eyes, it was crucially important.

A tense silence claimed the room. Lorian’s expression was relaxed, his hands in his pockets. But I was relatively sure he was holding his breath.

---