Page 60 of Conspirators' Kingdom

“Do you really feel a sense of duty towards him? Even if he lied to you about the vow?” Vasilisa asked.

“If he lied, I’ll use it to force concessions from him. Either way, he swore a true oath to me. He can’t be disloyal to me, even if he tried. For now, that’s enough to merit my protection,” Taisiya answered.

“He doesn’t deserve it,” Vasilisa hissed.

“No, but I suspect he can be persuaded to earn it,” Taisiya sighed. What a mess she’d walked into. “What do you think of Bas?”

“Despite his years, he’s as childish as his appearance suggests,” Vasilisa replied.

“You’ve certainly had fun taunting him.”

“What else is he good for? He needs to start pulling his weight. That he thought nothing of a nobleman in the kitchens makes his inexperience plain.” Vasilisa raised her brow as if asking Taisiya to contradict her. She wasn’t wrong.

“Then you should teach him.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“I’m quite serious. Mereruka thinks he has potential. If that’s true, I can think of no finer teacher than you.”

Vasilisa bristled but kept her comments bottled up, her lips pressed together in a mulish line.

“I’ll go keep an eye on Pepi,” she muttered before she left the cabin for the void.

Taisiya walked over to where Mereruka hung in his hammock and took a strand of soft violet hair between her fingers. He’d brought nothing but anxiety and unwelcome change to her door since she’d met him.

“You’re more trouble than you’re worth.”

Mereruka smiled and blinked open his pale eyes. Taisiya dropped the strand of hair as she gasped.

“I look forward to proving you wrong,” he chuckled softly.

“How long have you been awake?” She frowned.

“Long enough to know I’ll be awarding you a number of concessions to earn your trust.”

“So our lives aren’t entwined?”

Gods, wouldn’t that be a welcome bit of news if it were true?That kind of vulnerability made her insides squirm.

“Not by fae magic.” He winked.

She wanted to sag with relief. Still, one problem might be swept away, but another remained. Her eyes narrowed.

“Why should I let you live? You’re entirely untrustworthy.” Taisiya punctuated the threat by producing a thin strand of lightning that danced between her fingers. Mereruka winced at the bright, flickering light.

“Because you find me handsome? And a queen can always find uses for a handsome man,” he grinned.

Taisiya felt a blush creep up her neck. She scowled.

“I don’t make a habit of mounting heads on my wall, but I might make an exception for you.”

Mereruka laughed. Taisiya raised her sparking hand higher in warning.

“Ah, mercy, wife, mercy. Name your wish, and I’ll see that it’s done.”

“Then I want your honesty. There can be no trust between us without it. And I will not aid a man as ambitious as you without it.”

Mereruka sighed.

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