Page 78 of Conspirators' Kingdom

“Meri? Are you getting cute with him already? Gods save me.” Vasilisa shivered in revulsion.

Gods below, she’d used his pet name without thought. Taisiya blushed and scowled, clearing her throat as she fumbled for a good excuse.

“Apparently it would appear odd if I referred to him otherwise.”

“Uh-huh.” Vasilisa rolled her eyes.

“It’s for appearances. I can’t afford to slip up,” Taisiya insisted.

Vasilisa did not appear at all convinced.

“Just promise me you’ll find someone else to gush to while you’re in your honeymoon phase. I tolerated it in the past because your sisters bore the brunt, but I’m-”

“I know, I know. ‘Profoundly uninterested in such dreck.’” Taisiya mimicked her dour tone.

It had been years since Taisiya had been struck by anything more than a passing fancy for a handsome but ultimately inadequate man. But Vasilisa was singularly uninterested in romance or lovers, so any discussion not revolving around jokes and teasing about those subjects had the poor woman looking longingly at the nearest shadow.

“Precisely.” Vasilisa nodded. “It seems you’ve heard everything I have but for one. Apparently, the king’s latest concubine is throwing her weight around, getting openly spoiled to the point that people are wondering if Queen Betrest will be replaced before long.”

“Oh, she will. Just not by a concubine.” Taisiya grinned as she sipped her drink.

“It sounded like she’s a queen in name only. Betrest has the prestige and wealth of her position, and the respect of many, but little real power,” Vasilisa added.

Vasilisa had been busy. She always knew where to lurk to get the best gossip, and no one loved to gossip more than palace staff.

“I suspect the king is the paranoid sort. He refuses to produce an heir lest they overthrow him, so I’m not surprised he hoards power for himself as well,” Taisiya mused.

Taisiya had never heard of a monarch so fearful of being replaced that he refused to secure an orderly transition upon his passing. Though given how many years he’d taken from Mereruka, it would be centuries yet before Khety died of natural causes. All the more reason to ensure his expedient demise.

Vasilisa chewed thoughtfully on a fig.

“That’s going to make him really fun to fuck with.”

Perhaps rumours of a bastard or three might tip the king over the proverbial edge.

“I completely agree.” Taisiya smiled. “How are you finding Maat?”

Vasilisa had left her father, her only family, behind in Lethe to come with Taisiya. As grateful as she was that her best friend had agreed to be by her side, Taisiya would send her home if the darkness mage no longer wished to remain. It would break her heart to do it, but Vasilisa deserved to be happy.

“Bloody hot without this bracelet. How do the women walk around with their hair down without this charm? I’m convinced it’s glamour. I’ve never wanted to shave my head more than the minute it took to shove the bracelet back on.”

Taisiya had a good laugh at that. She’d dared to join Mereruka in the cool bath just to escape the heat, so she had an idea of how desperate Vasilisa had been. Taisiya stared down at the drink in her hands, bracing herself to offer her closest friend a way out of the life Taisiya herself had agreed to.

“I’m not leaving, you know,” Vasilia told her. “I’ll miss Father as much as you’ll miss your family, but we can always invite them to Maat, and until then, we have each other. Now stop looking at me like you’re worried I’ll beg to return to Lethe.”

“Is that what I looked like?” Taisiya asked, hiding her smile behind her cup as she willed joyful tears to abate.

Vasilisa rolled her eyes and then perked up.

“Your husband and the kitty have returned.”

Moments later, Mereruka swaggered through the doorway to the courtyard, a familiar grey tabby close behind. Several unfamiliar faces craned their necks beyond the guards standing watch at the entryway. Mereruka took her hand and kissed it with mischief in his eyes. It appeared it was time to put on her best smile and act her heart out.

“Good day, beautiful wife. Are you ready to be spoiled?”

He pulled her up from her seat. She wrapped her arms around him, twirling a strand of his violet hair around her finger.

“Oh, silly man, I was born ready. The real question is, can you impress me?”

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