Page 92 of Realm of Thieves

“Is this true?” my father says, his expression surprised and ashamed. “After all we talked about?”

He expects me to look at the floor and apologize, as I have often done. But I refuse to cower this time.

“After allyoutalked about,” I say to him, raising my chin. “This has never been my idea. None of this has ever been my idea.”

I walk off down the hall, wanting to lead them away from Brynla. I’m sure she’s already awake, already heard our fighting, but I don’t want things to get worse.

My uncle and father hesitate and I’m terrified that they’ll go into Brynla’s room instead. But then I hear their footsteps follow me, echoing down the hall. I take the moment of relief to try to bolster myself against whatever they’re about to throw at me. One would think that he would have interrogated me about what happened in the Midlands, but aside from small talk at the dinner table, inquiring about the suen I harvested, he hasn’t asked me much. I expected him to call me into his office at some point and grill me about Brynla’s performance, but that never happened either.

However, there’s no time like the present.

I go straight to my father’s office and lean back near the window, arms folded across my bare chest as I wait for them to step into the room. My father barges in and gestures wildly for me to sit down ashe makes his way around his desk, but I shake my head. My uncle takes the spot instead.

“I’m calling a meeting,” I say before they can get a word in first.

It angers my father like I knew it would, his nostrils flaring.

“Meeting?” my father practically spits. “There is no meeting! Tell me what you’re—”

“I have no intention of marrying the princess,” I say, raising my chin.

“I told you!” my uncle says to my father. “I told you that woman has gotten under his skin.”

“She has,” I say quickly. “She’s gotten very much under my skin. And sure, it certainly complicates your plans for Princess Frida. But that’s not all of it. That’s not the only reason why I won’t do it.”

My father gets out of his chair and storms over to me, stepping just a foot away, close enough to jab his finger at my chest. “You can’t betray me, Andor. You made a promise.”

“Youmade a promise,” I counter. “One I can’t keep.” I take in a deep breath and yet I’m shaking inside for finally saying no. “One that I won’t keep.”

“You are marrying Princess Frida!” He’s practically spitting at me with rage, his eyes blazing, and for the first time I see the fear inside him. It’s like I’m viewing my father from outside the room, a stranger peering through the window, and it’s clear as day that this news, thisbetrayalat my behest, is terrifying him. He’s truly afraid of losing Altus Dugrell, which makes me think everything is a lot more dire than he’s ever let on.

“This is your one and only duty in your life, Andor,” my father says through grinding teeth. “Don’t you dare think you have agency. Don’t you dare think you can fuck this up for me, for your family.”

“I’m not fucking up anything,” I say. I ignore the derisive snort that my uncle lets out. “Not this time. I have something we can offer the royal family that’s even greater than my hand in marriage.”

“You have nothing, nephew,” my uncle says with a tired sigh. “Nothing to offer at all. Even your gifts, well, they never amounted to much, did they?”

I could fuckingkillhim. For the second time this morning I wonder how much trouble I’d get in for murdering my uncle. Death sentence? Or a prison I could one day escape from? Maybe the latter could be worth it.

My father gives him an icy look, but that’s as far as he’ll go to reprimand him. I know he often thinks the same thing, about how I’d fallen so short when it counted.

He faces me and frowns. “What in dragon’s fire could we offer them if not you?”

“I wasn’t aware you thought so highly of me,” I say bitterly.

“Don’t let it go to your head. You know your betrothal to the princess has been in the works for a long time. That is your contribution to the family.”

“But what if I could contribute more? What if you could contribute more, to ensure the kingdom is united? What if this family not only strengthened the realm but strengthened us against Dalgaard and everyone else out there who wants a piece of the pie?”

My father blinks at me, slowly shaking his head as if he can’t believe he’s still talking to me. “Out with it, then.”

“We steal the egg of immortality,” I say simply.

His blinking continues.

My uncle laughs. “Ridiculous. The thing doesn’t exist.”

“So people say,” I tell them. “But I have it on good authority that it does exist and there’s one being kept at the convent of the Daughters of Silence.”

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