Page 7 of Enchanted Crown
“Morning, all,” I offered with a fake smile as I entered in the room. “Firstly, I would like to give my sincere apologies for all that happened while I was away. I do not know who was responsible, but it was not anyone from Wylan.”
“A likely explanation,” Zaire muttered.
“Need I remind you I was not here when it transpired,” I stated coolly, my eyes going to Esta before I added, “unfortunately.”
Zaire huffed. “Not there for this one, helped save Kian the last one. You always seem to have an alibi.”
“The common theme,” I smiled as I fixed my attention back on him, “being that I was helping Dra Skor. Would you really like to do this? Examine my every motive when more than a few of yours have been questionable?” I paused. “Do you want Esta back or are you just upset you won’t be king anymore? Was it always about the power for you?”
Zaire moved to rise, but Esta’s voice bit out, “Sit down, Zaire. You started it.” Her eyes went to mine, “This is an advisor meeting, both of you knock it off.”
“Apologies. I truly did not come to start fights or hurl accusations.” I pinned Zaire with a glare. “I simply came here for this.” I reached into my jacket and pulled out the roll of parchment, like peace of the realm wasn’t riding on this flimsy piece of paper. I set it before Esta before casually heading over to grab a cup of tea.
The room went quiet with anticipation while Esta read the first few lines. I heard her sharp inhale which was the only indicator of her surprise.
I was sure to turn back around to be ready to watch for reactions as Esta announced what it was. She was still reading, making the rest of the room wait, and that alone made my lips turn at the corners.
On she read, her father fidgeting to the point where I was not sure he wasn’t going to rip the paper right out of her hands.
Once she finished, her eyes sought mine as if two daggers finding their target without delay.
I moved the teacup up to take a drink and hide my grin while I winked at her.
Her father threw his hands up. “Just tell us what is on the damn scroll!”
Esta’s eyes went to his, then around the table to each of her advisors. “It is a proposed treaty between Dra Skor and Wylan.Wylan is offering in retribution for the former king’s actions to change all shifters back as well as coin to our stores and the technology of electricity, which they have already mastered, should we want it. Food also, should we need it. There is a two-year plan to carry out those things contingent upon my signature and our agreement. This treaty ensures peace between our countries for at least a decade. Wylan will pay greatly if they ever hurt us again. The price tag steep enough they would be ruined. We also cannot move against them, but our price is less.”
She handed the parchment to her father as if she instinctively knew he would have to see it with his own two eyes.
“Andtheirprince gets you as his queen?” Zaire raged.
She shook her head. “No. There are no dowries or weddings attached. None.”
All the eyes in the room turned in my direction where I leaned up against the wall drinking my tea. Varying shades of shock were on their faces; it was her brother Jagen’s which stumped me the most. He wasn’t mad or angry. From the tilt of his chin to the way he watched me, he looked simply curious.
“Do you not want that?” He looked to his sister and held up a hand toward her. Like he knew she would object. “I know, itisnone of our business, sister, but where the two of you are involved, it is the entire realm’s business. So forgive me for prying. I just assumed as close as the two of you had become....”
“Of course I want that,” I started as I looked her brother in the eyes without flinching. “But I will not trap her into it. If there is a wedding which ties Wylan and Dra Skor together, it will be for the right reasons. I am not about to tell her she must marry me for peace between our countries. Peace between our countries can be had with or without the two of us. We must simply choose it.” My eyes went to Esta’s. “And if she chooses meafterall of this,afterI help her dispose of whomever this damn threat is who has threatenedher life two times too many, well then that is what is best for her, Dra Skor’s future notwithstanding.”
“But the heirs,” the former king stated.
I flashed him a smile and knew Krew had provided me the perfect line for this very moment. “If your dragon bloodline is as dominant as you say it is, does it matter? What if our children had both? Or one or the other? Either way our children will be Enchanted. Powerful. Yet even if they had nothing, not a drop of any magic, they would experience nothing other than love.”
“Get out,” the queen croaked.
I moved to set my teacup down, supposing this conversation had gotten too far off base. Too personal. They were curious how it would all work, but they were no longer hostile toward it. So I would take every opportunity to assure them, even if I didn’t have all the answers myself. Even if it set Esta off, the war room turning to issues of her love life and not issues of Dra Skor.
“Not you. Them.”
I turned back to see her wiping at a tear. “All of you but Keir, get out!”
There was shuffling of things and chairs screeching as the advisors took the order, Malachi giving me a slap to the shoulder as he went. Jagen came to me last, the last one to leave, his father lingering at the doorway waiting for him.
Jagen crossed his arms. “There is a huge part of me that does not want to accept this. I want Wylan to burn for all the hurt they’ve caused. It shouldn’t be this easy. But I also know the hell you lived through under your father. Wylan already has paid. And Wylan was already brave enough to dispose of that threat.” He reached a hand out to me. “Thank you for being a better man than your father.”
“Thank you for understanding that we suffered too.”
And then he was gone, taking Reyald along with him.
