Page 44 of The Call of Crimson
“You’re royalty, dear.” The queen frowns. “You aren’t afforded choices like that.”
I think her words are meant to sound like an apology, but all I hear is pity as a little more of my freedom is stripped away. A kernel of resentment grows for the prince who brought me here and the father who sentenced me to be his wife.
“Staff, please take my future daughter-in-law’s trunks to the prince’s rooms,” Queen Josephina calls.
Before I can respond, my things are being taken out of the hall. “The prince’s rooms? Do I not get chambers of my own?”
“You are to be wed. Why would you need chambers of your own?”
“So, you find females wearing pants improper,” I snap, “but unwed couples sharing chambers is perfectly acceptable?”
A light chuckle sounds from her nearly perfect lips. “Of course it is improper, my dear. But Prudia needs heirs, and if you insist onbedding whom you want, I will do what I must to ensure that the heir is not some bastard.”
At the word, her crystalline eyes cut sharply toward Aurelius, her meaning clear.
“Not the heir talk again, Mother,” Ayden groans, even as Aurelius steps forward.
“If you have something to say to me, Your Majesty,” Aurelius drawls, “just say it.”
While I’m grateful the attention is off of me for the moment, I do not wish her cruelty turned on him, either.
“I will never understand why my son thought it wise to bring his father’s bastard into this court,” Queen Josephina says coolly, “but you are not welcome here, Aurelius.”
“I have been unwanted in some fashion most of my life,” Aurelius says nonchalantly. “Your sunny disposition was hardly something I counted on, nor do I care if you want me here.” His smile sharpens, cruel and knowing. “But I am curious, is it me being a bastard or the shattered illusion of your not-so-perfect dead husband that bothers you more?”
“Watch your tongue, brother,” Ayden warns. “I can still send you back to Rimor.”
Aurelius raises his brow in challenge. “We both know you could never keep me there.”
“Well, this has been delightful!” Rowina chimes in, her tone cheery and excited. “I don’t care if you don’t like Breyla and Aurelius, Mother. I quite enjoy them. I’m keeping them.”
A smile lights Rowina’s face as she takes her mother by the arm, leading her away from the rest of us. “Mother, I believe there was a suitor you wanted to speak to me about?”
We breathe a collective sigh of relief once the queen has left the room.
I startle when an unfamiliar deep voice speaks behind me, “Well, that show was worth the price of admission.”
“Darian,” Ayden greets warmly, his smile reaching his eyes.
A warm hand wraps around my own, and it’s then that I realize I had grabbed my dagger.
“That’s Darian Ashcroft,” Aurelius says quietly, “Ayden’s general. He’s not a threat.”
Returning my dagger to its sheath, I respond, “I’m not used to others being able to surprise me.”
“That would be his Gift,” Aurelius explains. He starts to say more, but is cut off when the new male turns his attention to us.
Deep blue eyes meet mine, assessing and weighing me where I stand. Brown locks frame his face. Sun-kissed skin and defined muscles tell of his time training outside. Much like me, he’s dressed in leathers, and I count no less than five blades on him.
Ayden lays a hand on the male’s shoulder, turning to look at me. “Princess Breyla, I’d like you to meet my general, Darian Ashcroft.”
A maelstrom of emotions rises inside me as I assess the male. I should feel respect for the warrior in front of me, but we’ve been two warring countries for a very long time, so I also carry a large amount of grief for the Rimorian lives lost at his orders.
Tentatively, I reach out a hand in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, General Darian.”
He sneers, the act contorting his beautiful face into something ugly. His arms cross his broad chest as he blatantly ignores my outstretched hand.
“Let’s not pretend to be things we’re not,General.” The way he says my title is full of mockery. Though we possess the same title, he holds no respect for me.
