Page 30 of The Ocean's Heart
“Then what?”
“You will return to the isle and live in the castle, and your people will be permitted to join you as is agreed in the contract.”
I needed to be sure the contract wouldn’t be overturned, that once it was sealed, it couldn’t be overturned. “And what if…what if the prince doesn’t like me? After…after it’s done. What if he says I’m not the princess he wants?”
“Then you will be free to do as you wish. Your union with my son will have granted us the fertility we require.”
“You won’t send my people away?”
“The contract is binding, Thalia. A Faircaster princess will marry and consummate with the prince of the Northern Sea. Once these terms are met, the Merida Isle will belong to King Bronan.”
There was nothing in there about the fertility having to take hold. The princess wasn’t named, and Iwasa princess, the king’s adopted daughter. The contract would hold, and even though guilt writhed in my chest for the deceit I was weaving, there was a part of me at peace with it.
He was looking at me strangely now, and I didn’t like the shrewd look in his eyes. “Let’s play a game to pass the time.”
The shrewd look melted. “A game? What kind of game?”
“A secrets game.”
“Oh? Do you have many secrets, Princess?”
“A few. But I’ll share mine if you share yours.”
The timbre to his voice dropped, his sapphire eyes darkening as he said, “They say that disclosure brings closeness. Are you looking for closeness, Thalia?”
My pulse quickened. Was the air suddenly a little too thick? “Maybe…” Why had I said that? “What do you hate the most? What won’t you tolerate?”
The intensity in his eyes melted away. “Lies and betrayal,” he said simply. “I cannot. Will not abide it.”
His words left me cold. “Really? I sense a story.” I kept my tone light even though my insides were quivering. “Do tell.”
He responded with a half smile and a one-shoulder shrug. “There is not much to tell. My wife had liaisons with my best friend behind my back, and when I discovered the truth, she lied about it. Dylon was barely five years old. He does not remember and does not understand why his mother left.”
“Left? I thought she was dead.”
“She is dead. Dead to me.”
Just like I would be once he found out the truth. But in my case, it would be a real death.
“And you?” he asked. “What won’t you abide?”
“Honestly, I don’t have the luxury to not abide things.” The words were out before I could think them through, and I wanted to kick myself, because surely a princess had every luxury.
But if he found my response off, he didn’t show it. In fact, he merely nodded. “I suppose much that you do is chosen for you.”
I exhaled and smiled to mask my relief. “All the time.”
“Except learning to fight?”
“A small concession my father made.”
“You must have had an excellent tutor.”
“I did.” That part wasn’t a lie. Berand had been an excellent teacher, and now he was dead. The whole situation weighed on me, leaving me suddenly bone-achingly tired. A yawn popped my jaw, and I covered my mouth and shook my head. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. You should sleep now.”
I glanced at the bed. A structure made for one. A small someone. I pulled myself up and gathered the blankets. “We’ll make a bed by the fire.”
