Page 53 of The Queen's Crown
He tipped his head back and laughed, the sound echoing down the hallway. “Oh that’s rich. That explains why Rainer is with him.”
“I saw the two of them fighting. It wasn’t pretty.”
The smile disappeared from Axel’s face. “Here is not the place to be having this conversation.” He tilted his head to the side, an invitation for Sabine to follow him.
She wasn’t a jealous woman, and she didn’t care what Rainer did. However, she wanted to know about Heather, and she didn’t want to ask Rainer about her. If the king had a relationship with another woman, that needed to be considered with regards to Alina. This woman—Heather—could have had Alina killed. At this point, all options had to be considered.
Axel led the way along the hallway, stopping before a large door. He opened it, ushering her inside.
Sabine stepped into a luxurious sitting room filled with plush sofas and large pillows.
“Wait out there,” Axel instructed her guards. They remained in the hallway. “You, out.” The guard stationed inside bowed and then left the room. Axel closed the door. “Now that we’re alone, we can speak freely.”
“Where are we?” she asked, wondering if this was a royal wing shared by Axel, Anton, and Lottie.
“We’re in my private rooms.” He went over and plopped on one of the two cream sofas, stretching his arms across the back of it. To the right, archways led to a balcony lined with tall bushes which blocked the view.
“We shouldn’t be in here alone.” They were both unmarried. There needed to be at least one guard present.
“I forgot how uptight people from Bakley are,” he said with a moan. “No one is around—which is the point—so you can ask me whatever it is you want to know.”
Not wanting to waste the opportunity, she said, “Why is King Rainer fighting with my guard, Markis?” She sat on the sofa across from Axel. The slit up the front of her tan dress parted, sliding over her legs, and exposing them from ankle to thigh. She had the urge to pull the material together to cover them. However, she left it, wanting to show she was acclimating to the culture here.
Axel’s eyes focused on her legs. “Your skin is pale. I can tell you’re used to being covered up.” He winked. “Glad that’s changing.”
“Please answer my question.” She needed to show him he couldn’t rattle her.
After watching her for a minute, Axel shrugged. “Who knows. My brother has always done what he wants. Rainer doesn’t care if his actions hurt or affect others.”
A loaded answer she’d have to think about in more detail later. “King Rainer seems to be a good ruler.” Not that she knew much about the sort of king he was, especially since he hadn’t been sitting on the throne that long.
“Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.”
“You don’t think he is?” she asked, wondering if Axel should be on her list of suspects.
He glanced at the ceiling before responding, “Don’t ever tell him I said this.” He looked her in the eyes. “But yes, he’s a good ruler. Just a little soft sometimes. Like the whole mess with…”
“Heather?” she whispered.
He nodded. “Cutler told you?”
“Cutler told me he is engaged to Heather.”
“Of course he did.” Axel shook his head. “The bloke’s been in love with her for as long as I’ve known him. Obviously. No man in their right mind would marry a woman carrying another man’s child.”
It felt as if Sabine had been punched in the stomach. Heather was pregnant with Rainer’s child. “Did my sister know any of this?” While the letters had revealed that the king was in love with another woman, they said nothing about it being Heather or that she was pregnant. Sabine didn’t know why this piece of information was important, but it was. She needed to know.
“Not sure. Your sister didn’t confide in me.”
She rubbed her forehead. This had to be why Rainer shared the letters with her—he wanted her to know, as her sister had, what she was getting herself into. Then she’d have no reason to ever be resentful or jealous. She couldn’t believe Alina had agreed to any of this. The thought sickened her.
“Why do you care who my brother loves?” Axel asked, his voice holding a hint of genuine curiosity.
“I don’t.” Her priority was finding her sister’s killer, not worrying about love or who was sleeping with whom.
“Then why do you look upset?”
“All of this makes Heather a suspect in the death of my sister.” And if Heather were responsible for Alina’s death, she doubted Rainer would do anything about it. Most likely, he’d hide all evidence on Heather’s behalf.
