Page 27 of The Royal Throne
“There he is,” Drew said, pointing to the far end of the room.
Sabine spotted Cutler fighting with another man of similar height and weight, his movements jerky. If she had to guess, she’d say he appeared angry.
“We’ll wait here to afford you some privacy,” Drew said.
“Thank you.” Sabine went over to the mat Cutler was fighting on, standing off to the side, waiting for him to finish.
The second Cutler twisted and caught sight of her, he ended his fight. His opponent patted him on the back before moving to the adjacent mat.
Cutler picked up a towel from the floor, wiping off his sweaty face and chest. “Your Majesty,” he said, slightly out of breath, his shoulders rising and falling.
“Captain,” she replied.
He reached down and grabbed his shirt off the mat, putting it on. “Did you need something?” His hands went to his hips, his focus above her head.
No one was close enough to overhear their conversation. “I think you know why I’m here.”
His focus finally settled on her face, his eyes searching hers. “Yeah, I suppose I do,” he said in a low voice. “He promised me he’d leave us alone. That Heather could have her child in peace.”
She’d been told the same thing. “Do you know why he changed his mind?” Perhaps it was the upcoming war. Maybe Rainer wanted Heather here in the palace where it would be safer. The fact that he felt the need to personally escort her meant he still loved her dearly. Sabine just wished it wasn’t being thrown in her face.
“I do not. On the journey here, I was ordered to ride ahead of the party as a scout.” His voice dripped with a bitterness Sabine understood.
“So you didn’t have the opportunity to overhear any conversations that may be pertinent?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Is there anything else you need?” His attention shifted to her guards not far away.
“Why did you come here? Why not stay at the manor?” she asked, wondering why Cutler remained married and loyal to a woman who was in love with another man. Maybe it would help her to have clarity over her own similar situation.
“I’d rather be here training and working with my fellow soldiers than alone, holed up in my home, with nothing to do.” Cutler looked Sabine over. “Forgive me for asking, but the king, is he not pleased with you?”
Her face went red with the implication that the king was unhappy with her performance in bed, but then a laugh escaped her lips at the absurdity of it since she and Rainer hadn’t consummated their marriage.
“Forgive me for even asking,” Cutler said. “It’s just that you’re young and beautiful. I thought that once Heather was away from the king, you’d distract him enough for him to forget about her.”
She appreciated the compliment. “Heather is beautiful as well.” The woman was one of the most gorgeous people Sabine had ever seen. “And she is carrying Rainer’s child. They have a history together. I barely know the king.”
He sighed. “I guess I’d been hoping it was just a physical attraction between them and that once they were separated, it would end,” he admitted.
“You mean instead of them actually being in love?”
He nodded.
It was time to get to the crux of why she was there. “Did you know the king’s sister, Princess Lottie, hired the assassin to kill my sister, Princess Alina? She also hired an assassin who came after me.”
His eyes widened. “Is that why she’s sequestered to her rooms?”
“It is.”
He turned and grabbed the towel again, rubbing it over his face as he took a step closer to her. “That’s technically treason,” he mumbled, his voice low.
“It is.”
“What has the king done?”
“Besides sequestering her to her room? Nothing.”
His eyes searched hers. “What proof do you have?”
