Page 22 of Pregnant at the Palace Altar

But Katerina didn’t need to study. As his former assistant she was abreast of everything, except maybe what little had changed in the past few months. She had always been keen, savvy, and clearheaded.

She had always been an effective tool to utilize...and now she would be more than that. She would be a partner.

Could his biggest mistake actually work out in his favor? It was hard to imagine. But Marias was standing there, open-mouthed, as if desperate to say something but incapable of coming up with the words.

Diamandis stood. “Katerina is right. What’s done is done. This was not a meeting to open the floor to opposition. It was a meeting to inform you of what has already taken place and of what will be taking place shortly. If you cannot agree, then I will gladly take letters of resignation.”

Marias sat, unmoving. No one else said anything. Satisfied, Diamandis held out his hand to Katerina and led her out of the room, followed by Lysias and Zandra.

“Bravo, Katerina,” Zandra said, coming forward to link her arm with Katerina’s free one. “Honestly, why do we have this ridiculous committee?”

“Are you calling me ridiculous?” Lysias asked his wife, teasingly.

“The council is tradition,” Diamandis said firmly before Zandra and Lysias bantered more—a situation that always reminded him of his parents. “Besides, a king making proclamations without listening to anyone else is a dangerous precedent to set. They will all have roles to play in the ceremony now that it is my wedding instead of yours.”

He stopped. “Tomorrow will be a long day as we work on changing the wedding preparations. Katerina, I will walk you back to your rooms. Lysias, Zandra, I bid you good night.” He gave them a quick nod, then led Katerina away and toward the king and queen’s quarters.

He opened the door that led into her sitting room for her. He followed her inside, not sure what his purpose was.

Are you not?

She played with the bracelet she wore, crossing to the big glass door that would take her outside to the balcony. She did not go out, just looked at the night outside.

“You were magnificent,” Diamandis said, standing behind her, admiring what the moonlight did to her olive skin.

“I was tired. I should have handled it more diplomatically. That’s why I was a better assistant than speaker.”

“It was just what was needed. A strong queen is a good symbol for our people.” He reached out and stroked his finger down the elegant curve of her neck.

But she stiffened, turning to face him and holding out a hand as if to ward him off. He looked down at it, then raised an eyebrow at her. Her green eyes were direct, everything about her...cool.

“I have come to a decision,” she said very firmly.

“Oh?” he returned.

“You have made your position quite clear. Respect but not love, and I can live with this.”

Her words confused him because he thought that had long since been decided. “Wonderful.”

“However, you will not share my bed, nor I yours. We will go back to the way our relationship was—but with more equality, of course. We will be business partners—in the ruling of Kalyva, in the raising of our children—but we will not blur the lines with anything else.”

He kept himself very still and did not let the response clawing within him take root. She could make whatever decisions she wished. He was not the kind of man who forced a woman to do his bidding.

But that didn’t mean he had tolikewhat decision she’d come to. Or how it would prove...difficult. “I suppose you expect me to find my pleasures elsewhere?” he returned coldly.

She blinked. Clearly she had not thought ofthat. He took some grim satisfaction in the frown that caused a crease to form on her forehead.

“I do not think that kind of behavior would befit a king,” she said stiffly. Stiff was usuallyhisreaction.

“On the contrary. It has been the kind of behavior that has befitted many a king. Not my father, of course, but he loved his wife and she him.” Their love had caused a softness, indeed the very blind spot that had ended too many lives.

Something passed over her face then, a kind of shuttering in her eyes that he had seen before but had never understood. And he didn’t understand it now, but he felt something twist inside of him in response all the same.Guilt, a voice whispered, but he pushed it away. Especially since the voice sounded like his long-dead mother.

“If it is not for love, then we should go about it as business,” she said firmly. “If you need to seek pleasures elsewhere... I suppose that is your business. But it won’t be mine.”

There was nothing to say to that. Nothing to do about it. She was probably right. This was best. A business partnership, nothing more. Just as he’d always wanted.

He left her, knowing he had won a victory, but the expected satisfaction didn’t follow. Because no matter what he knew to be the case, it felt like she had come out on top.

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