Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Tatra was Arnaud’s mother, the dowager queen, and from all accounts, a real bitch.
“Then Arnaud inflicted his depravity on them,” Tanyn continued. “Only for that to culminate in them living with the fear of three realms declaring war on them. We need an alliance with Night’s Fall. We need the alliance with Night’s Fall. One with the premier family. The first demons to ally themselves with the Fall after the Rift. A ceremonial healing of a centuries-old fracture. But it’s far more. It’s a ceremonial, but very meaningful healing of a very recent one.”
It was absolutely true, even though weeks had passed, alliances had been confirmed, Tanyn had taken over, and (obviously) Mira was working overtime, still…
All over the social tapes, Night’s Fallians and Sky’s Edgians were at each other’s throats about the troll attack.
Not to mention how Edgians weren’t big fans of being painted with Arnaud’s brush after all he’d done, culminating in him murdering the “love of his life,” the twelve-year-old Tula Longshot.
Tanyn kept at it.
“Assisting with this, it will be known we met at the Masque, which might have some effect on how beings remember it. It won’t only be a disastrous scheme launched by an insane king. It’ll be the event where their monarch met his queen. What you’ll be doing, assuming your position on a throne at my side, will be mostly for the benefit of those in the Edge. Yes. But it will also benefit relations with the Fall.”
Well, one thing you could say about that.
It explained why he picked me.
I’d allow it made sense, politically.
What I couldn’t think on was that it didn’t feel good knowing I was a pawn in this game and not that he actually wanted me for, well…
Me.
Though this was expedient, it didn’t quite cover all the issues there were about his decision.
“You do know, once that wears off, I will not be a popular choice for your beings,” I reminded him.
“Why not?” he asked.
Why not?
Was he crazy?
“You’re beautiful,” he continued, and my mind blanked at his shocking words coming from his well-formed lips.
But he wasn’t finished.
“You’re stylish. You’re well-educated. You’re accomplished. You have a forceful personality, and everyone knows demons admire a forceful personality.”
“Demons from the Edge hate the ones from the Fall,” I told him something he should know.
His eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“We go skiing up there, sire,” I shared. “We’ve felt it.”
“Felt what?”
“The prejudice.”
“From whom?”
“Demons from the Edge,” I stressed.
“Are you being serious, or is this some ploy to talk me into backing out of the marriage contract?”
For obvious reasons, he could not twig to the fact I intended to unleash a variety of “ploys” to get him to back out of the marriage contract.
But since this was no ploy, it was the truth, I could say in all honesty, “No. I mean yes. I’m being serious.”
“The Demon Rift was nearly five hundred years ago.”
“I know. You all should get over it. Alas, you have not.”
“Are you certain you’re not being sensitive to someone say, being jealous of your looks? Or your wealth? Some demons can be assholes when they’re around someone they perceive is better than them. Though, just to say, not only demons act that way.”
Hmm.
This was true.
“Specifically, who was unkind to you?” he demanded. “Or are you talking a general feel?”
Damn it.
Specifically, it had been Arnaud who’d acted like a jackass around us.
Him and our relations who still lived up there. We had family reunions. They were always awful to us.
But that could totally be about them being assholes because we were totally better than them.
Honestly, thinking about it, even though we skied up there a lot and Mom and I would take shopping trips to Abyssinia, we’d never really run into anyone else being ugly.
“Our Edgian relations,” I muttered, then admitted, “And Arnaud.”
“Arnaud was an asshole to everyone.”
“I sensed Mira didn’t like me all that much,” I remarked.
“Mira is currently living in several levels of the hells all at once. I’m strongarming a variety of things through the Assembly. In doing so, I’m stepping on a lot of toes. As this is the important undoing of a colossal mound of horseshit Arnaud buried us in, I don’t have time to kiss ass and shake hands. Because of this, representatives are talking shit about me. They’re saying we traded one tyrant for another. She’s in a constant state of damage control. What she doesn’t need is added work, having to finesse my courtship. With her current duties, my love life is not a priority, and yet I’ve told her it’s her priority. She’s not happy with me, and maybe you felt that.”
“She seemed pretty geared up to kiss your ass.”
“I’m king. Daily, beings kiss my ass. It’s part of the job. You don’t tell a king off. As for her, I’m also her boss. You don’t tell your boss off either. Not if you like your job and want to keep doing it. Which, she does.”