Chapter 25 #2
“Your Majesty, I mean this as politely as I can be, but is this a game?” Hugo inquired as they stood next to a pond dotted with lily pads. A frog croaked softly from the shadows. Sadly, it was too early in the season for fireflies with their little lights dancing above the water.
“What do you mean?”
Hugo frowned and turned partially to stare up at the man on his right.
“I don’t know precisely. It’s a feeling.
You’ve moved me out of the dungeon, given me these wonderful clothes, and treated me to a delicious dinner and pleasant conversation.
Yet, I’m no one in Branem. I can’t influence policy or military matters in Branem.
I’ve met King Hubert once. He probably doesn’t even remember my name.
Nothing I say or do can help you achieve your goals. ”
King Victor smirked, but there was something undefinably cold that entered his gaze.
“I think you underestimate your worth, Mr. Baker. There is someone important you have great sway over. What you say to him matters immensely. Every breath you take means the entire world to him. And despite the reassurances he’s been given, he still worries that you continue to draw in air while you are away from him. ”
“Ev.” The prince’s name escaped him in a fractured whisper. He didn’t want to cause Everand pain.
“Exactly. Affecting King Hubert may be beyond you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use you for other purposes.”
Hugo glared at Victor, who didn’t seem perturbed in the least. “Then I don’t wish to play your game any longer. Please, return me to the dungeon at once.”
“And if I don’t?”
Hugo’s nostrils flared as he drew in a noisy breath. “Then I’ll find my way back there on my own.”
“And if I toss you out of the castle?”
“Then I’ll sneak into the castle and find my way to the dungeon.”
Victor’s shoulders shook with barely suppressed laughter. “And if I have you taken to your home and family?”
Hugo lifted onto the tips of his toes, erasing their slight height difference so he could glower directly into the king’s eyes. “I will return. I’ll ride across Wulia, sneak into Onisa, climb over the walls, and force you to toss me into the dungeon personally.”
For the first time, King Victor’s smirk shifted into a full, broad smile. “I’m beginning to see how Prince Everand fell for you.”
“I’m not playing your game,” Hugo snarled.
“What if I told you that by playing my game, you could win the prince’s release from my dungeon and return home?”
Hugo dropped onto his heels and blinked. Could he really? That didn’t seem possible. “And that would be the end of it? No more wars with Branem? The debt would be settled?”
“Yes, I would call the debt settled.”
“Okay, I’ll play your game.”
He probably should have taken at least a minute to consider the possibilities of what he could be getting himself into.
It was already more than obvious that he wasn’t smart or experienced enough to handle this.
He didn’t know a damn thing about diplomacy, negotiating, or politics.
How could King Victor take him seriously about anything?
But if it meant getting Prince Everand home, what did it matter?
King Victor’s grin slid back into its usual smug look as he continued to lead them on their stroll through the garden. Hugo’s feet lagged for a breath as his brain briefly panicked over what he might have agreed to.
“Since I am playing this game with you, wouldn’t you agree that it’s only fair that I understand the story behind this debt?” Hugo started.
The somewhat happy expression disappeared, and Victor glared at him, a snarl curling his upper lip. “I’m sure Prince Everand has told you what happened.”
“Prince Everand told me the Branem version of the story that he learned from his father, but what he knows has been…filtered,” he replied, struggling for the proper word to describe what was clearly an incomplete story. “I would like to know Wulia’s point of view regarding the events.”
The muscles in Victor’s jaw jumped as he ground his teeth and made no move to speak.
Hugo skipped ahead of him and cut in front of him, blocking his path. “I gather that it’s my life that’s on the line in terms of this game I’m playing with you. You’ve struck me as a fair man, Your Majesty. In the name of fairness, please tell me what caused this rift.”
“Your cuteness will help you only so much.”
Hugo jolted, his lips parting slightly. “You think I’m cute?”
Victor huffed a near-silent laugh. While Hugo was still marveling at the king’s words, Victor placed his hands on Hugo’s shoulders and forcibly turned the man around so they could continue walking along the stone path, following it as it curved under the long limbs of a weeping willow.
“Many years ago, the kingdoms of Branem and Wulia were allies. The kings of both countries were old friends, but it all fell apart because of one man’s betrayal.
Prince Philip of Branem had met Lady Victoria Gromwell first and was actively wooing her.
King Dominic of Wulia was a friend of Philip’s, and he did find Lady Victoria to be lovely.
Unfortunately, Prince Philip’s parents didn’t approve of Lady Victoria and her family.
They rejected all their son’s demands to marry her.
During this time, Lady Victoria secretly sought King Dominic and confided that she was pregnant with Philip’s child.
However, she was afraid that if Philip’s parents discovered the truth, they would have her and the child killed rather than allow her to marry Philip. ”
“Kill her? Why couldn’t she just be ostracized? Why go to the extreme of killing her and an innocent child?” Hugo demanded. His hands were balled into fists and trembling at his sides.
“Because the royal family can’t afford to have bastards running around, making dubious claims on the throne. The bloodline must be protected.”
Hugo snorted but said nothing. There was no point.
“Out of the goodness of his heart, King Dominic made an offer of marriage to Lady Victoria’s father in the name of protecting her,” Victor continued.
A sharp gasp broke from Hugo’s throat, and he swung to face Victor. “Does that mean—”
“No.”
“But you don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
The corner of Victor’s mouth lifted, and little crinkles formed at the corners of his eyes. “You think my father is Philip’s child. No, Lady Victoria lost the baby well before she married King Dominic.”
Hugo sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Then why go forward with the wedding if it was no longer necessary to protect Lady Victoria and her unborn child?”
“Because nothing had changed. Philip’s parents still wouldn’t relent. He couldn’t marry her. Victoria had lost all hope.”
“Philip probably could have if he’d been willing to give up all hope of sitting on the throne,” Hugo muttered under his breath.
A loud, rough bark of laughter erupted from Victor. “What prince would ever be willing to do that for love?”
A soft smile returned to Hugo’s lips and a warm spot burned in the center of his chest, enveloping his heart as he thought of all the times Everand offered to run off to live in a cottage in the woods with him, giving up the crown in favor of a small garden, rabbits, and Hugo.
There was at least one prince in the world who was willing to do it.
“Yes, Lady Victoria was honest with King Dominic about her feelings for Prince Philip, but she went ahead with the wedding because she’d given up all hope of marrying Philip and needed protection.
And who would ever turn down the chance to be queen?
She swore to be faithful and loyal to King Dominic.
” That sentence was spoken as if torn from Victor’s soul, sending a chill through Hugo.
“But she wasn’t,” Hugo murmured.
“Everything seemed fine for a while. She was a good, dutiful wife. King Dominic thought she was loyal, but he didn’t realize that she was communicating secretly with Prince Philip.
That bastard was coaxing and coercing her into betraying him.
It wasn’t long after the birth of their son, Xavier, that the old Branem king died.
Prince Philip became King Philip. There was no one in Branem who could stop him from marrying whom he wanted now. ”
“Damn,” Hugo whispered. He reached out and plucked a leaf off a branch. This was a mess. Worthy of some of those romance novels Dorian swore he never read, but Hugo knew he’d sneak them late at night by candlelight.
“Before Xavier turned two, his mother abandoned him. She left him and never fucking looked back. Left. Him. She left her son and the husband she swore she would be loyal to for King Philip.”
Hugo cringed at the force of the hatred and rage that vibrated in Victor’s rough voice. He could feel the years of anger and pain that filled this man, not only for himself but for the father who’d lost his mother at such a young age.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmured.
“Stop!” Victor roared. “My family doesn’t need your pity or your begging for forgiveness on behalf of those scoundrels.”
Hugo dropped the leaf he’d been moving between his fingers and turned to face Victor.
The king’s cheeks were flushed, and his dark eyes were wide as his entire body seemed to tremble with suppressed emotions.
“It’s not pity I feel, but heartbreak. I’m heartbroken for your father and for you, denied a mother and grandmother’s love.
I’m also heartbroken for Philip and Victoria.
How much must they have loved each other to take such a horrible risk?
People suffered on all sides, and bad decisions were made. ”
They stood frozen. A chilly wind rushed through the garden, rattling branches and stirring the leaves. Hugo could imagine he heard the moans of three anguished ghosts from the past crying for the choices they made.
“I don’t want your heartbreak. I want Branem to suffer. They need to feel the pain my father lived with for a lifetime.”
Hugo swallowed against the sudden dryness of his mouth. He didn’t know what to say. How to fix this. The one person who stood a shot at healing this old wound was the old Dowager Queen Victoria, but she’d passed away about a year ago.
Victor didn’t give him a chance to speak. He stepped away from Hugo and called for the guards. “Take him to his room. Lock him in.”
Guards descended on Hugo from the shadows, crowding close on all sides, not giving him a chance to follow Victor as he walked deeper into the garden.
“Wait! Send me to the dungeon! Put me in the dungeon again!” Panic rose with every word he spoke. If he didn’t go to the dungeon, how would Everand know that he was safe? How would Hugo know Victor hadn’t ordered the guards to torture the prince?
But no one listened to him. The king continued to walk away, disappearing into the garden while the guards dragged him into the castle.