Chapter 5
Chapter five
If tension were a person, he would be strangling me by the throat right about now.
It wasn't the first time I'd been surrounded by these three in this very room, but last time, they knew me only as Damon’s betrothed. This time, they knew exactly how much of our last visit was a lie, and they’d had plenty of time to decide how displeased they were about it.
“After what you told us in the tunnels, we have a few questions we need answered,” Cedric said diplomatically.
“I suspected as much,” I said, half turning to face all three princes as best as I could. I didn't like having Lochlan in my blind spot. “Admittedly, I have a few questions of my own. How do we feel about applying the rule of ladies first?”
“Says the fake lady,” Lochlan scoffed, leaning his head back on the door to flash his less-than-charming grimace.
“Actually, I was a fake man,” I corrected him. “But even then, I was still more authentic than you.”
I must have struck a nerve. He stepped away from the door, more interested in closing in on me than keeping me closed in. He had such a talent for getting under my skin in record time.
“That’s an odd way of saying thank you to the man who kept your dirty little secret,” he said in a gravelly voice that could have been either a threat or a peace offering. Knowing Lochlan, it probably wasn't the latter.
Then why keep my secret? Was he merely toying with me?
“Forgive me for still erring on the side of caution,” I said firmly. “I always seem to end up bleeding when I let my guard down around you.”
“I can’t help it that you look so good in red…” He inched closer, this time making sure I knew he was a threat. “I should have realized why sooner.”
Normally, I wouldn't let myself be intimidated by the likes of someone so meager, but the secret he held over me was like a noose already fastened around my neck. Like it or not, my life was in the palm of his hand.
All of their hands.
“Enough foolishness, Lochlan. We don't have much time.” Cedric stepped between us, fulfilling the role of mediator well.
He turned to me, his eyes rich with curiosity.
“Tell us, Diaspro, what did the king say to you? If Lochlan is telling the truth about keeping your secret, then what does he plan to do with you next?”
They don’t know yet.
My impending answer had them all hooked.
It was probably the most silent I had ever seen them, other than when they’d first heard my secret.
Atlas especially had been quiet ever since I’d arrived.
He was stiff as a soldier in the middle of the room, absorbing every word I spoke like he was saving it for future ammunition.
They didn't know if I was a weapon pointed at them or one that was already in their hands. What the king viewed me as would determine how they saw me next. Was I too valuable to let go of or too dangerous to keep close?
“He won’t kill me now that the citizens favor me, so he plans on destroying me in a different manner.” I pulled the list of names out of my pocket, the folded paper feeling like a sword in my hands as I passed it over to Cedric.
He took it cautiously and had barely unfolded it before Atlas moved to scan it over his shoulder. Lochlan didn't seem interested in cozying up to his brothers to join story time, but he looked like he was itching to know what the paper said nonetheless.
“Who are they?” Cedric asked, his eyes narrowing on the bottom of the list.
“Her new executioners,” Atlas finally spoke, his grim tone mirroring the initial fear the challenge had brought me. He took the paper from Cedric, studying it further. “Let me guess, he’s bringing in women he thinks can overpower you to prove that you’re as weak as he always believed.”
He is his Father's son after all; it's scary how similarly they can think.
“That sounds like dear old Daddy,” Lochlan grumbled, stepping close enough to Atlas to snatch the list from his fingers. “If the stick doesn’t work, he builds a bigger stick.” He scanned through the names, his face twisting as he took his turn unscrambling the king's plans.
It made me feel a tiny bit better that not even the princes knew the strange women he was plucking out of the woodwork, but also nervous that I was truly going in mostly blind.
“My presence threatens him, so he intends to kill me, but not without punishment first,” I explained, trying not to think up ways the king could torment me in front of my people's eyes. With so many puppets, there were a hundred ways he could tangle my strings.
“It would be a smart move if he weren’t already so foolish,” Lochlan said, tossing the list to the floor like it was nothing more than rubbish. “He wants control over the rest of the Ivalonians, but he already has the tools to do it.”
“Care to explain?” I asked, genuinely interested in what fueled that response.
He took a step closer, crunching the list under his boot to further emphasize its worthlessness.
“If he wants the Ivalonians, he already has their princess,” he said, his chilling words reminding me of my own bloodline.
“Actually, we have their princess,” Atlas cut in, stepping between me and Lochlan.
“You're absolutely right, we hold all the cards here.” Lochlan looked past him to give me an unsettling smile. “Which leads us to our next topic of discussion. What’s your secret worth to you?”
“Lochlan,” Cedric interjected. “This isn't your secret to share.”
“Quiet, Cedric,” Lochlan hissed, not even bothering to look at the youngest prince. “I’m not bargaining with you. I’m talking to the princess… Or is she just Lady Diaspro? I get so confused about which I should call you in front of our father.”
That's how it is, then?
He found more use controlling me than he did sharing my secret. But what did he want with me now that I had been rebuked by his father?
“What do you want?” I asked directly.
“Plenty,” Lochlan said. “But let’s start with an easy one. What do you really know about King Leopold’s vault?”
Cedric and Atlas perked up at that question. I should have known it would come up again now that they knew my true origins.
“No more than I did the first time anyone asked me,” I answered honestly.
“I know it exists, and I know it contains all the remnants of Ivalon’s magic weapons and materials, but I still don’t know where it is.
” I paused, recalling one other important vault item I hadn’t mentioned before.
“It also holds the only copy of my birth record, the one stating I was born a girl.
My mother had it stowed away there by the only servant who was trusted with the vault's location and knew the secret of my birth.”
“No wonder you didn’t want anyone finding it,” Atlas said to himself.
Mother had kept my birth records there in case I ever needed to prove my legitimacy, but it also served as a weak point. If the vault’s secrets were ever leaked, mine would be too.
“What about this trusted servant?” Lochlan asked. “Are they still alive?”
“I don’t even know their name,” I said with a shrug. “But I’d say it’s safe to assume that we might be able to find it on a gravestone somewhere after what your father did to the castle.”
Lochlan frowned, unamused by my brutally true crack.
“How convenient that everyone of use in your kingdom is already dead.” Lochlan stiffened like his frown had extended to his entire torso.
“I’m still alive,” I reminded him.
“Did I stutter?” He rolled his eyes at me, tensing every vein under my skin.
I gritted my teeth, already tired of being pushed around by the smarmy royal.
“If I'm so useless, then why not tell your father the truth and be rid of me already?” I snapped, my lungs compressing my air into staccato breaths.
Everyone quieted, letting my short syllables punch the air as I endured the fire of Lochlan’s burning glare.
There was no more teasing in those eyes. This wasn't about getting even or showing dominance; this was a battle between two dueling crowns.
“Because, Princess,” he said in a steely voice, “this may be the only time that I possess knowledge more powerful than anything the king has.”
The room felt colder after that confession, and I looked back at his brothers to see a shared sentiment pass between them. My existence was powerful, and they were being strategic with the one shot they had to fire.
“I don't intend to waste it,” Lochlan whispered, the hairs prickling on my neck as his voice resonated in my head. “I just haven't decided how to use it yet.”
My secret was safe for now, but the moment Lochlan needed a piece to sacrifice, he was ready to lay down his queen.
He moved toward the door, pulling back from the conversation with a satisfied sway in his steps.
“Plus, having something to hold over you will keep you in line,” he continued, still not looking back. “Unlike my brothers, I haven’t forgotten how dangerous you are. With or without a crown, you’re a viper nonetheless, and the second you try to lash out, I’ll be back to jerk your chains.”
He placed his hand on the doorknob, pausing to catch my eyes one last time with a dark gaze that rivaled his father's.
“Remember this, Princess,” he warned. “My father may have his plans, but I’m the one who owns your life now. Our battle didn’t end in the arena; it’s only begun.”
Then he left.