32
B ennett helped me into the hall, his arm wrapped firmly around my shoulders though I was steady on my feet. Neither of us spoke as we followed King Maximus upstairs to his office, guards trailing behind us.
“Come inside, Narcissa,” His Majesty said, opening the door. He frowned when Bennett followed. “Not you.”
“But Father, Narcissa isn’t well,” Bennett said.
The king barked a laugh. “Do not think I’m ignorant of your plans. I’m not so senile as to let the two of you go off together on this particular night.”
Realization dawned on me. He suspected us of thwarting his orders of surrounding the rebel meeting.
I clenched the fabric of my skirts. “Your Majesty—”
King Maximus gestured wordlessly to his desk. I exhaled, easing out of Bennett’s hold. He reluctantly let me go .
The king shut the door and sat across from me, crossing his arms. His expression was steely.
I inhaled. “Your Majesty. Bennett would never defy you and neither would I. I had an episode. That is all.”
“You are a very good actress,” King Maximus said.
“I’m telling the truth! The headache...I-I do not know where it came from but believe me, Your Majesty, I had no intention of stopping your orders.”
“I once believed my son unmovable and level-headed,” King Maximus said, “but it seems I was mistaken.”
I sagged against the back of my seat, suddenly exhausted. “What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
He regarded me for a minute, as if assessing my character. I wasn’t sure what he saw.
“Do you know why I chose you as the future crown princess, Narcissa?” King Maximus finally asked.
I blinked. Where was he going with this?
“My mother made sure I was prepared for the role. Half the work was already done.” I stared at the smooth wooden floor. “I just happened to be a witch.”
The king shook his head. “No. Any witch can learn the ways of royalty. But you. You were the only witch in the kingdom my son could not possibly fall in love with.”
I ignored how the thought of Bennett in love with me made my heart leap.
“Your Majesty, that can’t—”
“Don’t try to convince me otherwise, Narcissa. I’ve seen how he looks at you. After what happened last summer I didn’t think it was possible. Bennett was wary of you, but he was willing to do what I thought was best. Olderea needed a peaceful marriage. A union between two individuals without hatred or passion. I was sure you two would be able to achieve that. ”
I swallowed, my throat tight. “Why?”
“A marriage with malice will lead the people to suspect that witches are accepted on the surface as hatred boils beneath. A marriage with love will suggest the crown prince is influenced by his feelings instead of what is right for the kingdom. Or worse, that the bride is controlling him with magic.”
“People will think what they like regardless of reality,” I said, recalling Sister Scarlett’s past articles. “The press writes whatever they deem interesting.”
King Maximus stood from his seat, turning to the window. “It’s not only about what the people believe. It’s also about what I believe.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “I overestimated Bennett’s passivity. He has changed since Delibera. He’s loud, erratic. He doesn’t think when he acts when it comes to you.”
I almost laughed. None of those words described the soft-spoken crown prince who dedicated himself to his kingdom. “I beg to differ.”
“He acquired a cat in the middle of the tour for you, Narcissa.”
Pippin? I thought back to his abrupt appearance in Coriva. It had been the day Isabelle and Lady Huntington forbade me from bringing Misty to the dining room. The next morning Bennett had brought Pippin. Was that for my sake?
Why had he done that when he still wouldn’t speak to me? Wouldn’t dance with me at the Huntington Abbey ball? My face heated when I recalled his silence, his awkwardness. Was it because he didn’t know how to act around me?
“Not only that,” King Maximus said, his wide shoulders stiffening, “Bennett has never defied me before. Not once. ”
“I wouldn’t call a difference of opinion defiance.”
“You and your mother had a difference of opinion. Look where she is.”
My stomach soured at the mention of Mother.
“That’s different,” I said quietly. “He still wants the best for Olderea, as you do. I never persuaded him otherwise.”
“I want to believe you.” King Maximus gazed out at the dreary landscape. “But I think it is best if you do not see him for a while.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Bennett is to become king. A king cannot be influenced by his emotions or by anyone. Not even his wife.”
I clenched my fists. “But Your Majesty, didn’t you let witches back into the kingdom at Queen Cordelia’s request?”
“Yes. And look how that turned out.” He turned, his lips flattening into a grim line. “Love is a dangerous thing, Narcissa. It addles the mind. Intoxicates the soul until you’re no longer in control. Your mother should know that.”
“She’s a monster.”
King Maximus shook his head. “She wasn’t, once.”
“Are you breaking off the engagement, Your Majesty?”
He sighed heavily. “After all this publicity? No, not at this moment. But Bennett needs distance from you. The wedding will be postponed for another year. You will not see him until then. Still, perhaps once we enforce more policies regarding magic, there will no longer be a need for the union. You know how the press is. They’ll forget.”
My throat tightened.
Every ounce of effort I exerted to be the perfect crown princess was for naught. Even when I tried I was not enough. Not cruel enough for Mother. Not suitable for King Maximus’s vision—so much so that he wanted to rid his son of me. What purpose did I have now ?
And Bennett. I would not see him for a year. If things went as the king planned, he would no longer be in love with me by the end of it.
“I see,” I whispered hoarsely.
“As for this situation with the rebels, I forbid you from meddling further. Do not think being the future crown princess entitles you to such liberties,” the king said, his voice hard.
I dipped my head. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
His demeanor softened. “I do not mean to cause you harm. Everything I do is for Olderea. It is time Bennett learned that too.” King Maximus met my gaze. “You may take your leave, Narcissa.”
Mustering as much composure as I could, I stood and left the room.
Bennett waited on the other side. My heart leaped treacherously at the sight of him. I wanted to ask him a million questions at once. I wanted him to hold me again. But I held myself back.
He stepped forward. “Cissa. What did Father say? Are you alright?”
I wondered if he knew the concern in his voice felt like a dagger to my chest.
“I’m fine.” I stared at my hands, which were tightly clasped before me. The emerald ring winked in the torchlight.
The union was not off, but I couldn’t keep this ring for the next year knowing that it symbolized something that may not be there by the end of it. I would get another one at the wedding, if there was one. At least the new ring would mean duty. Not whatever distracting thing was between us.
Easing it off, I placed the emerald ring into Bennett’s palm. “You were wrong. This doesn’t fit. ”
He looked to the ring and back at me, realization dawning on his face.
“Come inside, Bennett,” King Maximus said.
Bennett took another step forward, but I evaded him. “Cissa,” he said beseechingly. “Father, whatever it is—”
“Inside, now.”
“You can’t possibly break this off after everything she has done,” he burst out, looking more panicked than I had ever seen him. “Narcissa is more than qualified to be crown princess.”
“Inside! Come inside and close the door,” King Maximus said, raising his voice. “Or have you forgotten your duty?”
Bennett’s breath hitched. A foolish part of me thought he would speak for me. That he would take my hand and stand his ground. That he would yell at his father and beg him to let him feel a little. But he merely stared at me—stared as he had never before.
Then, Bennett shut the door.
Every ounce of my composure shattered. What had I expected? That he was going to chase after me? Defy the king?
It didn’t matter that he adopted a cat for my sake or bought me gifts or worried about me. He would do anything the king wanted. He would fall right out of love with me.
Duty came before all else for Bennett. I was a fool for ever hoping otherwise.