Chapter 44 – Kian
Chapter Forty-Four
KIAN
When the king’s summons comes, dread sluices through my body. I loathe the man more each and every passing day. From his selfish rule of our kingdom to his accusations toward my wife. How like him to take the side of his lord instead of the woman who clearly couldn’t defend herself.
Father will have to wait though.
Giles ushers a harried and distraught-looking Lord Astoria into my private study. Feigning an air of nonchalance, I sit behind my desk with my feet propped up in an irreverent manner.
“Nice of you to show up,” I spit out without preamble.
Lord Astoria gives the barest of bows before dropping into the seat across from me, a sneer on his face. “Don’t forget, princeling, I knew you before you could even walk. A little respect goes a long way.”
I shake my head. Forget niceties. I mean to get straight to business. “Why have you been poisoning your eldest and stealing her memories?” I demand.
The affronted look gives me pause. He’s a good liar.
“That is preposterous,” he retorts. “I have poisoned no daughter of mine.”
“That might actually be true,” I muse, “considering we both know Raelyn isn’t your daughter.”
His face blanches, and he reaches for the liquor I poured before his arrival. His hand shakes as he brings the glass to his mouth. “I’m not sure what she’s told you, but that simply isn’t true. Raelyn is my daughter. I raised her.”
I scoff. “Some father you pretend to be, stealing her memories and withholding the truth. I know you spoke with her a few days ago and spewed only more half-truths to her.”
I hold my breath, hoping he’ll slip up. I don’t know for sure that he’s altered her memories, but it’s my best guess with how many times she’s forgotten me over the years. Lady Astoria must have found out somehow and decided to use it for her own gain.
Lord Astoria bristles. “You don’t know what you’re messing with, princeling. This is far beyond your understanding.”
“Try me,” I grit out. “I know about her godsblood.”
Lord Astoria throws his hands up in frustration. “You have been a bane to me for years now.”
I frown. “I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“Every time you and Raelyn meet, her godsblood activates.”
“What in the ever-loving hells are you talking about?”
This, I had not expected.
“I don’t understand it myself,” he mutters.
“But without fail, despite the tonic I gave her, you’d show up, and she’d start exhibiting symptoms—they’d break through.
The first time was when you visited when she was only seven, but I didn’t make the connection until it kept happening with each meeting. ”
“Why is that so terrible? It’s who she is!” I argue. “What harm is there in admitting her blood is a little more golden than the rest of ours?”
Lord Astoria shakes with rage, and I sit back in my seat at the sudden fury.
“She never figured it out, did she?”
“Never figured out what?”
“She is the daughter of a god, princeling,” Lord Astoria sneers. “Her blood is more gold than anyone else’s in our kingdom.”
My palms start to sweat, and I wipe them on my pants. Shit.
Lord Astoria laughs bitterly. “I see you understand. By our kingdom’s law, she is the rightful ruler. If your father were to find out, he would dispose of her without a second thought.”
I palm my face, hating that he’s right.
“I did what I had to do to keep her safe,” he spits venomously. “And without fail, every few years, you’d come back into her life and ruin everything.”
“No one can know,” I reply, my voice low and menacing.
“You don’t think I’m aware of that?”
“Please explain, then, why you allowed your bitch of a wife to come into my home and risk everything out of, what? Some petty ploy to bribe her way into a more powerful position at court?” I lean forward and yell in his face, “You were okay with her having your daughter assaulted?”
“Do you actually think I wanted that?” he yells back, wiping spit out of his eyes. “That never should have happened!”
“You’re a foolish man, Lord Astoria.”
He scoffs.
“If I find out you had anything to do with the attack on my wife, I will hang you myself,” I growl menacingly, then hold my marriage bond up to his face. “I will not leave her. This is binding.”
Lord Astoria sighs, slouching back into his seat. “It does pose quite a problem.”
“Can you undo it? The memory poison?”
His eyes glitter with something I can’t quite identify. “I cannot undo anything.”
“But is there a way for her to get her memories back?” I demand.
Lord Astoria shrugs. “Not that I know of.”
I slump in defeat. He’s given me nothing of real value, and I’m even more confused about how to move forward. “Something I haven’t been able to figure out is why you didn’t erase her memories after your wedding ball. I saw her then, and she remembered me when I returned.”
Lord Astoria grimaces. “Perhaps that was a mistake on my part, but I had to leave, and the last thing I wanted was for her to wake up and not remember I’d been bound to a new woman.
I told Olivia to keep you away from her, but clearly, that didn’t work out.
The tonic would have kept her symptoms at bay if you’d done as you were told. ”
“Do you even care about what you’ve stolen from her all these years?” I ask, remembering the pain in Raelyn’s eyes at having lost so much time.
“I don’t expect you to understand the choices I’ve made.
” He picks a piece of lint off his coat.
“Now, if I were you, Your Highness,” he says, voice dripping with sarcasm, “I’d find a way to get you and your lovely wife exiled far from here so that your father never finds out the truth.
I don’t think it’s possible to suppress her godhood much longer, but you should still put her back on the tonic to prolong it.
I fear the truth will come out if you stay here. ”
My heart sinks. As much as I’d love to steal Raelyn away and never return, I can’t abandon my people.
Things are only getting worse, and if I leave without finding a solution to our missing god problem, they are doomed.
Despite his fears, there is no way I am going to keep this from her or poison her without her knowledge.
“I’d take this unfortunate event as a blessing in disguise,” Lord Astoria continues. “Have you told her about her heritage yet?”
I frown. “With all the shit she’s had to deal with? I haven’t gotten to that reveal yet.”
“It’s probably for the best.” Lord Astoria’s lips form a thin line. “But you should still get her out of here.”
“How do you know what she is?” I can’t help but ask. “How did you, of all people, end up with custody of the daughter of a god?”
Before he answers, my research about the lost god comes back to me. I’m an idiot. I should have seen this sooner.
An almost wistful look crosses his face. “Not that it’s any of your business . . . but her mother. I loved her.”
“Your late wife?” I ask, confused. The name didn’t match the journal, but I wasn’t about to admit to him that I’d stolen it.
“No, but she was supposed to be.” His eyes shutter. “We’re better off with the gods gone. Mark my words.”
“You can’t possibly be serious,” I retort. “Our realm is dying!”
Lord Astoria raises a brow. “Is it now? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Your sarcasm is delightful,” I quip.
Lord Astoria pushes away from the desk and stands. “I’ve had about enough of your attitude, princeling. You can consider yourself damned lucky I want to protect my daughter, or I’d be headed straight for your father.”
A wry laugh leaves my mouth. “I’m not afraid of you, Cary.”
He turns on his heel, and when he gets to the door, he pauses, looking over his shoulder. “Perhaps you should be.” Then he’s gone.
Well, that didn’t go as planned. I wearily massage my temples, a headache pulsing behind my eyes. I guess I should make my way to my father before he sends someone after me.
To my surprise, Colin is seated across from Father when I enter. The room is already filled with the earthy scent of cigars.
“Are congratulations in order?” I ask as I plop down in the seat next to Colin.
The broadest grin stretches his face. “Juliana delivered a perfect baby girl last night.”
I genuinely smile, slapping Colin’s shoulder. “That’s wonderful news, brother!”
Father grunts. “Too bad it’s not a boy.”
I take a deep breath to keep from lashing out. What an ass. As if a woman couldn’t rule. My mind flashes to Raelyn . . . perhaps the only true heir among us. Even if she doesn’t want to rule, I know she could.
Colin’s smile is so big, he ignores Father’s misogyny and says, “The new princess would love to meet her uncle.”
“Raelyn and I would love to come visit,” I reply.
Colin flinches. “Um, you may want to leave your wife home. Helene is quite put out that you went off and got married out of nowhere.” His eyes drop accusingly to my binding mark.
“I’m bound, Colin. You’ll have to get over it eventually. Sorry it wasn’t to your first choice.”
He scoffs. “That’s not it. I’m rather hurt that you left me out of such an important day of your life.”
I reach over and squeeze his shoulder. “Sorry, brother, but when it’s love, you just can’t help yourself.”
Father clears his throat, and I turn my attention back to him. “Speaking of your wife, has she lost her memory as the rumor has it?”
I tense up. “It looks that way, Father.”
“So she cannot back up either story.”
“I’m afraid not.”
“You owe Lord Havordshire an apology for how you treated him. The healers have had quite the challenge mending him, and he likely will never regain full use of his left hand.”
I blink, and my voice drops low. “He attacked my wife.”
“Did you see him attack her? Does she claim he attacked her?” My father smiles cruelly.
“You know the answer to that.”
“Then you know that you owe Lord Havordshire an apology. I am well within my rights to imprison your wife for her part in this.”
My brother places a hand on my thigh and squeezes in warning, as if he knows I want to launch myself across the desk and attack our father. I glare at the king, trying to measure my breaths.
“The absolute last thing this court needs is a scandal,” Colin chimes in diplomatically. “With news of my daughter’s birth, this whole fiasco should blow over before the day is out.”
Father sits back in his chair, his fingers tapping idly on his desk. “A royal execution would definitely put a damper on things,” he admits.
I try not to show my relief. “I’ll apologize to Lord Havordshire,” I grit out.
“See that you do.”
“Is there anything else you require of me, Father?”
“That’s it for now. But don’t forget our discussion from before. If your wife doesn’t make herself useful soon, I might punish her after all.”
I nod stiffly, pat my brother on the back once more, and flee Father’s study.
Everything is going to shit. Raelyn has forgotten me once again and doesn’t realize what she is. There are so many answers to search for, but I’m not sure where to start.
I head for the infirmary to make my official apology to Dylan, hating every step in his direction.
I’ll apologize, but I will also make it exceedingly clear that if he steps one foot near my wife again, he will find himself without his favorite body part.
Hells, perhaps the Shadow might pay him a visit.