Chapter 65
Intentional
Leo stayed with Evelyn until lunchtime. She didn’t want to go downstairs, so he promised to bring food up to her.
He’s being nice, but what is he thinking? Does Leo believe marrying me was a mistake?
Evelyn moved off the bed and onto the couch, truly significant progress, but struggled to quiet her thoughts long enough to read a book.
My father was in love with Katrina. But what about his wife? Did he love her? What was his marriage to Gwyneth like? Did they fall out of love? Why didn’t my father go back for Katrina after Gwyneth died? Do Rowan or Hannah know the truth?
Despite protests from Rory and Simon, Haydn strolled into the room without knocking.
“It’s fine,” Evelyn told her guards, who retreated to the hallway.
Haydn dropped casually onto the couch. “Hello, love.”
“Why are you here?” Evelyn asked impatiently.
“Don’t you want the present you begged me for?”
“Two. I asked for two presents.”
“Such a greedy queen.”
“I’m not in the mood for games, Haydn.”
He slipped a bracelet onto her wrist. It looked like three small, golden snake skins braided together.
“What does it do?” she asked.
“It’s beautiful on you, my love,” Haydn crooned. “That is its greatest magic.”
Evelyn glared at him. “Is it enchanted or not?”
“No.”
She gasped as the bracelet turned icy cold. “What is it doing?”
“Detecting a lie,” Haydn said.
The bracelet’s temperature shifted into a comforting warmth.
“Just fucking tell me what’s happening,” Evelyn snarled. “It’s on my skin!”
“The bracelet knows if someone is being honest,” Haydn explained. “It will turn cold at a lie, and warm with the truth.”
Evelyn was intrigued and her annoyance with him ebbed. “Show me again. Tell another lie.”
“I have gone to bed with other women since meeting you.”
The bracelet went cold.
“I think about you most of the day and dream of you at night.”
It became warm again.
“I’m so happy for you and your husband.”
Cold.
“Okay, I get it,” Evelyn said quickly. “The bracelet works.”
Maybe this is what I need to stop myself from lying to Leo anymore. But I’ll also know if he tries to lie to me.
“Do I get a thank you?”
“Thank you, Haydn. It’s both impressive and pretty.”
“Just like you.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “What about the dragon scale?”
“I’m working on it. This isn’t the winter solstice, love. You don’t get all your gifts at once.”
Evelyn stood up, but Haydn pulled her down onto his lap. “I’ll give you anything you desire. I will pay any price to make you stay with me.”
She flushed as the bracelet warmed against her skin. “I’m not for sale.”
Wrenching his hands off her, Evelyn crossed the room.
Haydn followed and spun her around to face him. “You want to be mine, Evelyn. I know you do.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then why is the bracelet cold?”
Evelyn glanced down and saw Haydn holding her wrist, but not the one with the bracelet. He grinned at her, knowing his guess was right.
Is Haydn who I want? In some ways, he would be easier than Leo. But it’s too late now.
The door opened and Leo entered with a tray of food. Haydn dropped her hand but intentionally not fast enough. Confusion and anger warred on Leo’s face as he processed the scene.
Evelyn held up her arm. “He brought me the bracelet.”
Leo gritted his teeth. “So he did.”
“I’ll be going now. Have a pleasant day, Your Majesty.” Haydn bowed to Evelyn before leaving.
Leo put the tray down on the coffee table. “Moeller wants to see you. I need to find Damien. He wasn’t at lunch, either.”
“Really, Leo, Haydn was only here to—”
Leo left before she could finish and slammed the door behind him.
Did Haydn plan for this to happen? Did he time it right so Leo would walk in on us? Haydn promised not to use a Bargain to steal me from Leo, but clearly that doesn’t mean he can’t cause problems in other ways.
Evelyn found Moeller in a large room that, based on its location, shouldn’t have any windows.
Yet, it was functionally a greenhouse. The walls and ceiling were all made of glass, with sunlight streaming through.
Plants of various sizes lined the edge of the room.
Moeller almost smiled at the incredulity on Evelyn’s face.
The corners of his mouth twitching up was as close as he would get to laughing.
“I don’t understand,” Evelyn said. “How is this room both outside and in the center of the castle?”
“Do you need more than one guess?” Moeller asked.
Evelyn sighed. “Magic.”
“I hope that wasn’t too strenuous on your mind, Your Majesty. There is much work to be done to make you competent with your powers.”
“You’re kind of an asshole. Did you know that?”
“Do you wish for me to flatter you like Ritter does?”
She scowled at him. “No.”
Moeller narrowed his eyes. “What’s he done now?”
My Bargain won’t allow me to complain about Haydn. But I can ask other questions…
“Did you know my mother?”
Moeller’s gaze softened. “Did Ritter tell you about Katrina?”
Evelyn nodded.
“Yes,” Moeller confirmed. “I knew her well. She and my wife were friends.”
Questions came pouring out. “What was she like? What happened with my father? Where did Katrina go? How did I end up in Carrowmore?”
“Slow down and listen,” Moeller told her firmly. “Your mother was a lot like you—incredibly stubborn and always willing to pick a fight.”
“That’s—”
“But that made her an effective member of the Legislative Council. Katrina would do anything to protect the people of Lochmatten. No one else was brave or stupid enough to scream at Ophelia Klein when the council wasn’t acting fast enough against an injustice. She earned Ophelia’s respect for that.
“Katrina and your father were inseparable from the first night. For reasons that should be obvious, their relationship was problematic. Also, women of the council are discouraged from marrying outside of Lochmatten for fear that their loyalties may be split. To fall in love with a married lord from another kingdom was… disreputable.”
“Why are the rules different for the women?” Evelyn asked. “Men of the High Council can marry whoever they want, right?”
“They can,” Moeller said. “But our first priority is magic. Marrying someone from another land is arguably better for the High Council because it increases our magical knowledge and abilities.”
“You didn’t.”
“Just because I don’t enjoy your company doesn’t mean my heart is made of stone. I love my wife. My marriage wasn’t a ploy for power.”
I absolutely cannot picture this man being romantic with anyone.
“Your mother became pregnant,” Moeller continued. “It was the isle’s worst-kept secret. The best was how your father managed to smuggle you back to the continent without anyone noticing, and why.”
He smuggled me to Carrowmore? What the hell? How did he get away with it?
“What happened to her after my father went home?”
Moeller shrugged. “I don’t know. None of the women on the council at the time, including Victoria, ever spoke of it.
Katrina was simply not here anymore, and a new member was elected to replace her.
I wondered if she showed up in your kingdom, but apparently not.
Your father came back here once looking for her. ”
Evelyn blinked. “He did?”
“About two years after you were born. The Legislative Council refused to meet with him. So I told him what I told you, that Katrina was gone. He stayed a day or two, hoping I was wrong. He searched for her, then he left. Life went on. A century passed. None of us expected Katrina’s bastard child to show up again as a princess. ”
Evelyn flinched at his bluntness. “What would’ve happened to me if my father hadn’t taken me away?”
Moeller frowned. “No one would have hurt you, if that’s what you’re thinking.
It would depend on what happened to your mother.
If Katrina had remained here, I imagine she would have raised you like any other mother and daughter in Lochmatten.
Maybe you would be married to Ritter by now, though I wouldn’t recommend it. ”
“Why not?”
Moeller scrutinized her again before answering. “Because it’s not clear what Ritter’s intentions are. You and your husband may be an odd match, but at least Alexander isn’t the type for schemes.”
“We’re not an odd match,” Evelyn argued.
“The past twenty-four hours have shown otherwise. All the king has time to do is apologize after you and Captain Fontaine piss everyone off. You are the product of a wartime scandal, and yet you married a man who is terrified of upsetting anyone.”
Evelyn’s bracelet warmed against her wrist.
That doesn’t even sound like me… but that’s what I’ve done.
“Is this what you do all fucking day?” she yelled. “Gossip about other people instead of, I don’t know, looking into the murders that we’ve asked for help solving?”
Moeller stared her down. “You wanted gossip, child. Or is begging for rumors about your parents’ affair somehow better than noticing newlyweds who barely make eye contact?”
“I’m allowed to wonder where I came from!”
“Sure, but now you’ve made it my problem.”
“Fuck you!”
“Do you want to learn Water magic or not? I assume that’s the most helpful skill after Fire.”
Evelyn blinked at the non-sequitur. She had forgotten why she was there. Her first instinct was to scream at him some more, but she did want to learn. “Can you teach me without being a dick about it?”
“No,” Moeller stated. “Your magic is stronger when you’re emotional. That’s another difference between you and your husband. I had to make the room warmer so Alexander would finally relax and accomplish something.”
“So you made me mad on purpose?”
“Everything said and done on this isle is intentional. Keep that in mind when you make deals with people like Ritter.”
Now he fucking tells me.
Evelyn blew out a breath. “What do I need to do?”