Chapter 3
Three
The long windowless room is lined with flickering sconces that cast eerie dancing shadows over the murals on the walls.
One entire length is painted like the woods in winter.
It’s so realistic that the ominous branches seem to reach for me.
Wolves twist between the trunks, their paws obscured by painted snow.
The other side shows the woods in summer, full of leaves and life.
Deer and rabbits stare out at me with vacant eyes.
Somehow, the summer side seems more unsettling than the winter.
A table made of dark polished wood sits in the center of the room, lined with red velvet chairs. Candelabras are spaced evenly across it, making the polished surface gleam.
There’s one person in the room, and he stands but does not move to greet me. I drop into a curtsy.
“So you do have some sense of manners,” the prince drawls.
I rise and find him approaching me now. I wait.
“You couldn’t be bothered to greet me properly before,” he says.
“You’ll have to forgive me, Your Highness. I’d had a long journey and was not myself.” The simpering tone I’m using makes my insides crawl.
“You’ll have to excuse my father’s absence. He is away from court more often than not these days.” He offers his hand, palm up. I place mine on top of his, and he leads us to the table.
“Will I get to meet him soon?” I ask.
“I’m not sure. He rarely sees anyone. Though, I thought he would wish to greet the woman he felt was worth a treaty.” He yanks out a chair on the right of his, then gestures to it.
“I can tell you don’t feel the same,” I say as I sit.
“I must admit, you are beautiful.” He returns to his seat at the head of the table. “But I can get all the beautiful women I want.”
“Is this supposed to impress me? You, bragging about the women you bed?”
“It’s supposed to show you that you’re only here because my father thinks you useful.
If you prove otherwise, I will not hesitate to ensure that you befall one of the many tragedies that are possible in this empire, and I will send your beautiful corpse back to your empire with my condolences and a bouquet of black roses. ”
“You make it seem as if I am to fear death,” I reply as I pick up my wineglass.
“Do you not?”
I take a sip, then set the glass down, staring at him for a long moment before I answer. “I have seen Death. And she is beautiful.”
He smirks. “Perhaps you’ll enter her embrace soon, another raven in her coven of soul collectors.”
I smile at the thought of becoming one of Death’s helpers. She can’t be everywhere at once, so her most devout followers become ravens after they pass from this world. They collect the souls she can’t. “Is that your plan? To kill me to end this alliance?”
“What do you know of our alliance, little raven?”
“Only that I’m to seal it, or rather that our children would,” I say.
He takes a sip of his own wine, then leans back in his chair. “My father intends to imbue the Iskvalandian soldiers with magic, then send them with ours to the Shatterlands. The alliance would mean the end of the independent city-states on that gods-forsaken continent.”
“Isn’t that what you want?” I ask.
His brow furrows just enough for me to know he’s thinking about how to answer, but a door opens in the center of the summer mural. Several servants emerge, carrying platters of food.
The scent of delicacies fills the air, and my stomach rumbles. It’s been over a day since I last ate, but I am used to being hungry.
The servants wear gray, the same color as the stone on the walls. It has to be intentional, to help them blend in, which brings a fresh wave of rage that heats my face. Some of the people who work here are fourth or fifth generation. It’s almost impossible to leave a position at the castle.
They quietly set the platters on the table in front of us, and I watch the prince, forcing myself to mirror his reactions.
He looks bored and anxious at the same time.
As if he’s both impatient for his food and irritated that he has to wait.
Or perhaps it’s that he doesn’t like the servants being around.
A woman in a gray dress serves the prince while another woman does the same for me.
I bite back my urge to thank her while roasted potatoes, greens, herbed chicken, and soft white bread are added to my plate.
As soon as the hidden door closes behind the servants, I’m hit with the realization that we’re alone. And not yet wed. I may not have been raised noble or royal, but I know that it’s unusual.
“Nobody else will join us?” I ask.
“I don’t feel like sharing you with the rest of the court just yet.” He takes a bite of his food.
“Isn’t that going to cause a scandal? The two of us alone?”
“Please. We both know that neither of us is exactly a blushing virgin. I didn’t agree to marry you for your piety.”
That’s news. I lift a brow, curious. “You had a say in this? You aren’t just going along with what your father wanted?”
I wonder if the rumors are true. That the emperor is already dead. I can’t leave here until I’m certain. And I can’t kill the prince without taking down the emperor first. The emperor’s reign must end.
“It is what he wanted,” he says. “But after I heard about your exploits, I must admit that I was rather intrigued.”
Fuck. My pulse races. What exploits? I got about an hour of rapid-fire information about what to expect and how to blend in with the royal family while being shoved into a dead woman’s gown.
I am making this up as I go and don’t know anything about the real princess.
We all assumed the prince didn’t know anything about her aside from her appearance.
I might be dead sooner than I realized.
“I sent some of my spies to Iskvaland shortly after we were betrothed.” He lifts a fork and holds it over his plate.
“I know you snuck out of the castle at every chance you got. I know you had a lover you met at the stables. And I know you liked to practice with weapons when your father’s soldiers were away.
My spies said you were terrible with weapons, but great in bed. ”
My cheeks heat in indignation for the dead woman. “They watched me have sex?”
“I needed to know what I was getting. Thankfully, they also noted that you were insistent that your lover take his tonic every time you met. So at least I know you aren’t carrying another man’s bastard.”
My chair screeches as I abruptly stand. “You’re disgusting.”
He stabs a chunk of potato then pops it into his mouth and chews slowly. When he finishes, he smiles, showing straight white teeth. “I’m also your future emperor. Sit back down.”
“And I am your future empress. You will show me respect.” I glare at him, not caring if it all falls apart right here.
I didn’t even know the princess. I thought she must be another spoiled royal, but now, I think maybe she and I weren’t so different.
She must have had a rebellious streak. I wonder if she’d have spied for the rebellion.
Or maybe she was hoping to kill the emperor herself and that was why she came.
I’ll never know. But I feel like I owe her at least a little bit.
“Things don’t work like that around here, little raven. The empress is nothing. Your job is to look pretty and carry my children. If you fail at either of those things, I will end you.”
“You need this treaty more than my empire does. Our armies outnumber yours. They’re stronger, better trained, and not reliant on magic. Your army is fueled by years of nepotism. Your soldiers are wealthy men who serve to gain favor and increase their station.
“Ours are farmers and fathers and hunters who love their country. They fight because they believe in something bigger than themselves. They fight to protect their family and their land. Yours only fight for themselves. Which do you think will win when the time comes? Magic only gets you so far when your legion is full of preening cowards.”
I hold my ground. Staring right at the insufferable prince, maintaining whatever sense of composure I can hold on to while I curse myself internally.
That was too far. That wasn’t the rant of a princess.
And I don’t know if anything I said about Iskvaland is true.
It was all rumors. Stories I heard growing up in the mountains at the border.
Propaganda, I was told. Lies. But based on how he is looking at me, I don’t think any of it was a lie.
After a long silence, he sets his fork down and stands, then walks toward me slowly.
I hold my chin high, my only regret that I couldn’t complete the mission.
I told them I wasn’t the one for this job.
I am good at strategy and plans. I’m not cut out for the field.
I know speaking to him that way was wrong.
I know that isn’t how I am supposed to act, but I couldn’t stop myself.
The prince stands behind my chair and straightens it, then gestures toward the seat. “Please, sit.”
I stay where I am. “I will not marry someone who disrespects me. And I certainly will not marry someone who spies on me. I am not breeding stock. If that is what you are looking for, find someone else.”
“I will be more respectful.” He inclines his head to the chair.
“And you will not spy on me?” I ask. “How am I to ever bathe again knowing you may have your men watching me?”
“I will not spy on you,” he agrees.
“It’s a start.” I sit, and he pushes me in before returning to his chair.
“Please, eat. I had them prepare something simple because I don’t yet know what you like.”
“So you can be kind.”
“Don’t tell anyone,” he says.
I pick up my fork and knife and cut off a piece of chicken. “I don’t think they’d believe me, anyway, Your Highness.”
“You’re probably right,” he says. “And call me Caiden. You are going to be my wife, after all.”