CHAPTER 17
Axel
A
fter finishing with Lord Ulrich and the council meeting, Father began discussing his expectations for Helena’s schedule. Axel didn’t want to get caught in the storm spreading across her face, so he excused himself and Katy.
Otto raised an eyebrow in question when they slipped out alone. Axel clapped him on the shoulder. “You can go home now, Otto. No one is in danger. But please come see me tomorrow; I have something I wish to discuss with you.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” Otto replied with a respectful nod.
“I told you to go home, Otto; you’re off duty.” One side of Axel’s mouth pulled up. “Formality is no longer required.”
Katy and her cousin exchanged a grin before Otto turned back to him. “Sorry, Your Highness, I’m Kat’s guard. Until she gives the command, my duty remains.” His blue eyes danced, not even attempting to hide his amusement.
“Insubordination; I’m surrounded by insubordination.” Resting his free hand on his hip, Axel let his head drop on a sigh and slowly shook it from side to side. “That’s what I get for allowing a common miller’s daughter into my castle.”
Otto’s grin stretched until it made his eyes scrunch. “Absolutely. See you in the morning, Axel.” Then with a casual salute, he trotted off down the hall.
Katy’s lips curved up as they traversed the short walk to their suite, but it bore a tentative air. “Speaking of the trials of millers’ daughters... Are you sure I’m forgiven?”
A twinge of irritation shot through his chest, but Axel shoved it to the side and gave her a sunny smile. “But of course, my love. Surely you do not believe that I would allow such a thing to mar the beauty that is our marriage?”
Her mouth twisted, but she waited until the door of their suite closed behind them before facing him. “You are upset.” She said it simply, her open brown eyes inviting him to vent for once. “You don’t have to pretend that you’re not.”
The muscles along his jaw tightened as he set down a newly lit candle.
“Of course I’m upset. You were angry at me for months for not giving my real name to a complete stranger.
Even though I was desperate to keep my identity a secret and I never expected to see you again.
But not only did you fail to tell me about our child until you had no choice, you married me knowing that this child was entangled in a magical bargain.
In the months before we married and the five years since, you couldn’t find the opportunity to tell me that?
Of course I’m—!” He paused to bring his volume back under control. “Of course that upsets me, Katy.”
She peeked up at him. “To be fair, I would have told you sooner had I known Lord—”
“No, don’t try to make this my fault.” He jabbed a finger in her direction. “Yes, I should have told you. Yes, perhaps we could have avoided some of our current mess. But you could have told me five years ago. It might have been possible to prevent the bargain’s completion.”
The fire that usually lit Katy’s eyes was absent. “It could only have been prevented by canceling the wedding,” she said in a defeated voice. “You’re right; I should have told you sooner. You should have had the chance to back out.”
He buried his hands in his hair, seeking an outlet for the frustration that welled up inside him. “I wouldn’t have backed out, Katy. But there might have been another way.”
“I wasn’t really mad at you for claiming your name was Gunther, you know.” Katy twisted her hands in front of her waist, avoiding his gaze. “I had convinced myself the magic-user was lying about the deal. I wouldn’t have bargained to marry for position.”
She dropped her eyes to the floor. “So when I found out I really did know you... It terrified me. And then I kept my anger because I wanted to break the betrothal. I was mad at you for maybe a day; after that, I was mad at myself.”
“That doesn’t really make it better, Katy.”
Her voice was small as she replied, “I know.”
Pressing his hands to his face, he let the scraping of his calloused palms against his cheeks ground him. He didn’t want to be angry with his wife. Yes, she had made a mistake, but he wasn’t perfect, either.
But with all her insistence on honesty, to keep a secret that big for more than five years...
Pulling his hands away, he took a deep breath and held it for a few moments. “What’s done is done. Do you remember the exact deal that you made with the stranger?”
Katy furrowed her brow. “He promised to help me marry you in exchange for my firstborn child.”
“Yes, but did he mention me specifically? Or just ‘the prince’? And did he talk about me in relation to the child?” Axel took a step toward her, his voice growing eager.
“The magic-user at Reineggburg told me the wording is very important. If he didn’t specify me personally, then maybe we can evade him if I’m not a prince. ”
“Not a prince?” The worry crease in her forehead deepened.
He picked up her hands and met her eyes. “Helena is back, and we have a child on the way. I could abdicate in favor of one of them. You might have married a prince, but our child wouldn’t be born to one.”
She hesitated. “With the trouble Lord Ulrich has stirred up over the succession, is abdication a possibility right now?”
Distaste pulled the corners of his lips down. “Lord Ulrich can hurl himself into a lake,” he huffed. “If it would protect our baby, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” His eyes darted away from hers. “I would make a poor king anyway,” he mumbled.
Katy’s eyes flashed. Dropping his hands, she said firmly, “You would make a fine king. Administrative work isn’t your passion, but you can delegate, you’ll have advisors, and you love our people. It’s not a bad thing for a king to be a dreamer. Dreams make us better.”
“I appreciate your support, my love, but a leader should be steadier than I am.” He started to lift a hand toward one of her curls, but an irrational surge of irritation shot through him, and he dropped it. They were only having this conversation because of her dishonesty.
“It was merely an idea.” He would love to leave his crown behind, but Katy was right: the timing was wrong. “However, if we are to free you and our child from this bargain, we truly do need the exact wording of the agreement.”
Katy pursed her lips. “I’ll try. The memory was fresh this morning, but it’s starting to fade to match other memories from that time.”
“That is all I can ask at this point.” He cringed at the mild accusation in the last three words, but he didn’t take them back. “The magic-user also mentioned that we can alter the bargain if the other party agrees. Do you think he would?”
“He didn’t seem willing when I was spinning gold,” she replied. “And I don’t know how to contact him.”
Axel nodded. Considering the stranger’s original demand, any alternative would probably be impossible to accept. But it was comforting to know that they had another option, even if it wasn’t a good one.