15. Lilias
Lilias
YOU DID WHAT?
“Holy hells,” Elrick finally says.
He leans back in his chair. He looks pale, as if listening to me took something out of him.
“We knew the king passed,” Gerard adds. “But King Malrik assuming stewardship of Marion—”
His voice trails off, and he stares through the window into the night.
“We thought he was invading,” Elrick continues. “Starting a war.”
“But the war is already over,” Anura adds in a soft voice.
She reaches down and places her hand on my brother’s shoulder, just above his thick bandage. He turns to rest his cheek against her arm. It’s such a strangely intimate gesture that it seems almost obscene.
Gods. My kingdom fell and that’s what I’m worried about? My brother and the maid who’s been his friend for his entire life? I shake my head.
“There’s, uh, still a lot we can do,” I begin.
My voice shakes, and I turn to Zarek.
“You’re not alone,” Zarek says in a calm, deep voice.
“The other allied kingdoms are not going to look upon this favorably, to say the least. Vsenrog has already implicated Ethiria in this war, which means King Malrik’s armies could be marching toward the cliffs of Ethiria next.
That gives Ethiria a powerful reason to stand with you and against Vsenrog. ”
Elrick nods. I glance at Zarek. This next part makes perfect sense, of course, but something about the way Anura rests her hand on Elrick’s shoulder makes my gut pull tight.
It should come from me. I clear my throat, then brush my pants like I’m smoothing down a skirt.
“And then there’s Lisal,” I say. “They have seven princesses. Elrick, you could marry one of them, just like the Council of Mayors suggested. That would give us an alliance with another, even more powerful kingdom—”
Elrick laughs. It’s so far from what I was expecting that it takes the air from my lungs. My brother smiles like there’s some big joke and I’m not in on it. And then he turns to kiss Anura’s hand.
Oh no. I feel like I’m sinking into the floor.
“I’m not marrying a princess from Lisal,” my brother says. “I’m already married.”
“What?” I snap.
Elrick is smiling like this is great news and he can’t wait to share it with me. I feel like my entire body has turned to stone.
“I married Anura,” my brother says.
He turns to smile at Anura. She looks away, her cheeks burning. In the absolute silence that fills the room, I hear the distant roar of dozens of little conversations drifting up from the common room. Laughter and stories, jokes and gossip.
“You did what?” I finally say.
Elrick runs his fingers through his hair. His smile finally twists into something almost apologetic.
“We should have told you,” he says. “You had to leave for Vsenrog so quickly—”
“You married before I even left?” I say, my voice rising like steam from a kettle. I turn to Anura. “You married my brother? Before I was sent away?”
Zarek stiffens beside me. Anura’s cheeks turn even darker.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she says. “We didn’t want anyone to know.”
I push back from my chair and come to my feet.
“What in the nine hells were you thinking?” I scream.
Elrick stands to face me, but he winces as he comes to his feet. Anura takes his arm.
“I love her,” Elrick says.
I make a sound like an explosion in my mouth.
“Well, good for you!” I yell. “Elrick, you’re royalty. You don’t get to pick and choose! Marriage doesn’t have anything to do with love!”
Elrick’s expression softens into a smile that looks almost like pity.
“But I did,” he says in a soft voice. “I chose Anura. I love her. And I will not marry anyone else.”
“How in the hells are we going to form an alliance now?” I snap.
Elrick shrugs. I want to strangle him. I turn to Zarek, desperate for support. But Zarek looks like he’s just been punched in the stomach. He’s almost as pale as Elrick.
Gods, that’s how stupid my brother is. Even the snake of Vsenrog is speechless.
I want to scream, to rip this whole room apart. I can’t even find the words to tell my brother what a stubborn, shortsighted fool he is.
I stomp out of the room, not giving a single shit about all the sleeping rolls I step on.