The gala ended, the guests left, Lord Harrison was stripped of his lands and title, and life settled back into normality. Normal for me was busy. Delegating to my brothers and Sariel was a necessity. None of the aged court ministers had died yet, although the month without Sariel after my honeymoon had forced them to deal with me in person, and they were sufficiently cowed into submission now. That wasn’t enough. They were still largely useless to me, and I needed them to start dying so I could appoint new court ministers who would be effective in their role.
One month before Belle’s wedding, I got my wish.
“These are the most likely candidates,” Sariel said, handing me several folders of documents in his office. “There is only one vacancy, of course, but it may be worthwhile to hold on to the rejects for consideration when another seat opens up.”
“You have investigated them thoroughly, I assume,” I said, opening the first folder and skimming its contents.
“Yes, but Prince Nokto is prepared to conduct his own investigation should you so desire,” Sariel replied, tapping his fingers on the arms of his chair.
“He and Luke are leaving for Benitoite tomorrow. I’ll have him start, but I will have to complete the investigation myself, since Clavis is also away on business,” I decided, closing the folder and setting the stack aside. “You have something else.”
“Yes, I do,” Sariel nodded. “You have been king for over a year, and you have yet to visit Obsidian, Benitoite, and Jade. There is increasing pressure from those countries to schedule dates for you and the queen to travel. Obsidian, in particular, is becoming quite demanding, as you are the last of its surrounding nations to recognize Gilbert’s ascendance to the throne in person.” He paused, and then he asked, “If I may be so bold, why are you delaying?”
The simple answer was Ivetta. She hadn’t suffered another emotional breakdown yet, and I felt ill-prepared to deal with her here at the palace if it happened again, let alone in a foreign country with nothing familiar to comfort her. That, and she had missed her monthly cycle. She assured me that it was too early to jump to conclusions, as she had a tendency to miss a month every so often, but I certainly didn’t want her traveling if there was a chance she could be pregnant. My fears concerning how she would physically handle such a challenge couldn’t and wouldn’t be eased until and unless she had a healthy pregnancy with a normal delivery.
I wasn’t about to tell Sariel any of that.
“I will discuss it with Ivetta and revisit the matter with you tomorrow,” I said, ignoring his question. “If that will be all, send Nokto in when you leave.”
He nodded and stood. “I may have more for you after I stop by Leon’s office, since he is in Freedom for a few days.” He pursed his lips, as if he’d tasted something sour. “If I can even get the door open,” he muttered as he left.
Without Leon here to keep his faction in line, his office was likely messier than usual, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Sariel found Jin, Yves, and Licht ignoring their work in favor of drinking and eating.
Nokto swaggered in and dropped into the chair Sariel had just vacated. “Sariel said you have some work for me.”
I handed him the folders. “A court minister has died, and these are the candidates Sariel has selected. I want you to investigate them.”
“You do realize I’m leaving for Benitoite tomorrow to secure a trade deal, right?” he asked, flipping through the folders.
“I’ll finish whatever you don’t.”
He sighed. “Well, it could be worse. Jin invited me to the party next door, but I’ll have plenty of that when I get to Benitoite.” He smirked and glanced up at me. “I take it Theresa must be gone. Is Ivetta with her?”
“Dress shopping for Belle’s wedding,” I replied. “If Luke is next door, tell him to come here.”
“I think he’s hiding in the gardens, but I’ll get him,” Nokto said, closing the folders and standing up. “He can slack off when he gets to Benitoite and Arianna.”
He walked out, folders tucked under one arm, his stride as carefree as usual, and I returned to the paperwork on my desk. The sooner I finished it, the better. Sariel would probably be back soon with work Leon normally did, and Luke wasn’t as quick as Clavis or Nokto in dealing with the daily reports and requisitions that took up the majority of my time. My knights were due for another spot check, but that would have to wait until tomorrow.
At least Ivetta was in town having a good time.
Luke left late in the afternoon to find out where Nokto was in his investigation. I hadn’t moved from my desk in hours, and my muscles were starting to cramp when Ivetta’s distinctive knock came to my door.
“Come in,” I called, glancing at the clock. I had a few minutes to spare until Luke returned with Nokto, and a visit from her was welcome.
“Hello, Chevalier,” she said, walking in with a smile that lit up the room.
“Is there something you need?” I asked, putting my quill down to give her my full attention.
She came around the desk to me and bent down to kiss me on the cheek. “Just wanted to let you know I’m back from dress shopping.”
“That isn’t all,” I said knowingly, catching her hand and interlacing my fingers through hers.
She shrugged. “Well, no. I was also hoping you were done with work, but it looks like you’re having a late night, huh?”
I sighed and glanced back at my cluttered desk. “Yes. Nokto and Luke should be here soon.”
“Anything from the latest town council in all that?” she asked.
“Of course not,” I scoffed. “Leon handles domestic affairs.”
Except Leon was gone, so if there was anything about the town council, it probably was on my desk. Just more work for me to do.
“Now, I don’t know a lot about politics, but I know that isn’t strictly true,” Ivetta chided. “Your focus is foreign affairs, and his focus is domestic affairs, but you still handle domestic matters in your family’s territory.”
This wasn’t much of a break if we were just going to talk about work.
“I have enough work to do without listening to commoners whine,” I replied, releasing her hand and turning back to my desk.
“They’re not whining,” she retorted irritably. “From what Belle was saying, it sounds like they’re very organized and logical.”
Why was she pushing this so much?
“You don’t even know for yourself,” I replied, picking up my quill again. “Leave the politics to me, Ivetta.”
“So I’m just supposed to manage the servants and go to parties, is that it?” she asked angrily.
“That is what we agreed,” I ground out through clenched teeth, irritation creeping into my voice.
“I didn’t realize I gave up the right to think for myself, too!”
“I have a lot of work to do, Ivetta,” I said firmly, glaring up at her flashing green eyes. And no time to deal with whatever this was.
“And I don’t, is that it?”
“Hey,” Luke said casually, throwing the door open and walking in.
“Get out!” she snapped, turning on him in anger. His eyes widened, and he made a quick exit.
“Ivetta,” I scolded.
“No, you’re right. There’s no point in me staying and trying to talk to you about this. We’ll just add it to the list of things we say we’re going to talk about and then never do,” she said vehemently, turning and heading for the door. “Take as long as you like. I don’t care. You obviously don’t.” She yanked the door open and exited into the hallway, slamming the door behind her.
I exhaled deeply and set my quill down, massaging my temples. A surprise visit from her was supposed to be enjoyable, like that evening when I was working on Leon’s proclamation. She already knew I was working late. Why add to my workload? The tension in my shoulders was making my neck ache. I rolled them a few times to loosen my muscles and picked up my quill again, determined to push Ivetta and that whole incident out of my mind. The black and white documents in front of me were easy. An excessive amount for today, yes, but easy. I knew this. I had no trouble understanding this. But her…
“Is it safe to enter?” Luke asked, poking his head through the door.
“Come in,” I said coolly.
He and Nokto walked in, their movements tentative instead of their usual confident swaggers. Nokto dropped the folders onto my desk.
“All done. Everything checks out, just like Sariel said. This one,” he tapped a finger on the topmost folder, “would be my first choice.”
“I will decide that for myself,” I replied. The last thing I needed was another person telling me what to do.
“Dress shopping didn’t go well?” Luke asked sympathetically.
“She didn’t say,” I ground out.
Nokto and Luke exchanged looks and sat down around the desk, each taking a stack of paperwork.
I sighed. They probably hadn’t packed yet for their trip tomorrow, and I didn’t want company. “Go. I’ll finish this.”
“Nah, it won’t take too long with all three of us,” Luke said casually.
“Where is Clavis, anyway?” Nokto asked.
“Obsidian,” I said shortly.
“Digging around to make sure it’s safe for a visit? Not a bad idea. Yves is honest to a fault, but he has a tendency to overlook the obvious,” Nokto continued.
“He forgot the honey in my honey cake once,” Luke agreed. “I had to add it on top.”
“How tragic,” Nokto said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
I kept mostly silent as they continued their banter, only responding in clipped sentences when directly asked a question. Guilt gnawed at my stomach as the minutes passed. This was what Ivetta was trying to do. She wasn’t trying to give me more work; she was just trying to talk about something that she thought was important to me, trying to help like she did with the proclamation. That was all. She got upset because I dismissed her when I didn’t like what she had to say. We used to talk for hours in the library, going back and forth, agreeing to disagree, asking for more information. Never once did I dismiss her, even when she was just my maid and nothing more than an intriguing puzzle. Now she was my wife, and I dismissed her like a pesky fly.
“All done,” Luke said triumphantly, standing up and stretching his hands over his head. “I don’t know how you do it, King Highness. I can’t stand being cooped up inside all day.”
“We missed dinner,” Nokto mused, glancing at the clock. “Wonder if Evie will make something for us?”
Luke laughed. “Think he’s sober enough to cook?”
I couldn’t even think of eating. “Safe travels,” I called back over my shoulder as I left.
“Good luck,” they called back to me.
I didn’t need luck. I needed to apologize.
Her guards were standing outside the door, their expressions tense as I approached. I dismissed them and took a deep breath before opening the door. She was lying across the bed with her back to me, her face buried in my pillow. My pillow, not hers. The image of her in a similar pose flashed through my mind: the morning after I killed that assassin, the morning after I did everything I could to scare her away and make her leave. She never did. She was still here, and she still wanted to stay, even though I hurt her again. I sat down beside her, trying to think of the right words to say.
Simplest may be best.
“I’m sorry.”
Just like that time, it wasn’t enough. I knew that as soon as the words left my lips, even before I saw her tense.
“I didn’t want to talk about work.” I sighed. “But that was no reason for me to dismiss you.”
She hadn’t moved, hadn’t said a word, since I’d arrived. At this point, I would welcome her yelling at me like she did after that horrible incident. Anything that showed some sign of recognition, of wanting to reconnect and resolve this.
“Ivetta, look at me.”
“Is that an order from the king?” she asked bitingly.
Her tone stung, but I deserved it.
“It is a request from your husband,” I said softly.
She rolled over to face me, her green eyes hurt and angry, her cheeks wet with tears. Because of me.
“I never wanted to hurt you,” I said quietly, wiping a tear away from her red cheek. My touch seemed to reach her where my faltering words couldn’t. Her angry facade melted in an instant.
“You’ve come to me before with a suggestion or advice regarding my duties as queen, and I listened and took it into consideration. I’m just asking for you to do the same for me,” she said, her soft voice pleading.
“That is only fair.”
She put her hand over mine, pressing it to her cheek. “We’re a team, Chevalier. Neither of us has to do it all alone anymore.”
“You wanted to talk,” I prompted, caressing her cheek with my thumb.
She took a shaky breath and nodded. “It’s my fault, too. I…it’s easier not to talk, but I miss our conversations in the library, when we would just talk about anything and everything that came to mind. We don’t do that anymore.”
The wave of relief washing over me also took the weight off of my shoulders. Her thoughts went the same direction as mine. We wanted the same thing. I let out the breath I hadn’t known I was holding and removed my hand from her cheek to pull off my boots. “Why did you bring up the town council meeting?”
There was relief in her eyes, too, as she sat up and started undoing her hair. “Belle mentioned it. That’s where Rio was this afternoon. I thought you probably already knew about it, but she said there were things the town council wanted to address with you, and I just…I knew you were busy, but I just wanted to find something to talk to you about, if only for a few minutes.”
I stood up and hung my cloak on the coat rack. “I was unaware of any intention to address me personally.”
“Would Leon know?” she asked, dropping her hair-pins on the nightstand with her necklace.
“He’s in Freedom and will be gone for a few days,” I replied, propping my sword up against the wall next to my side of the bed. “Clavis is away on business, and Nokto and Luke are leaving for Benitoite tomorrow.”
“Leaving you with all the work,” she summarized. “No wonder you were irritable.”
“That’s no excuse for dismissing you entirely,” I said, stripping off my clothes and reaching for my pajamas. We were just going to be talking tonight. I might need a reminder.
She sighed. “No, but I’m usually one to give everybody the benefit of the doubt, making excuses for why somebody may respond in a less than ideal way, and I didn’t do that for the most important person in my life.”
I sat on the bed beside her, leaning in to kiss her cheek as I started unlacing her dress. “Our neighbors are also pushing for us to set dates for visiting them.”
“Why haven’t you?” she asked, shrugging out of the dress and heading to her bureau for her nightgown. I let my eyes wander up and down her slender figure as she pulled off the chemise and drawers. This was why we didn’t talk. But I needed to restrain myself tonight. I sighed as she pulled her nightgown on and forced my thoughts back to our conversation.
“I don’t want you traveling if you’re pregnant.”
“I told you, it’s normal for me to miss a month every so often,” she said, returning to bed and snuggling up to my side. “And even if I end up pregnant when it’s time for a visit, it’s not going to kill me to do a little traveling.”
“I am also concerned about how you will handle everything emotionally,” I said, wrapping my arm around her and laying back against the blankets. “You’re more fragile than you realize.”
“And not as fragile as you think. If you’re that worried, I can just stay here with my guards.”
“I’m not leaving you here alone.”
“You’re impossible,” she said teasingly, looking up at me with shining green eyes. “The solution here is pretty simple. Set the dates, and if we find out I’m pregnant, tell them we have to push it out further.”
I kissed her forehead. “That is simple.”
She nuzzled into my chest contentedly, and the feel of her against me reminded me once again why we didn’t talk. Maybe if we were under the blankets and I couldn’t see the way her nightgown fell over her waist and rose up over her hip. I sat up and swept her onto my lap.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice rising in surprise as she threw her arms around my neck, pressing herself against me harder.
“We’ll be more comfortable under the blankets,” I said, yanking them out from under us and laying back again. She held on, the sparkle in her green eyes as I pulled the covers over us sparking a fire in me.
“That’s all you were doing?” she asked teasingly, pushing herself back from my shoulders to hover over me.
“Do you have anything else you wish to discuss?” I asked, brushing her hair back behind her ear, my eyes drawn to her open neckline.
“Hm.” She sat back, shifting to straddle my hips and add burning embers to the fire. “Oh, there is one other thing,” she said slowly, tapping her fingers on my stomach.
“Hurry up and say it, Ivetta,” I said, interlacing my hands behind my head as I watched her. She knew exactly what she was doing.
“There’s this thing you do that I really like,” she said casually, dropping her coy gaze from my face to my chest and tracing circles on it.
I grabbed her arms and flipped her over, pinning her beneath me. “Time’s up.” I kissed her before she could speak, and she giggled into my mouth.
“That’s it,” she said when our lips separated.
“Explain.” I moved down to her neck, trailing kisses as I went, sliding my hands up and down her sides slowly and deliberately.
“Mm…it’s when you’re forceful like that…you’re so strong and gentle at the same time…Chevalier…” One of her legs slid up against mine as her words became breathier and spaced further apart until my name left her lips as almost a pleading cry.
“You like that, do you?” I purred, nibbling at her collarbone as I slid my hands down her hips and under her nightgown, resuming their path up her sides across heated bare skin. I didn’t always know the right words to say, but I knew exactly where and how to touch her to make her react like this.
“Mm hm…” she moaned, undoing the buttons of my shirt with fumbling fingers. I kissed her again, delving deep into her sweet mouth as she pushed my shirt back and rubbed her hands across my chest.
“Don’t stop talking, Ivetta,” I murmured between kisses. A shiver ran through her again as I let my hands wander freely across her already sweaty skin, and her back arched against my fingertips.
“I love you so much, Chevalier,” she moaned, throwing her head back into the pillow as I lapped at the sweat on her neck.
“I love you, too, Ivetta,” I breathed.
“I hate fighting with you,” she gasped, digging her fingers into my scalp, “but I love making up with you.”
I chuckled. “Likewise.”
“My dress…for Belle’s wedding…is red…”
I sucked in a breath and pulled back, staring down at her hooded green eyes, her face deeply flushed as she stared back at me longingly. We weren’t going to make it to the wedding on time if she was wearing red.
“Don’t stop,” she pleaded, pushing on the back of my neck to bring me back down to her lips.
The thought crossed my mind that we might need to go back to having our conversations in the library. That thought evaporated when my name left her lips again, somewhere between a cry and a moan, and I really didn’t care to think about anything except giving her exactly what she wanted tonight.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMPMnL8ADA
