My Villain, My Balance

Chapter 20: The Guessing Game

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞

ⓉᕼE ᗪᗩᖇᒪIᑎG OᑭEᑎEᗪ the door to the dungeon and I stepped back into the light of day. "It is about time to go to the coronation planning," the Darkling said dryly as we walked down the long corridor. I was not particularly looking forward to the meeting. I was still nervous about the crowning ceremony and everyone that would attend. I was sure there would be foreign diplomats or even royalty there. I had met high political figures before at parties and the Winter Fete, but before I could just hide behind Aleksander and let him do the talking. Now, I would have to face them as the Queen.

He led me to a room connected to the Great Hall, which had a long table that ran the length of the space. In each chair, minus the two empty ones at the head of the table, were professionally-dressed men and women of all ages. When they saw us enter, the room hushed, and they quickly got up from their chairs, taking a bow or curtsy. There were people who did that in my presence before, but not like this. This was the pure demonstration of power and authority—the sense of everyone else beneath us and no one above to give orders. Everyone sat down, and the Darkling pulled out a chair for me. Then, he sat gracefully in the one next to mine, crossing one long leg over the other, and leaned back.

The first to stand up was one of the men at the far side of the table. He bowed his head slightly, a piece of red hair fell in his face, and he announced, "General Kirigan. Miss Starkov. Thank you for joining us. As we are all aware, you, General, have chosen Miss Starkov to take the position as Queen of Ravka. Usually, she would be considered a queen consort, but taking into consideration that you and she are claiming the throne at the same time, and there is no royal blood involved, you two will be of the same status and hold the same amount of responsibility to your people. Understood?"

"Yes," me and Aleksander said at the same time.

"Good. There are only a few minor details and rules that you must follow to make certain the marriage and your reign are legitimate, but I am sure it will not be a problem." He paused. "I apologize for the intrusion of privacy, but it is necessary to say in its stature of royal binding. It is law that you cannot share intimate relations until the wedding night. I assume you both have not had any thus far, or else the marriage would be illegitimate."

"No."

"No."

"We have not."

"Never."

An awkward silence ensued, and I wanted to disappear. I was sure my cheeks matched the scarlet color of the Great Hall's velvet rug.

"Right..." the man said. He cleared his throat and continued. "Then, there is the matter of consummating the marriage the night of the wedding. For your union to be seen as legal in the eyes of the council, it will need to be that night. As for the wedding and reception, there will be dukes and dutchesses from Ryevost, Ketterdam, Novyi Zem..."

The man continued to speak fine details of the coronation and our marriage, but I was not listening. On top of a small headache that had been building all morning, I was distracted by the Darkling, who had been examining me closely when consummation was discussed. I couldn't help but notice the eagerness in his eyes. I wondered what he thought, wishing I could see into his mind. What would I find there? Would it be a tangled mess of memories spanning hundreds of years? Did he have emotions hidden there instead of showing them, or was he really as aloof as he came off, separated from emotions entirely?

My headache worsened in a sharp wave, and I got the odd impression that my mind was trying to block something out. Then the pain disappeared almost entirely, and I thought everything was fine again until the man's nasally tone began to sound muffled. Over his voice, I heard a different one that no one seemed to hear besides me.