Mercy & Fire

20. Sweet Judgement

Rovan

In all the years I spent fighting for Dhernon, I'd gotten the opportunity to see the ins and outs of Dhernon politics. Merit and lineage was the usual standard by which power was passed on, but the Queen had no children of her own. Apparently, I was the closest to a child she had. In my case, I unknowingly signed my life away to evil spirits and wound up under the Queen's thumb.

Much to the dukes' chagrin, I was given this Kingdom on the condition that I took over swiftly and went through the Queen's coronation process, which usually involved a ritual. In this case, I would have to ingest a chalice with the contents of a chosen sacrifice of the Queen.

I'd tried my best to steer clear of the much darker aspects of magic, and I managed to get away with it since the queen had my neck in a death grip. Tomorrow, however, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stomach it. Not after her comment about sacrificing the orphaned infant I'd given my mother charge of with no explanation.

Considering the Queen's soft spot for me had turned into a cesspit of control and obsession, I sent extra soldiers to guard my sister and mother. Only a fool would trust the Queen, and I was not going to risk it.

I already was risking enough at the moment as my eyes veered from the fake smile of the Bermillian duke before me to Roselena. She stood stiffly next to the queen, holding an empty wine glass.

She stood out like a sore thumb in her uniform, or perhaps, she stood out only to me. Though I suppose that wouldn't be such a stretch considering her life was on the line because I hadn't managed to hide my attraction to her.

Guilt reared its ugly head, and I forced myself to look away. I knew what I was feeling was irrational, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to accept the fact that I would have to let her go.

"She's quite a pretty girl." The duke commented as he tipped his glass of wine back. He gestured toward Roselena.

I glanced at her quickly and tried to convince myself otherwise. It was futile, and though I wish it weren't true, I'd caught myself staring at her too many times to deny that I thought she was beautiful.

Still, the lie slid off my tongue too easily. "I suppose she's fine."

"Well, if you chose her as your personal attendant, she must be a good worker." He paused as he watched me in interest. "You know, I'm actually looking for someone to work as a governess at my estate. I bet she'd do a lovely job. Maybe we can negotiate."

A scowl overtook my face as I studied him carefully. At face value, this seemed like a good opportunity to send Roselena away before the Queen snapped. However, governess work was most often done by noblewomen or the maids of nobles who were taught to read. As far as I knew, I was the only one who was aware that Roselena could read, but I'd never bothered looking into it. I didn't think it would matter considering what the head maid had said about her family's business.

As I looked at the duke's confident expression, I felt my intuition spark.

"What kind of negotiation?"

He smiled and lowered his voice, "One you can't refuse."

I raised an eyebrow at him, feeling tension pulling at my muscles as I stared at him for a long moment. What was he playing at, and why was Roselena the reason he was willing to bargain?

I doubted he was that desperate for a governess.

"I suppose I should return to my room now. It was lovely speaking to you outside of the meetings. And again, congratulations." He extended a hand.

Keeping an eye on his face, I placed my hand in his, and as expected, I felt him press a note into my palm. Of course, he didn't know that the note was useless if he wanted to communicate in secret. The second I saw the note, my familiars would be blabbering to the Queen.