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I took my first bite, and the perfect blend of savory and spicy flavors exploded across my tongue. I moaned, which didn’t fail to coax a grin out of Vale.

“Good?”

“Why doesn’t the castle serve these at dinner?”

Not that the castle food was bad. I thought it splendid, but this was a new level of exquisiteness.

And to think it came from a stall on the side of the road.

“My mother loves that flavor too,” Vale said and for a moment, his eyes went hard. I suspected because he was thinking of the morning, when his mother had been furious to learn what he’d done. “You didn’t ask, but it’s wild boar.”

“Boar? Are they found around here?” The only time I’d seen a wild boar, a goblin had been riding on its back, retreating into the forests of the midlands.

“No, but the meat is transported quickly into the city. The beasts mostly stick to the midlands where the temperatures are milder. You’ll rarely find them in the mountains or even too close to the sea.”

“Your mother is from there, correct?”

“Yes. The Vagle seat is in the heart of the midlands. She grew up and lived there until she came to court. She married Father not too long after. For a brief period, she moved east and lived in his family’s castle until the rebellion ended.”

King Magnus’s rebellion had lasted two turns, and I would have been around two when the rebellion ended. Ilooked around the square, wondering if the people here had been present for the fighting. Or maybe they’d fought too.

Had my family? Not for the first time, I wondered where my family was from. If some of them were still alive. Clemencia had told me that the rebellion had shattered many lives. I suspected my family had been among the affected. Why else would my mother be fleeing to the west, where she’d perished from exposure and left me to be scooped up by vampires?

“How old were you when the rebellion ended?” I asked Vale. “Actually, how oldareyou right now?” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought to ask.

“When we moved here, I was seven, about to turn eight. I’m twenty-nine.”

I’d known that Vale and Roar were about the same age, but not that they were exactly the same. I’d heard many nobles had pitted them against each other as younglings. Now that made much more sense. Roar and Vale were the same age, almost the same height. They’d both been born into great houses and were well matched in many physical feats. It would have been hard not to compare the two.

Stars, I wished I understood why Roar left. Wished I could give him a piece of my mind too. Even if he had the best reason in the nine kingdoms, I had that right to know why.

I took another bite of the pie, hoping it would distract me. It did, and for a few precious moments, I lost myself in its deliciousness again.

“You?” he asked and then lowered his voice. “Do you know?”

“Twenty-three.” My master had been fairly certain that I’d been around two turns when he found me. Younglings changed drastically turn to turn, so it was easier to estimate their ages.

“So,” Vale ventured and shifted in his seat. “Now that I’ve realized I didn’t even know your age, I feel like I should know more about you. We are married, after all.”

I glanced at the guards. Vale knew my past, so he wouldn’t talk about the fact that I’d been a blood slave. But what then? “What do you want to know?”

“What’s your favorite color?”

I snorted. “Oh, you’re going deep on that one.”

“I’m starting easy.” He laughed. “Humor me.”

“Amethyst,” I said. “Like the gown I made. You?”

“I’ve always favored blue. Maybe subconsciously, since it’s a house color.” His gaze met mine. “Though now I’m beginning to like violet.”

Warmth crept into my cheeks. What a flirt.

“What do you like to do for fun?” I asked.

Vale leaned back. His hand pie was already gone.

“Fun? Sparring with Caelo, I suppose.”