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Salas sold himself to his owner, and the laws of ownership were clear. The crown didn’t meddle in the rights of the property owners unless any other laws were broken, which in this case, they were not.

Mother often told me,“As a queen, you can’t fix injustice just for one person without considering adjusting the laws for the entire country.”

If one slave was allowed to rest and heal after being punished for the crime he committed, then others would have the right to demand the same. Otherwise, there’d be no justice, just favoritism.

However, forcing anyone to carry loads of bricks over the raw wounds seemed like an unnecessary cruelty. Salas’s punishment didn’t include this added torture. It didn’t feel right, even if it was legal.

“If you’re going to bring him to my bedroom, Gem, I want his wounds treated and him well rested. Make that clear to his owner when you’re talking to her.”

A smile spread on her face. “So, is that it, then? Is this the man you fancy?”

I resisted the urge to glance back over my shoulder where Salas was working in the garden. Resisting it took quite an effort on my part because he drew my attention stronger than the gravity that kept my feet on the ground.

Did I “fancy” him in the way Gem thought I did?

“Since you’re so curious about him,” Gem went on, not waiting for my reply, “you can ask him whatever questions you want when he’s lying naked in your bed, the two of you are allsweaty and out of breath after a good fucking. You’ll be amazed how chatty men become after sex, even the most silent types.”

The image her words conjured in my mind sent a warm, tingling sensation through my belly. When I thought about Salas’s large naked body sprawled on my bed, I wasn’t sure exactly what I felt, but it certainly wasn’t fear or repulsion. Quite the opposite.

Maybe I was finally old enough to crave a man’s attention in the most basic, physical way? I wished so hard to move past the horrors of the world I’d left behind, and maybe it had finally happened? Maybe I was ready to desire sex?

Gem was right about one thing—I’d never felt this way about any man before. Whatever it was, I should use it. Ishouldhave him.

I thought about his big, calloused hands. I didn’t dare imagine them on my body, but the idea of just holding them in mine made me weak in my knees. The feeling was new but not unpleasant.

The day suddenly seemed hotter. I grabbed Gem’s half-empty glass of now tepid water and drained it in two big gulps.

“Gem.” I tugged at the neckline of my dress to let some fresh air under the fabric. “But I don’t even know him.”

“Sweetie, that’s not important,” she assured me. “He looks old enough to know a thing or two about sex. As long as he can please a woman, it’s all that matters. Now, you really should go get ready for tonight’s dinner with the dignitaries. While I...” She got up, ready to jump into action, “I will have to learn a few more things about that slave before I allow him to get anywhere near your bedroom. Let’s not forget, he’s a convicted criminal. I need to make sure you’ll be absolutely safe in his presence.”

The skin on my nape prickled, as if sensing Salas’s stare from behind.

What was he thinking about me?

I couldn’t guess, just as I couldn’t even remotely predict how he would take my proposition.

“Gem,” I said, knowing too well just how tenacious my cousin could be when it came to getting things her way. “Please promise me one thing. You’ll make it clear to him that it’s an offer, not an order. If he wants to refuse, he can.”

She scoffed. “He’d be an absolute fool to refuse you.”

Chapter 5

Ari

Two days later, I got my chance to present the appeal of Salas’s case in front of the Royal Council.

Lady Etah, the Head Councilor, lifted her eyebrows when I recited the details of the case. She peered at me over her reading glasses perched low on the tip of her nose.

“Do I understand you correctly, Your Highness? You’re appealing the verdict to reduce the punishment by two lashes?”

The tone of her voice suggested my endeavor was pitiful. But it wasn’t about how I felt or what the head councilor thought. The only thing that mattered was how Salas felt about it, and despite his reluctance to speak up for himself, I believed he’d rathernothave these two extra lashes delivered to his back if given a choice.

Out of the twenty-four councilors, two chose to debate me about the case. That wasn’t new or unexpected.

“Truth is often born in a debate,”Mother liked to say.

Exploring many sides of any problem was necessary to make a proper decision based on facts and logic.