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“So?”

Did she really not understand?

I knew way too well the emotions a situation like this might cause.

“We’re putting him into a situation that’s outside of his control, and he’ll feel it. He may feel uncomfortable. Pressured. Helpless. If at any point he’s triggered by it, if he loses his calm, I...” I heaved a sigh. “I don’t want him to be held accountable for his reaction. Please, promise me there will be no consequence for him, no matter what he may or may not do tonight.”

Gem gripped the armrests, flexing her jaw. “I’m responsible for your safety here. I’ll take any precaution possible, but what if something goes wrong anyway? He’d need to be punished.”

I thought about Salas’s large, calloused hands cradling my tiny puppy ever so gently. There was something about him that made me believe he was safe, despite the fight he’d had, or his size, or his temper that the bricklayer was talking about. But I also understood I couldn’t rely solely on my feelings while being alone with a man I hardly knew and who was about twice my size too.

“If something goes wrong, we’ll stop it,” I said. “You said there will be guards just outside of my door. I believe I’ll be able to read the situation, too, and not let it escalate to the point of it becoming dangerous. Believe me, I will send him away the moment I don’t feel completely safe.” I was the princess, after all. Salas was just a slave. The power was entirely on my side with not a drop of it left on his. “But regardless of what happens—if he loses his temper, if he refuses to go ahead with it—I don’t want him to be punished.”

Gem pursed her lips, not looking convinced at all. But I held her gaze, waiting for her to confirm that my condition would be met.

“Fine,” she finally conceded. “Weird, but fine. He won’t be executed.”

“Not executed, or flogged, or reprimanded in any way. His owner won’t be notified of his behavior, whatever his behavior might be. His working conditions won’t get worse. His life will not be affected in any negative way by my barging into it uninvited. Do you understand? That’s the only way I’ll do it.”

Gem arched an eyebrow, looking baffled. I rarely spoke this categorically. Usually, I was open to discussions and negotiations as Mother had taught me. But I felt strongly about it. In this case, there was no room for negotiations.

“Ari, you’re looking at it all wrong,” Gem said. “Any man in Rorrim and beyond would be flattered if you invited him to your bedroom. This is a huge honor for a slave.”

“Maybe. But even a slave should have a say in a matter like this. And so far, Salas has had no say whatsoever. You can’t hold him responsible for his reaction to the situation he hasn’t agreed to or might not have felt free to decline.”

The last time we spoke, Salas hadn’t looked like he even wished to be in my company. Maybe the setting had made him uneasy, not me. The bricklayers had been there.He was supposed to be working, not chasing spoiled little puppies around the gardens. But if it was me who made him uncomfortable, if he wished to have nothing to do with me, I wanted him to have a clean exit from this whole thing.

“It’d be as if nothing ever happened,” I insisted. “No negative consequences to his life, whatsoever.”

Gem dropped her head between her shoulders, worn out by my persistence. “All right. As you wish, Your Highness. The slave won’t be punished. But he’d be an idiot if he spoiled this chance for himself.”

“Well, that is entirely up to him now, isn’t it?”

Chapter 6

Ari

After lunch with my parents that day, I ordered the grooms to get Revlis ready and went for a horseback ride alone. I wanted some peace and quiet before tonight. At the same time, I tried in vain to escape the thoughts about what tonight might bring.

Tonight.

It seemed too soon.

Since my talk with Gem earlier today, I’d almost searched her out twice to beg her to postpone the whole thing indefinitely. I didn’t feel ready.

But would I ever feel ready?

How long could I wait? Maybe it was best to do it quickly, like pulling out a tooth? Yank and done.

On my ride, I carefully avoided passing by the execution side, even as I knew it wasn’t used today. Punishments didn’t happen often. There hadn’t been one in days since Salas’s flogging.

Once again, my mind went to that man. I wondered what he thought about our arrangement with his owner. Did he have any ideas about who’d requested his company tonight? Would he be relieved or resentful to discover it was me?

In all of my twenty-six years, Salas happened to be the only man, other than my father the king, who I didn’t feel entirely scared of, repulsed by, or indifferent about. Regardless of how tonight went, it was already progress for me. Salas’s term of servitude was going to be cut shorter too. Gem was right. Our arrangement seemed like a win-win situation.

After the ride, I left Revlis with one of her regular grooms in the stables and returned to my rooms.

Dinner was waiting for me in the cozy sitting area in my bedroom. Dishes with cold cuts, cheeses, sliced fruits and vegetables sat on a low table in front of the couch, along with a pyramid display of desserts and a tea tray.