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Maris nodded. Of course, Valda was blessed by the god. Maris wasn’t. She didn’t have the mark of Poseidon. Her tricks were weak and sloppy. Maybe she was a bastard child from some royal. Maybe her real parents were bastard children and inherited the gift from them.

That made sense.

Flicking her gaze at Valda, Maris wondered if she should let her know that she could somewhat manipulate water but, then again if she did, what would it matter?

But what if she was somehow tied to the royals from the Sea Kingdom? What if she was the heir to what was left?

Maris blinked and scoffed at her own thoughts. Her being the heir wouldn’t change anything with Valda. The other woman would still be the queen of the most powerful kingdom on the planet, while she would have a handful of Sealians and a kingdom with nothing to offer but ruins. A handful of Sealians that needed all the help they could get.

“Maris, are you all right?”

“Yes, I am just thinking,” Maris answered. “Whatever happened to the kings and queens of the Sea Kingdom. I mean. I know the whole place was destroyed…”

Valda pursed her lips. “Lead me to the edge?” she asked, touching Maris’s arm.

Maris grabbed Valda’s elbow and pulled her towards the edge of the pool. Valda pulled herself out and sat down, her legs dangling and splashing the water. Maris imitated her and sat next to her.

“Reports said that they died when the castle collapsed on them.”

“Everyone died?”

“Yes, the king, the queen, and their daughter all perished. Their structures were not strong enough to hold out to a hurricane.”

Maris frowned and turned to the pool again. “Who wrote that report?”

Valda tilted her head to the side. “General Arwin.”

“Hmm,” Maris’s upper lip twitched.

“You don’t like him?”

Maris hesitated to answer. Arwin was Valda’s general, her right-hand man. And although days ago she almost choked him, he was still closer to her than Maris would ever be. “I haven’t had enough interaction with him to form an opinion.”

“But?”

Maris hesitated to answer. Talking bad about Arwin could get her in trouble. She knew Valda wasn’t keen of him, but he was the general of the army. She somewhat trusted him.

“I was with my parents in Ophelia Plaza for one Patron Festival. Arwin walked to us, and my parents seemed scared. I don’t remember what they said but it looked like he didn’t seem to want me there. Not to mention that same day my dad disappeared. My mother’s mind fractured. She said the bond was broken and that he had died, but we never got a body.” Maris swallowed hard, touching the bands dangling from her necklace.

“How long ago was this?”

“I was twelve. So maybe that was almost nine years ago? I don’t remember exactly.”

Valda moved uncomfortably. “Those were bad years for a lot of people. The uprisings in Umbriel were starting back in those days as did my training as a warrior under Arwin’s wings.”

“So young?”

“Arwin would say otherwise. He wanted to start training when I was younger. I am sure my mother didn’t allow him. I would wake up before the crack of dawn and he made me run five miles as a warmup.”

“Goodness. A bit abusive don’t you think?” Maris asked, wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her chin on them.

Valda laughed softly and shook her head. “I mean…” Valda leaned back, exposing both her stomach and legs. “It was rough, but I think I turned out just fine.”

Maris rolled her eyes and looked away, her face going bright red. There it was again. The playfulness that broke down Valda’s wall. Sometimes Maris wondered if she was the only one who got to see her like that. Had other maids gotten to see the queen’s scandalous side? Jealousy panged the second she imagined Valda flirting with anyone else. Maris buried the sentiment somewhere deep in her mind, hopefully never to think of it again.

“Seashell?”

Maris’s gaze went from Valda’s contracted abdominals to her face. “Hmm?”