Page 123 of A Queen’s Game (Aithyr Uprising #1)

“What is it?”

She didn’t come up with an excuse—shit. “Keyain should be the first to hear,” she said, hating to form a lie on the spot.

His eyes narrowed. “Like what? Enlighten me.”

Marietta crossed her arms. “It involves the future of mine and Keyain’s family.” The falsity rolled off her tongue, the guards exchanging surprised glances. “Would you like me to explain further, or can I please find which room my husband is in so I can tell him the news myself?”

Peryn cleared his throat. “Of course, follow me.” He turned to his companions. “You two stay here. Not a word to anyone else. I mean it, Adalyn.”

They nodded at his order. At least Marietta’s lie forced them to quiet. She made a point not to look at Amryth. Even from her peripherals, she could see her glare. They walked down an adjacent hall, turning onto the side hallways. “Third door on the left. The meeting should end any minute.”

“You’re free to leave,” Marietta said with a dismissive hand, irritated to be caught in an idiotic lie.

“I think I should wait—”

“So you can see Keyain’s reaction when I tell him you found out first?”

He scoffed, turning to Amryth. “You honestly chose her over us?”

Marietta’s breath held, not realizing she made such a choice.

“Yes,” Amryth replied. “And I would again a hundred times over.”

“What of Deyra? How would your wife feel—”

Amryth grabbed him by the arm, wheeling him down the hall, fury in her face. It was subtle, but Marietta caught her glance, her head nodded towards the door.

Taking the cue, Marietta approached, hearing the muffled voices within the room, the words unclear and hard to understand. Carefully, she leaned against the door, her ear pressing against the wood.

“Some delegates reported denizens leaving the city-state proper, specifically the delegates from Wisteria Heights and the Blooming Borough,” droned a man’s voice. “They’ve reported many are upset over the current choices made by the King’s Court regarding recent… events.”

Someone grumbled something, the door dampening the sound.

“Say that again.” Gods, that was Keyain. She’d recognize that angry voice anywhere.

“I said,” spoke up a new voice, “perhaps if you didn’t bring your clip bride into court and spend a ridiculous amount of resources on the missing pilinos, then this wouldn’t be an issue. They say they’re upset with the King’s Court, but we know exactly who is causing the problems.”

“Gyrsh, I’ve warned you for the last time.

” King Wyltam’s deep voice was distinct from the others.

She sighed, closing her eyes, blocking out the memory of his words.

That evening he’d shown how tender he could be but hasn’t reached out since.

The line between them had been drawn. “The next time you say that word during our meetings, I’ll suspend you from your position.

” He paused, the room in utter silence. “And if we’re going to talk about those failing on my council, then perhaps you’d like to share why the Chorys Dasians fled. ”

“I told you, my whore of a daughter—”

“Enough.” King Wyltam didn’t need to yell to silence him, the command carrying weight. “Lady Elyse will not be a topic of these meetings.”

“Oh, but you’ll continue to bring up Marietta and her presence.” She didn’t need to see Keyain’s face to know what he felt. Part of her was surprised he even spoke up for her at all.

“Perhaps I enjoy talking about your wife,” drawled the King.

Something thudded. “We are not talking about—”

“My King, Keyain, enough of this,” said a hoarse voice. “This is not how we conduct meetings. We decided last week that if we talk of Lady Marietta, it’ll be to determine who is leaking information from the court.”

Marietta’s stomach sank, her limbs going numb. They suspected she was feeding information. They knew.

“I’m telling you, it’s not Marietta. I’ve been monitoring her. One of my best guards is with her when she leaves the suite,” Keyain ground out.

“It’s not only her, Keyain,” the hoarse voice said again. “We also discussed the possibility that Queen Valeriya had contacted Reyila.”

They knew about the Queen too. Marietta needed to leave, wanted to move for the door, but she felt rooted in place. Just one more minute—maybe they would share something else.

“Amryth isn’t with Marietta every time,” the King added.

“I think I proved that.” Was this how he talked about that evening?

Was it only a moment to use against Keyain?

To torment him? A spark of anger rose in her.

That night—that kiss—meant something to her, but she seemed to be alone in that notion.

There was a moment of silence. “Well, you were with Marietta so you can account for her time,” Keyain said, his voice forced.

“I suppose I can.”

“Have you followed up on the Queen, King Wyltam?” a nasally sounding voice asked.

“Funny you all keep suggesting our wives. I have my suspicions, and I have questioned her quite a few times, yielding nothing. Even under surveillance, we’ve still found nothing. If she is doing it, then she’s better than I expected.”

A muffled voice answered, but she couldn’t hear what they said. The scraping of chairs and feet on stone followed. Marietta backed off the door but didn’t have time to move down the hall before it opened.

“Oh, Lady Marietta, what a surprise.” Minister Royir stood in the doorway, one hand still on the knob.

From beyond the doorway, she could still see King Wyltam lounging in his seat with one knee tucked into his chest. The way he looked at her with cold detachment made her stomach flip.

“How curious. I wonder if she’s here for me or you, Keyain.

” His words left her breathless. Was he mocking her for what happened on the stairs?

“Excuse me.” Keyain pushed past Royir. “Marietta.” Annoyance blanketed his expression as he reached for her arm to guide her down the hallway.

“Please share, Lady Marietta, what you were doing outside the door during our meeting?” The King stood now, approaching at a slow pace. His mask covered any emotion he had, but she remembered his easy smiles, the shyness of his laugh. She hated to remember them, wishing her mind would just forget.

“King Wyltam,” she said, holding her chin high. “I was just hoping to catch my husband before lunch to see if he would walk with me. We need to talk.”

“Marietta, I’m busy,” Keyain said with a warning.

“This can’t wait. You’ve avoided me for a week.”

“What is it you couldn’t wait to share?” The King asked, approaching her and Keyain. Behind, other ministers and noblemen filtered out of the room, many of whom she didn’t recognize.

“I think it’s a conversation better held private, Your Grace.”

“Come on,” Keyain said, gripping her arm and forcing her to walk.

“Marietta, it is not a good look to find you lurking outside our meeting. I think you owe an explanation to all of us here.” The King’s warning was obvious—they all thought she and Valeriya were leaking information, and they just caught her.

She looked to the King, then to Keyain. “I’m with child.”

Keyain blinked. Once. Twice. “You’re what?”

“Pregnant.”

His face went white, his grip on her loosening. “Pregnant.”

“Yes,” she hissed, happy the lie stuck.

“How do you know?”

“If you’ve been around, you would know that I’ve been sick every morning.”

“Excuse us,” he said, ushering her down the hall.

“Do you think it’s his or yours, King Wyltam?” someone asked, causing Keyain’s grip to tighten.

“I guess we’ll find out in nine months,” the King drawled.

Marietta jerked back. He was feeding into the rumors that they were having an affair? Her patience ran out, having half a mind to unload her anger on the King; but Keyain gripped her arm harder. “Don’t you dare.”

She swallowed her anger, letting Keyain drag her out to the Central Garden, away from wandering ears and eyes.

Keyain gestured to a stone bench, having her sit. He stood for a moment, then took a seat next to her, hands scrubbing his face. “You’re pregnant.”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Well, Keyain,” she said, forming a circle with one hand, holding out her index finger in the other. “When two people—”

Keyain cut her off as she slid her index finger into the circle. “Grow up, Marietta. I know how—I meant, weren’t you taking anything? I assumed you wouldn’t want a child with me.”

“Slipped my mind.”

He glared at her and then slumped back on the bench. “This should be one of the best moments of my life, but all I feel is dread.” He closed his eyes, letting his head drop backward.

“So the King is telling people he and I—”

“No, he isn’t telling. Wyltam is encouraging the assumptions.”

Marietta dug her nails into her hands. Of course he was.

Did his sweet words to her mean anything?

He had called her his future, and now he fed into the rumors surrounding her affair.

A part of her heart began to ache, not realizing Wyltam had found his way in.

I’ll take every drop of you I can get . Had he lied?

“I’m getting you out of here.”

“What?”

Keyain looked at her, exhaustion wearing on his expression. “You’re going to our estate on the lands we rule.”

“Our estate? Lands we rule? I thought you were ending our marriage.”

“That was before I learned you were with child. I wouldn’t abandon you like that.”

“No, you would just abduct me from my home.”

Keyain sighed, shaking his head, looking off into the garden. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Marietta did. It was a lie—one he would discover eventually, but she didn’t expect to be around when that happened.

Between the false pregnancy and Wyltam’s behavior, she recognized there was little reason to stay.

After the meeting with the Queen, she’d ask for the Temple of Therypon for protection. She would finally be free.