Page 42 of A Queen’s Game (Aithyr Uprising #1)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Marietta

K eyain never came to bed. Alone, Marietta tossed between the sheets as her mind sifted through the information.

The name of the group, The Exisotis, was previously unknown to her.

Bits of information came up in conversation, leading her to understand they were a group of radicals against Syollgi and based out of Enomenos.

Marietta never realized it was an actual organization or that her husband was one of them.

Tilan had never expressed strong opinions about Syllogi more than the average Enomenoan citizen.

Perhaps that was on purpose, to hide his involvement with the Exisotis.

After all, he was a leader —which alone sounded like a farce.

Tilan was never one for commitment or leadership, which brought up a good point.

Tilan hated all kinds of commitment and obligations, yet he still married. Gods, was she really this blind?

On top of it, Tilan swore he didn’t recognize Keyain, but that was a lie.

After they started seeing each other, Keyain began harassing Marietta, and Tilan acted as if he didn’t know who he was.

But Tilan knew. He knew the entire time who Keyain was and never said a word to Marietta. A hollow chasm opened in her chest.

When she closed her eyes, she saw Tilan’s smile, the one that caused his eyes to crinkle and brighten.

The phantom touch of his arms wrapped around her, his soft kisses and playful jokes added to the pain.

Were they all a lie? All those moments. Were they faked, so she would love him?

Her memory of Tilan had tarnished as his face was no longer a comfort.

Instead, the memory of him churned the bile in her stomach.

The entire night, Marietta slept restlessly, trying to grapple with her reality. Tilan was a liar, Keyain was a murdering thief. Both had done so much wrong, altering Marietta’s life in incomprehensible ways. What was true? Every facet of her life had holes if she looked hard enough.

Before the sun had risen, Keyain entered the bedroom, moving between the closet and bathroom. She kept her back to him as he got ready for the day. He didn’t approach her.

Thoughts drifted to her years with Tilan. How many signs did she miss? The late nights, the time he had when she traveled—it all made sense, but why would Marietta search for evidence when she didn’t suspect him of secrets?

A knock on the door shook Marietta from her thoughts, morning light filling the room. A servant brought food, but Marietta sent her away, unable to stomach anything. Even water left her gut feeling uneasy.

No one came to find her until the late afternoon.

“Marietta?” Amryth called tentatively. When there was no reply, she added, “Are you okay? The serving girls said you hadn’t eaten, and the guards last night heard Keyain yelling. I sent for someone to clean the broken glass in the living room.”

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice hoarse from crying.

“Marietta?” The curtain of the bed pulled back. When Marietta didn’t answer, the bed shifted as Amryth sat at the edge. Her voice was soft. “Talk to me. What did Keyain do?”

“Nothing,” Marietta said without lifting her head.

“It helps to talk about the things that are bringing you pain. Just talk to me.”

Marietta sat up, aggravated. “You want the truth? My husband is a fraud.”

“Keyain?”

“No, not that husband. Tilan, my husband, before Keyain abducted me from my home.” Marietta hugged her knees to her chest.

“Is that so?” Amryth asked, her expression unreadable. “Tell me about your abduction.”

“Soldiers came in the middle of the night while Tilan and I slept, pulling us from our bed. I tried to fight, to get to Tilan.” Marietta’s voice cracked at the memory. “He had fought two people and then I saw the knife come slashing down at him before I went unconscious.”

“You never wanted to be here?” Anger laced the handmaid’s words.

Confused by her tone, Marietta answered, “No, and I still don’t.

Keyain and I were together before I met Tilan, but I broke off that relationship.

Keyain stalked me when he found out about Tilan.

” There was a danger in telling Amryth, but Marietta didn’t care to be cautious.

Queen Valeriya already knew, so what was one more?

Amryth stood and paced the room, her lips pursed and brows furrowed. Her hands fidgeted with the ends of her braids. “Can you recall how many attacked you?” Her voice was harsh as she turned her face away from Marietta.

“I don’t remember. Four? Maybe five? What does that have to do with anything?” she asked.

“And you or Tilan killed at least one attacker, right?”

Marietta paused, remembering her dagger plunging into someone, the warmth of their blood on her hand. “Yes,” she whispered. Knots formed in her uneasy stomach—she had forgotten about that.

Amryth was silent, avoiding Marietta’s confused look. “Have you noticed I’m not like other servants?” she asked, her voice low.

“I’ve noticed.” The curtness of her manor, the muscles, and her relationship with Keyain were unusual.

“I’m one of Keyain’s soldiers in the Elite Guard, not a handmaid. Assigned to not only protect you but to ensure you stay under a watchful eye at all times.”

Marietta felt as if Amryth slapped her.

It made too much sense. “You’re one of Keyain’s soldiers.” Marietta’s voice trailed off.

“In his Elite Guard and my spouse recently passed too.” Tears trailed down Amryth’s face, her gaze finding Marietta.

“She died on the mission to extract you from Olkia. I just discovered it was for some pilinos girl who doesn’t want to be here.

You weren’t being tortured or held captive. Keyain lied.” Anger rattled her voice.

Marietta stared, quiet and unsure what to say. Amryth was prickly, but overall, she enjoyed her company. The handmaiden—no, soldier—was becoming her friend, she realized as her heart broke again. Everything was a lie.

“My wife died because of you. She died because Keyain hid the truth. Now you’re here saying you didn’t need saving. Deyra died for nothing.” She laughed darkly, her breathing ragged. “I can’t deal with this right now.”

Amryth turned and walked out of the room. The hallway door closed with a resounding thump, leaving Marietta to her thoughts.

Marietta drifted like a ghost through the suite, her mind unaware of the time that passed. Guilt was like lead in her bones, weighing her down.

Keyain should have never brought Marietta to Satiros.

There were obvious reasons, like the unimaginable horror of abducting her and murdering Tilan.

But also, his actions had negatively affected others.

Elyse was to marry him, which explains the elven lady’s odd behavior at tea.

And there was Amryth’s wife, who died at Marietta’s blade.

A shiver snaked its way down her spine as she remembered the thick, hot blood coating her hand moments before Tilan’s death and her unconsciousness.

Until then, Marietta assumed the person lived.

She wasn’t a trained fighter, so taking a life seemed so unrealistic.

But she had killed someone. Because of Keyain.

The tears came slower, her swollen eyes somehow having more to offer. Her life wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. Marietta should have been closing her bakery at that time, cleaning up before Tilan came home. Unless it was a late night for him. Unless he was with the Exisotis.

The life she lived prior was becoming a nightmare and a source of pain. Lies piled on lies from both Tilan and Keyain. A fool she was for trusting either, for wanting to believe them and never looking too deeply for the truth. If she ever could escape Satiros, she wouldn’t be such a fool again.

Marietta stood with her arms crossed before the bedroom windows when the suite’s door opened, followed by Keyain’s heavy footfalls.

Golden light filled the bedroom as he entered, then a pause in his steps and a heavy sigh.

Marietta didn’t bother turning around. The fight from the night before lingered between them.

Everything she had said was true. Between the two liars, Tilan made her feel more loved.

Perhaps that was why it hurt so much. Her time with Keyain was fun and fast, but Tilan was her partner, ingrained in her social and work life.

Tilan grounded her, gave her a foundation, a home to come back to after traveling.

Keyain left for large chunks of time—apparently to be the Minister of Protection.

A knock at the door signaled the servants arriving with dinner.

Keyain walked to the other room as the clattering of plates and silverware sounded.

Marietta cautiously approached the doorway.

Platters of baked fish, fresh flatbread, and an array of roasted vegetables permeated the air, tossing Marietta’s uneasy stomach.

Still in her clothes from the night before, she watched as Keyain ate from the doorway.

With a glance, he acknowledged her, rolling his eyes. “Showing that little outfit again for me, huh?”

She crossed her arms, leaning against the door frame. All this time, Keyain knew Amryth’s wife died saving Marietta, and he still kept Amryth assigned to her. Gods, he lied when he said she was a handmaid. As she stared at Keyain, all she could do was frown.

“Either sit and eat or go lay down. I don’t care which,” he said, his eyes not leaving his plate.

“I know.” Her voice felt hollow and far away.

“Know what?” He tapped his fingers against the table.

“Amryth. She’s your soldier on your Elite Guard.”

“Yeah, not that hard to figure out.” He gave her a pointed, unimpressed look with raised brows.

“I know about her wife, too.”

“What about Deyra?” Keyain resumed eating, the conversation unimportant to him.

“I killed her. The night your soldiers took me, she was there. I killed her with a dagger.” The stillness of her voice surprised Marietta. Such a confession should have eased the weight, but Keyain’s obvious dismissal made it too much to bear.

“It’s not like you did it on purpose, Mar.” He spoke with food in his mouth, still looking at his plate.

He said it as if Deyra wasn’t his soldier, as if Amryth’s pain meant nothing. “No. And I guess you wouldn’t care.” Leaving Keyain to eat alone, she turned around and crawled into bed, falling into a restless sleep.

Days blurred together in a timeless void of Marietta’s thoughts.

She spent most days in bed, waking up and wishing she hadn’t.

Servants encouraged her to eat so she would eat a little.

Every couple of days they would get her into that tub to bathe, get her to change into a new nightgown. But she wouldn’t speak, never smiled.

Why live when such a life condemned her?

A chance to escape wouldn’t come, not when Keyain assigned Amryth to prevent such a thing.

Even if Marietta escaped, how could she go back to Olkia and face the pain of Tilan’s lies?

How many of her friends were in the Exisotis?

How many of them knew Tilan married her for the Exisotis?

Everything had holes; everything caused suspicion.

The times Tilan would step outside to smoke with a stranger at a tavern.

The late nights at his smithy. When his acquaintances found out she was his wife, their attitudes had changed.

Were they Exisotis too? Marietta had likely met many of the members but never knew.

It tainted her memories of Tilan, rotten with holes from the deceptions that she would never learn. The truth he could never share.

Was his happiness fake, too? Did he dread coming home to her every night to a woman the Exisotis forced him to marry? Perhaps he loved another woman. Was it her he wished to be with, and he had just pretended with Marietta?

Keyain was untrustworthy, but Marietta saw the documents. She saw how detailed the reports were. Queen Valeriya only solidified the truth by knowing Tilan’s name.

Tilan knew him—knew Keyain was a minister of Satiros. And the day Keyain nearly broke down Tilan’s apartment door to take Marietta, Tilan knew.

Tilan knew.

Tilan lied.

And lied.

And lied.

Marietta’s memories flipped before her until there was nothing else.