Page 71 of A Queen’s Game (Aithyr Uprising #1)

Chapter Forty-Six

Marietta

A note addressed to Marietta arrived in the afternoon, the crown’s crest of two intertwined wisteria sealing the envelope with purple wax. Marietta couldn’t help but laugh when she read the contents.

Lady Marietta,

As a lady of our court, you should know about the city-state you preside over. With me as your guide, I extend to you the opportunity to see Satiros on a carriage ride in two days’ time.

As always, if Keyain is available at noon, he is welcomed to join us. Alas, if his job obligations command his time, then I would be honored to take you alone.

I await your reply.

King Wyltam

If Keyain’s job obligations command his time.

Gods, when didn’t they? Of course, King Wyltam was well aware of that, making the letter a dry mockery of Keyain.

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it; yet that didn’t mean she’d join him.

No, a private carriage ride with the King felt like she would play into his hand, taking part in the deal to flirt with Marietta to torment Keyain.

Though she longed to see the city-state, her want to cause less trouble was greater.

Marietta waited for Keyain to return that evening, sitting at the dining room table with a glass of wine in hand.

The note from the King lay in front of her.

As Keyain bent down to kiss her, the paper caught his eye.

“What is this?” he asked, picking it up.

The muscle in his jaw tightened as he read, red creeping up his neck.

His gaze darted towards Marietta, then back to the letter before he placed it down on the table.

She watched the emotion seep through his stilled expression. Anger, as always, flecked across his features, joined with something more somber. Was it regret?

“The King is kind to offer me such an experience,” she said, eying him over the rim of her glass. The deep red of the wine matched the growing flush of Keyain’s skin.

“He doesn’t offer it to just anyone,” he grumbled, ripping off his jacket, flinging it to the back of the chair. “First the unplanned visit, now this.”

“Not quite.”

“What do you mean, ‘not quite?’”

“I saw the King last week during tea with the Queen,” she said, holding back a smirk.

“When were you going to tell me about that?”

“Oh, it slipped my mind.”

Keyain’s shoulders tensed as he stared at the letter. He fought with the first few buttons of his shirt, swearing when his fingers fumbled. “What did Wyltam have to say?”

The question remained casual on the surface, but Marietta could sense his uneasiness underneath. The King knew precisely how to rile Keyain, yet how far did this anxiety of his run?

Marietta stalled, biting her lip and turning away as if she were abashed. “He wished to see me alone and sent Queen Valeriya away. He was happy to see me dressed and out of the suite.” She paused, turning to him. “Is he always so… friendly?”

The flush crept up to his cheeks. “What do you mean by friendly?”

She turned her back to him to hide her lie. “I didn’t know he could be so flattering. Had plenty of compliments to give.”

“Don’t believe a word he said.”

Marietta snapped her head back towards him. “Excuse you.”

“Not what I meant, Mar.”

“Is it so hard to believe that the King would compliment me?”

“No, you are stunning—always.” He ground his jaw, hand mussing his hair.

“Wyl has done this before, with… other females. Not as bold, usually. He—” Keyain shook his head.

“He would always compliment and make them uncomfortable. But never this,” he said, pointing to the note.

“That is new.” He paused with a breath. “And after the incident at the temple—”

“There wasn’t an incident.”

“They found a body behind the temple,” he said, taking the seat across from her. “And on the day you were to visit. It’s not a coincidence.”

“It was a coincidence. You can’t prevent me from leaving the palace again.” Marietta crossed her arms over her chest. The nerve he had.

“It wasn’t a coincidence and you’re not leaving—” Keyain paused as the servants knocked, entering with their dinner. “You’re not leaving the palace for a carriage ride with Wyl,” he continued in a hushed voice.

“You don’t get to make that decision.” She nodded her thanks to the elves, who set down the platters before they turned and left.

Silence settled between them, the food engrossing Keyain’s attention.

They had talked about this; he couldn’t continue to control her.

And yes, finding the body of one of the missing pilinos was tragic, but Marietta wasn’t in danger, not when Keyain would surround her with guards any time she stepped foot outside of the suite.

Who would dare try to abduct her when she was that well-protected?

Determined to make it clear to Keyain that she alone could decide for herself, she would accept the King’s invitation. It might play into whatever scheme the King planned, yet it was the perfect opportunity to show control. She’d send her response in the morning.

Breaking the silence, Keyain rambled about court news, something about someone being pregnant out of wedlock.

Marietta held back her surprise, not from the news but at the fact Keyain entertained such gossip.

The conversation lulled as Marietta nodded along, feigning amusement at his stories.

By the crestfallen look on his face, he gathered she didn’t want to talk.

What he should have realized was that Marietta didn’t want to talk to him.

“Have you done anything interesting as of late? Anything exciting on your walks with Amryth, or that you’ve read?” he asked, taking a sip of his wine. Keyain was trying—she’d give him that.

“Not really.” She pushed the remaining vegetables on her plate around.

Keyain nodded. “Well, if you’re looking for another way to spend your time, Elyse may ask you to visit with you soon. Just you and her.”

Surprised, Marietta knitted her brows. “Elyse? You mean your formally betrothed?”

Keyain blew out a breath. “She and I were never going to marry. I couldn’t, not when I already had a marriage certificate signed to you.”

“So you were misleading her.”

“I wasn’t misleading her,” he said with such seriousness that it took Marietta back.

“Her father, Gyrsh, is a complete asshole.” Keyain ran a hand through his hair as he ground his jaw.

“I just found out that he started hitting her again—that’s why I faked the betrothal.

Because Gyrsh wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on her in case I found out. ”

Marietta’s heart sank. “But she’s an adult—she has to be close to my age.”

“That’s odd to think about. Elyse is near to her third decade, so not much younger than you.

” He quieted, biting his tongue. “We all treat her as a child when, at her current age, you and I were together. And you had your business well-established by then.” He sighed, letting his head fall into his hands. “Fuck, that’s what she meant.”

“What?”

“Nothing. I just realized something,” Keyain said, looking up at her through his hands. “Thank you—for talking to me tonight. I know none of this is easy for you, but I still enjoy your company, for what it’s worth.”

Marietta nodded; he only just then realized the woman he was betrothed to was an adult. No wonder Elyse’s behavior was so erratic—the very man she was to marry thought of her as a child. Her father abused her, though she was an adult.

Did Elyse have anyone besides Keyain helping her? Marietta considered that thought. “If she initiates it, I’ll go. But I’ll let her be the one to reach out.”

“Thank you, Mar,” he said, dropping back in his chair, a range of emotions on his face. “Thank you.”

Marietta woke to Keyain getting ready, the sun not yet cresting above the horizon. Light spilled through the doorway of the bathroom, illuminating the room. Keyain emerged dressed in a casual tunic and pants when he noticed her awake. “Go back to sleep, Mar.”

“Why do you wake so early every morning?” Marietta’s voice was thick with sleep.

“I train with the guards before my meetings,” he said, crossing the room to shuffle through a pile of clothes.

“A minister trains with the common guard every morning?”

“As Minister of Protection, I oversee both the guard and the army. How can I keep their respect if I let myself slack off?”

“And here I thought being the greatest warrior of Satiros would earn you respect.”

Keyain huffed a laugh, turning to Marietta. “You’d be surprised. That was also a century and a half ago. Titles fade if you can’t back them up.”

A century and a half. He earned that title well before Marietta had been born. “A funny thing, age between the races. I often forget how old you are.”

“Well, I’m not that old,” he said, walking to Marietta. “I’ll see you this evening.” Keyain kissed her forehead and took off from the room. A few minutes later, she heard the suite’s door close.

Silence encased Marietta as she stared at the canopy above the bed. Did Keyain realize the difference in their lifespans? Half-elves lived a fraction of years of an elf’s. In the end, she would only be a blip in his life, and perhaps that was the reason he could so easily rip Marietta from her own.

Not letting her thoughts dwell on that idea too long, Marietta rose and readied herself for the day, hours before she would do so normally.

After sending her response to the King, Marietta selected one of Keyain’s books and sat in the living room.

She stifled a yawn while she read The History of Satiros —or attempted to, at least. After waking up early, her tiredness caused the dry material to be drier.

Even her strong tea didn’t help. How did Amryth stay awake reading such books?