Page 61 of Betrothed to the Emperor

“You are emperor. You can stop that cycle.” The air was damp from the water, chilly enough that goose bumps rose on my arms.

He still wouldn’t meet my gaze. “I should kill them all. Kill off this group of stunted, thwarted creatures.”

I stared at him. Were we still talking about the Imperium? Tallu’s words and tone felt weighty and serious. And I didn’t want to admit to him that I wasn’t sure of his meaning.

I returned my hand to the bowl, our fingers touching, the liquid cold despite the sun. There was no meat left in the bowl.

“Would that be an emperor’s mercy?” I asked. “They need more food than this.”

Tallu straightened, his eyes finally catching mine, and whatever strong emotion he had felt was long gone. His expression was cold, and I could have kicked myself. We hadbeen teasing only moments earlier. He had been someone I wanted to spend time with.

Now, he was the Emperor of the Southern Imperium.

“We feed them livestock from the farms.” His clipped words held none of the metaphor that he had been using earlier, and I felt as though I had failed a test. What had he beentalking aboutif the sea serpents didn’t represent the Imperium?

He held the bowl out to his side, my fingers slipping out as he pulled it away from both of us. Two servants jogged close, one taking the bowl and the other holding out a towel. Tallu offered up his dirtied fingers, and a servant carefully cleaned them, then turned to me, doing the same.

It was impossible to forget who Tallu was. Servants in attendance, Dogs arrayed around us. Still, with the words held between us, so quiet that none of them could have been overheard, the moment had felt private, as though Tallu was talking directly to me.

“Shall we walk, my lord?” I asked.

Tallu looked at me, his eyebrows going up, whatever part of him had closed off opening again at the gentle suggestion.

He turned without a word, and I took a few quick steps to follow as we began circling the lake. The large pavilion in the center stood empty; wherever General Kacha was, he wasn’t entertaining guests at the emperor’s expense.

“Are you truly worried about the council members you brought back?” I asked, curious.

Tallu shook his head. “They seem smaller now. When I first began my campaign against them, I was no more than a boy. I wasn’t sure my evidence was enough.” His lips went flat. “I underestimated my father’s reaction to perceived disloyalty.”

Two of the Emperor’s Dogs walked ahead and two more behind. I noticed that Asahi lingered with Sagam, likely talking the logistics of having to manage two charges instead of one.

“So you didn’t watch as they arrived today?” I asked.

“I watched as they all came. They did not see me.” Tallu looked out at the lake, then back at me, his smile amused. I wondered if it was more secret passages. Was that how he knew all the secrets of his court? “Not out of cowardice. Out of a desire to hear what they would say when I was not present.”

“I would never accuse the Emperor of the Southern Imperium of cowardice,” I said, bringing a hand to my chest. “Nor trickery. Nor deception. Nor craftiness.” Tallu’s face was pulling tight with hurt that he quickly covered with blankness. “Just good sense,” I finished.

His expression was still tight, and I stopped myself before waving my hand carelessly. I was learning, slowly, that motions that meant little in the north were of great import here. “It is reasonable to be cautious and clever when your enemies are in your home. I would do the same thing. It’s why we’re inviting them here, isn’t it?”

Tallu nodded. “Yes. So far, the only ones who have arrived have been publicly very grateful for the invitation.”

“We’ll have to see who meets with them over the next month.” I doubted anyone would try in the week before the wedding, not when their position was still uncertain.

“A month and a week,” Tallu corrected. “We are not wed yet, Prince Airón of the Northern Kingdom.”

The way his lips caressed my name made me shiver. I nodded jerkily. “No, we aren’t.”

And we wouldn’t be for long, once we’d actually gone through with the ceremony, I reminded myself. I couldn’t let myself fall for this dangerous, powerful man. No matter what weakness he showed me.

I smiled back at him and reminded myself of what was absolutely true: I was going to kill him.

Sixteen

“How long?” I asked, looking out the window.

Terror scoffed then, as though I needed to hear the full extent of his absolute disdain for such idiocy, said, “That was a foolish question. How would I keep time?”

Shaking my head, I pulled out the sliced raw fish from the bowl and considered it. “I suppose I could send this back and have them cook it and then eat it myself?—”