Page 67 of Betrothed to the Emperor

Someone tapped on the door, and Nohe entered with a set of clothes for me that were fancier than what I had on. She helped me change into them, the deep blue accentuating my eyes, the pale pants drawing attention upward to my face. I grasped her hand, and Nohe looked at me, startled.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

She shook her head. “There are whispers that House Sotonam is under arrest and all their servants with them.”

I released her hand, blowing out a breath. Did Tallu believe the letters? Had I accidentally cursed the whole house?

Not that Count Sotonam deserved my sympathy, but the others… his wife, Rute’s mistress…

Nohe watched me, concerned, and I waved her off. “I was always suspicious of them.”

She nodded, her expression pinched.

Standing, I walked out, Asahi behind me as I took the familiar route to court. It was already full when I arrived, the whispers quieting as I approached, then starting again in my wake. Tallu wasn’t on his throne, and I hesitated before taking my own chair.

I looked out over the court, but the room was so packed I couldn’t see where the fissures lay. I could only make out the first few rows of people, each decked in their finest clothes.

The room dropped to silence, and I looked over to see Tallu had entered from a side door, his presence so heavy I felt as though the air itself weighed more. He wore a crown thick with jewels rather than the diadem he wore most days. His robe was dark as night, trailing behind him, with two servants holding up each corner.

General Saxu walked behind the servants, his expression grave. Behind him, I saw two other military commanders, although General Kacha wasn’t visible.

As Tallu mounted the stairs, I rose from my seat, hesitating. What would a true consort do?

At the last second, I bowed, and it seemed contagious, every member of the court following suit, their hands forming triangles above their foreheads. I tried to glance at Tallu, but the angle was wrong. I just saw his legs, the hint of his hand as he adjusted the robe before sitting. The servants fluttered, fixing the fall of it, and then they stepped back, seeming to disappear.

When I was upright again, he was watching me, head tilted, a curious expression on his face. Then he raised his hand, gesturing at my chair. The gold rings he wore were as long as his knuckles, creating the effect of melting gold down his fingers. I sat.

“Rute Sotonam is dead,” he said, his voice carrying, even though he spoke at a normal volume.

The court stood, still silent, although I caught glances between fellows, the curiosity palpable in the room.

“There are many rumors, and we thank you for your patience. Last night, my dear cousin and heir was executed according to my imperial order.” Tallu spoke clearly, his face expressionless.

The explosion of whispers was a chaotic jumble of words from where I sat. I blinked and turned back to Tallu.

“We have irrefutable evidence that he was collaborating with Krustau to commit regicide. An eyewitness saw his collusion with a Krustavian assassin, and we have discovered letters in my cousin’s own hand that promise Krustau reward for my own death,” Tallu said. “After questioning, we are clearing House Sotonam of any link to this wrongdoing.”

The room shifted and roiled, and now I saw space forming around Count Sotonam and a woman at his side. They raised their chins in silent acknowledgment that even having been publicly cleared, they were now marked, assassins by proximity.

“This will not affect our wedding in five days.” Tallu looked at me, and I tried to read his eyes. Did he suspect? Was he evenwondering? Where had the letters in Rute’s own hand come from? “I have every intention of marrying Prince Airón of the Northern Kingdom. It is my heart’s desire.”

The silence stretched, and I tried to think of what to say. “Of course, my lord. As it is mine.”

The corner of his lip twitched, but before I could tell if it was amusement or annoyance, he stood, servants rushing to grab hold of his robe. I pushed myself up, bowing with the rest of the court as he exited.

When I stood, every eye in the court was on me. Tallu had just told them thatIwas his heart’s desire, and anyone who wanted something from the crown knew that that meant the fastest route to Tallu was through me.

Cautiously, I stepped into the crowd and was mobbed.

Velethuil rescued me eventually,slipping his hand through the crook of my elbow and dragging me away with a joke or two, the laughter only a little forced as the court watched me leave.

When we were outside, he pulled me toward a hedge maze. His words were low, nearly a whisper, and he leaned close as he spoke.

“Be cautious. Whatever happened last night went beyond what Tallu has ever done before. And it will have consequences that even he cannot expect.” Velethuil turned to me, his eyes deadly serious.

The warning gained gravity for having come from the air mage who had single-handedly killed three battalions of imperial soldiers.

“What do you mean? You think there is a threat to Emperor Tallu or tome?” I let Velethuil see my face, the one that all those men on the whaling ship had seen before I slit their throats. “Is this you talking or your patron?”