Page 22 of Courting the Dragon Prince

Luther frowned. That wasn’t true. Why would she think that? He glanced at Gerard, who nodded. Did all his siblings think he didn’t care about his duty?

But he’d always done what he was told. Although, honestly, he’d been overlooked for most of his life. His older siblings had been the ones his father expected things from. Meanwhile, Luther had never been given the opportunity to prove himself.

But of course, that wasn’t true. He had. And when he had finally been given that responsibility, he’d failed miserably.

His stepmother spoke, “I’m sure whoever your father arranges for you each to marry will be a noble and honourable individual. It will be what is best for the kingdom.” Their stepmother held one of their father’s shirts in her hands, mending it with needle and thread with deft movements of her fingers.

She could easily hire someone to mend his clothes. But their stepmother always took pride in caring for all her husband’s needs. She always seemed so keen to please him. Not that his father really noticed.

Luther wondered if his own mother had done the same. He could not remember. After all, he’d been but an infant when she died. She’d been dead less than a month when their father remarried. A few months later, the king’s second wife had been with child.

Luther’s stepmother hadn’t been particularly present in his life. As such, he had no strong feelings about her. Although, he’d often felt sorry for her. His father never seemed to really care much for her, and she’d always been so devoted to her husband. Still, she’d done what her king required of her, which was to produce more children.

Now the king had nine legitimate children and quite a few grandchildren. The grandchildren were courtesy of his older sister, Liesel, who remained in Draconia as acting ruler whilst his father was away.

The king of Draconia had no fear of his line dying out anytime soon. Especially since he’d also sired quite a few bastards over the years.

The familiar raised voices of his father and eldest brother echoed in the corridor outside the room. They grew louder and louder. A moment later, the door flung open.

The king entered. “I am sick of having this conversation with you, Konrad.”

“But how can you not worry?” Crown Prince Konrad stormed into the room after the king, eyes blazing as he slammed the door behind them.

ChapterTen

Luther flinched as the door slammed.

“It’s clear why all the other kingdoms want peace!” Konrad yelled. “But there is no reason why the necromancers do.”

The king pinched the bridge of his nose.

Luther could understand their father’s frustration. He’d heard the same argument constantly the past few months.

But clearly, Konrad didn’t care if he aggravated their father. “When we destroyed the temples in the Grey Mountains, we weakened the earth elementals’ powers. When we burned the forests and fields, we weakened the nature mages. And the lightning and wind sorcerers have weakened because the balance of magic in the land is off. That, and they don’t have the time to dedicate to training.”

“We’ve been over this before,” the king snapped.

Yet Konrad kept speaking. “But the necromancers have been getting stronger. The more soldiers and civilians died, the more the land suffered, the stronger they became. Their power feeds off death and decay. So why would they want a peace treaty when they are at their strongest? It makes no sense.”

“They might be growing stronger, but their allies have weakened and want peace,” the king said through gritted teeth. “The five kingdoms only ever stood a chance against us because they fought together. Alone, none of them can compare to the might of Draconia.”

Konrad scoffed, clearly not buying it.

Everyone else in the room stayed silent and still, not wanting to get involved. Luther nor any of his siblings would ever dare argue with their father like Konrad did.

When the king had told Luther who he’d be marrying, he’d been unhappy, but he hadn’t dared question his father’s judgement. No. Luther would just bitch and moan about it when his father couldn’t hear him. That was his way.

And of course, the king’s second wife would never argue with the king. Luther had never heard his stepmother say anything to contradict his father, even when the king wasn’t present.

“The necromancers were unwilling to negotiate for peace for a long time,” King Alaric said. “They do so now because of the pressure from their allies.”

Konrad’s lip curled. “And they made it clear that they wanted one of their putrid spawn to marry your heir.”

“Yes. They did. And I agreed to that term. I gave my word.” The king’s voice rose. “And so you, my son, my heir, will marry one of the necromancers.”

Konrad pressed his lips together. His nostrils flared.

The king took a deep breath as if trying to calm himself. “But if you have any preferences regarding the necromancer you wish to marry, I will take that into considerati?—”