Page 21 of His Dark Delights
Knocking those memories aside, I met my great aunt’s gaze, showing her the unwavering depths of my resolve.
“Peace will come. Someday. But we cannot have peace, not yet. Because, as a concept, peace is only possible when a trustworthy alliance can be formed. The fae have given us no reason to believe that good faith can exist between us. Until those savage creatures can prove otherwise, we must remain on the offense.”
A murmur of assent rippled along the table regardless of the lingering skepticism.
The debate continued for some hours. Each argument met with counterpoints and logistics torn to shreds before they moved on and dissected the next.
Nothing went without scrutiny and scathing analysis.
I focused on talks of strengthening defenses, increasing border patrols, and gathering troops for another excursion into the mountain range .
Inevitably, as the day wore on, my thoughts drifted back to Lilly. My wishful imagination dreamed of a future where she might one day join me at similar meetings. By my side, offering her opinions and insight. Offering relief from my burdens at the end of brutal days.
When I believed the meeting would finally end, Cecily opened her mouth and struck the chord of my aggravation anew.
“With that nasty business out of the way, we must discuss the upcoming ball. The catering is lined up, but the musicians are faltering. Only half the decorations are prepared.”
Internally I groaned, externally I rolled my eyes.
The ridiculous lavishness of the balls and galas set my teeth on edge.
Grand Duchess Cecily strung together dance after dance in the hopes of finding me a bride.
She commanded all her high society friends to parade their daughters and nieces around me like a string of polished jewels.
Compared to Lilly, they were all dull and worthless.
When the council eventually rose from the table, dispersing for the day, I sucked in the first hint of a breath of relief. My lungs expanded as their voices faded into the corridor. Then I deflated when I noticed the duchess lingering. Her shrewd gaze returned to me.
The soft glow of the late afternoon sun cast thin, stretching shadows across the room. Her profile was regal, proof of the ancient lineage of royalty running through our veins. And her pinched expression was a testament to her unending disapproval of my existence and behaviors.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” she curled her lip in distaste.
She couldn’t already know about Lilly. It would be wise to tread carefully around her. But if she did…
“Oh, immensely,” I bragged, allowing a salacious smirk to twist my lips.
Her lips pressed into a thin line of dissatisfaction she would never attempt to hide. “There are more important matters to discuss.” She sniffed with distaste.
“Do you refer to the council’s decisions in regard to the war or to the woman I summoned?”
Grand Duchess Cecily lost her grip on her decorum and seethed at that. “You disgrace the palace already. You have no shame in bringing her here.”
“Might I remind you she is the one who saved your king’s life?” I barked back. “Without her kindness, there would be no Carnifex blood left to sit on the throne of Elleslan. As much as you loathe me, I am what remains!”
“And this war you play at,” she continued, barreling over me, “The council was overly hasty in placing you on the throne. Their decision thrust us into this needless conflict.”
“A throne I never asked for—”
“The Carnifex lineage has sat on the throne for centuries. The gods betrayed us with the plague that wiped out your father and his trueborn heirs.”
“Fuck that old bastard and everyone else related to him. You praise him so highly when he was the one sowing his seed through the city. Blame him for my place here. But do not ever, ever disparage the woman who saved my life. Lilliana deserves to be in the palace. She’s earned it.”
“Then you make the decision for war, so lightly,” the woman prattled, as if I hadn’t spoken at all. “Your father wouldn’t have made such a rash decision. He understood the cost of life and death and the effects of war on his people.”
“The fae pose a threat we no longer have the freedom to ignore!”
Her voice hissed with her derision. “A threat they may have been, but nothing more than that of an irritating fly at a picnic. War is not the path.”
“And my mother is dead because of the fae scourge! Every day of her absence reminds me of the fae treachery threatening us all.”
If the Duchess’s face could soften, it did then, but only slightly. “A tragedy that seems to affect us all. Would your mother, rest her soul, agree to this path, Soren? Or would she have urged diplomacy? A king is not merely a soldier, a commander, but a guiding hand and diplomat of peace.”
The chair clattered to the ground when I surged to my feet. Cecily didn’t so much as flinch as she regarded me.
“I am aware of the duties foisted upon me by the very council you scorn! Responsibilities handed down by a man who I never knew!” My voice edged with contempt.
“I am in power now, I am in command, and I will not live in a kingdom that bends to the whims of such fickle creatures. If the Fae Queen and her son will not bow. They. Will. Break.”
Not to mention the fae prince’s ambush in the mountain that caused my near-death. Another tally on the board of my vengeance.
Cecily nodded, sighing with the weight of her long years.
“So much like your father. You are as stubborn and headstrong as he was. He had such blazing passions and a king’s hunger as you do.
Though half of your heart might be in the right place, your methods and need for revenge poison you.
Remember, Soren, that fury and a sword are not the only things that make a king.
Your victories will mean nothing if you leave behind nothing but bones and ash. ”
“I will heed your advice, aunt.” No, I wouldn’t.
Her lips curled as if sensing the lie. “Do not be late for dinner. I know you didn’t grow up with etiquette lessons, but have some propriety and decorum, please.”
Our conversation ended with a piss-poor excuse of a truce. She hobbled out, leaning heavily on her cane. A gentleman might have offered to help, but as she liked to remind me, I was no gentleman. Since we met two years ago, our relationship had remained fraught.
Grand Duchess Cecily was the last trueborn pillar of the house of Carnifex, a focal point of the kingdom and a fixture of the royal court.
She closely monitored tradition and advocated for propriety.
The old bat wouldn’t view Lilly favorably regardless of saving my life.
She’d think of her as an outsider, as much as she still viewed me.
Perhaps it was that thought that curated images of Lilly at the head of the royal dining table.
Her presence would equally mock the Duchess and give me the opportunity to show her off as my savior and the woman I cherished most in the world.
A daydream of her sitting in my lap filled me with a sense of obscene anticipation.
The prospect of bringing that dream to life thrilled me, thrummed through me, kicking me into action. I would flaunt Lilly like the priceless gem she was. Tonight would be a defining moment, a chance to prove that she belonged with me and our connection went beyond her obstinance.