Page 49 of Night’s Fall (The Four Realms #1)

The True Heir

I wasn’t even close to prepared for the impossibly high ceilinged, wide halled, crystal chandeliered, plush carpeted, gilded wonderland that was the Celestial Palace .

We were going at such a fast clip, and even if the journey was long to wherever we were headed, I didn’t have much chance to do more than glance into the rooms that were studies of creams and golds, sea greens and sky blues, watered taffeta pink and champagne, ivory and porcelain blue…

and the list goes on. And I certainly had no opportunity to peruse the plethora of paintings, portraits, sculptures, china, candelabrum and furnishings.

I also didn’t have the headspace for it, considering Aleksei was a male on a mission and he was all but dragging me through the stunning opulence, all the while I raced beside him in three-and-a-half-inch heels.

Therefore, I was wildly relieved when he suddenly stopped.

I sucked in a breath.

As I did, it felt like my beast stretched, almost strained, toward him.

And good gods, I wasn’t sure, but I sensed I felt the same coming from Aleksei .

My mind was taken off this when he asked curtly, “ Do you wish to hire her?”

I blinked. “ Nata ?”

“Yes.”

Oh dear.

How to answer this?

“She was the most impressive candidate,” I said hesitantly.

He jerked up his chin angrily and started dragging me again.

“Honey,” I called. “ Please slow down. I’m in heels.”

He slowed, but even so, his determination to get where we were going didn’t ebb one bit.

We passed about ten more rooms, turned down a hall, went up some stairs, passed another five, and I was beginning to lament wearing my sleek, black, patent leather pumps, even if they were normally pretty comfortable. What they weren’t was designed to hike two miles on plush carpet or otherwise.

Fortunately, Aleksei turned again, into a room that was a study of red and burgundy, gilt-edged furniture…and royals.

The king and Errol were sitting together on a silk damask couch the color of a red rose.

The king was scowling at Aleksei .

Errol was fighting a smile.

The queen was pacing the area behind the couch.

Timothee was slouched in an armchair to the side of the couch, one ankle resting atop the other knee.

He was smirking.

The princes thought their big brother was in trouble and neither seemed to realize this was not the case.

And my jangled nerves jangled more intensely, because there was also the glorious Princess Aleece , my first vision of her in person.

She was the picture of her mother, with her burnished-chestnut hair, generous mouth, upturned nose, soft brown eyes and peaches-and-cream skin (though, her features were more delicate, whereas Queen Calisa’s were lush).

She was wearing one of the trendy new fly suits in olive green—boxy and utilitarian, the luxuriant silk that crafted it made it hang seductively and cling impishly, rendering it casually sexy, like the wearer didn’t give a stuff that she looked fabulous, but she still looked fabulous.

Aleece was reclined on the arm of another chair, looking relaxed, but like she had places to go and things to do, so she had to be ready to pop up and do them at any time.

But the instant her oldest brother walked in, she straightened, and after a swift glance at me, her gaze locked on Aleksei .

She was reading her brother perfectly.

I already knew this, but this made it clear she was a far brighter bulb than the other two.

I couldn’t think on Aleece much, because I was in the Palace and in the presence of the king and queen, and even though Aleksei didn’t release my hand, I swayed an arm out and affected a curtsy.

I was barely down before Aleksei’s hand was pulling me back up.

And Timothee was talking.

“She drags my brother to the passing ritual of a traitor, guess it’s not a surprise she doesn’t know she doesn’t have to drop a formal when she’s in the family’s informal drawing room.”

“Tim, take heed,” Aleece said urgently.

Too late.

I’d lost Aleksei’s hand.

And now he was a man on a different mission.

“Aleksei!” I cried, panic-stricken.

Timothee finally cottoned on to the threat, and he scrambled out of his chair just in time to be nose to nose with his older brother.

Though, to be nose to nose, Aleksei had to lean into him since he was three inches taller, and making matters worse, with the two of them that close together, I noted Aleksei had to have four stone more of pure muscle.

Timothee did not miss this, and he was no longer unclear about his brother’s mood.

What he was, was visibly shaken.

“Outside. As males,” Aleksei growled.

“Are…are you…are you being serious?” Timothee stammered.

The king stood and commanded, “ Stand back this instant!”

Aleksei turned away from his brother, but it was far from a good thing his attention went to his father.

“Laura is hiring Nata ,” he announced. “ However , if Nata wishes to stay at the Catalogues , I’ll speak personally with the director and have her promoted to preservation.”

I stifled a gasp.

Aleksei continued. “ It will be her choice which avenue she wishes to take in the furtherance of her career.”

“As you know, she deals with priceless treasures of the realm, and this is a delicate matter—” King Fillion began.

“What I know is that it was a delicate matter because you made it so, and after years of living in that particular level of the hells, I foolishly fell into that line of thinking, but now I know, this is no longer a delicate matter,” Aleksei cut in.

The king focused fully on his son.

And the color ran out of his face.

“You wouldn’t,” he whispered.

“Yes, I would. And make no mistake, Father , I am ,” Aleksei retorted.

Okay, I was thinking I lost track of the conversation.

I had zero time to get a lock on it, because Aleksei turned to Timothee .

“I’ll be taking over negotiations with the female you drugged.

She’ll be offered a year of your allowance, and as a result, you will lose that allowance.

You will cost the throne not another mark for your bad behavior.

You will also apologize to her, in person, for your lack of judgement, which resulted in misguided and malicious intent. ”

I felt my eyes get wide even as I noted the queen moving to the back of the couch. Curling her fingers around the gilt, she watched her eldest son avidly.

Aleksei was far from done with Timothee .

“You will also be suspended from your royal duties for six months, you will lose access to all the facilities of the Palace , save food, cleaning and laundry services. No transport will be available to you unless where you’re going is approved by me.

Visitors will also be approved by me. You will be banned from other royal properties, again, unless approved by me.

You will lie low here and consider your course for the future.

Once the six months is up, we’ll discuss that future. ”

“You can’t possibly—” Timothee tried.

Aleksei was having none of it.

“If you refuse, negotiations with this female will cease and your allowance will be revoked indefinitely, along with the property and facilities ban. Your royal duties will also be indefinitely suspended, including your attendance at the Council Chamber in the Center . Further , you will be disallowed access to royal legal representation, and if she chooses to press charges, you will stand before a panel of magistrates to do your best to try to convince them you aren’t a piece of shit.

You will also fail. This will happen in public.

So the citizens of Night’s Fall will know what you’ve done. ”

I swallowed.

Mine was about shock.

I watched Timothee swallow.

His was fear.

Aleksei turned on Errol .

“The same will happen to you if you ever play in the royal pool again,” he warned.

“ And should Nata decide to move to the administration wing, and you see her, you will behave with the dignity of your title. Onward , you will respect the females who work for the throne. No . You will learn to respect females full stop. And if you do something outside the Palace walls that demands the negotiation of hush money again, the amount will be decided by me, and it will be deducted from your allowance. If you should continue to behave like an incorrigible, entitled brat, and this should go into arrears, your royal duties will be suspended.”

He looked between the two of them and kept going.

“This stops now. If you don’t learn from the consequences I’ve set forth, your royal privileges will be permanently revoked, and you’ll be stripped of your titles.

You will be removed from the Palace , and although residences will be provided for you, they won’t be anywhere near what you’re used to, and you will be required to find employment in order to sustain yourselves. ”

Everyone was silent.

The silence was heavy.

Timothee stupidly decided to break it.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” he demanded hotly.

“You know who I am, Tim ,” Aleksei retorted unemotionally.

“ I’m claiming my right. I should have done it the moment I heard your latest villainy.

Fortunately , the negotiations with this female are still happening, so I can intervene and try to do the impossible, everything I can to make it even a modicum of right by her. ”

“The Night God’s choice, the chosen son,” Timothee sneered, jerking his head toward his mother to indicate whose chosen son Aleksei was. “ Do you not get what a headfuck it is to slink along in your shadow?”

“No, I don’t,” Aleksei returned. “ Because I’m me, and you’re you. I’d ask you to consider for a moment what it feels like to be in my shoes?—”

“So tough, I’m sure,” Timothee scorned. “ I’d so hate to be you. The fiercest dragon. The best marks at school. Females throwing themselves at your feet.” He jabbed a finger my way. “ Destiny dumps a female with great tits and a perfect ass in your lap… ulk! ”