Page 25

“This is Gold Row,” Vespera said next to me.

“A community sector of farmland managed by several of the families around here. It provides jobs for a third of the Mid Territory’s citizens and is the kingdom’s largest agricultural producer.

They have wagons going weekly to all the other territories, dropping off orders of produce and other things like eggs or milk.

” She raised a hand to shield her eyes and looked off into the distant fields, a smile forming on her face.

She looked so proud of her territory. It sparked something warm in my chest.

“Come on,” she said brightly, grabbing my hand and motioning to my mother. “Let’s go see what booths are up today.”

We ventured to the little market, where every single person waved and smiled fondly at Vespera as she passed. When their attention fell to me, however, their faces turned into hesitation. Confusion. And for some, recognition. They pursed their lips and cast their gazes downward.

“Hello there, Aiman. How are things going today?” Vespera asked a tall man behind a table of potatoes.

His light eyes flitted from me and back to Vespera. “Going well, my lady. We’ve had lots of customers so far. ”

“You know, the empress here was just telling me how she was craving some of our leek and potato soup tonight, weren’t you, Your Majesty?” Vespera turned to me, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, yes,” I said, catching on. “And these potatoes look wonderful. Do you grow them yourself?”

Biting his bottom lip, the farmer paused before saying, “Well, my partner and son do a lot of the work too. It’s a family effort, you know.”

“You’re very kind to share all of this with us. I’d love to try some with dinner tonight. I’ll purchase a bag,” I said, pointing to the nearest sack of potatoes.

His mouth fell open. “A-A whole bag?”

I smiled. “We have many mouths to feed.” I wasn’t sure if that was true, but this man looked like I’d made his entire week. I’d eat potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I had to.

“Of course, Your Majesty.” His lips split into a grin as he hauled the bag off the table and I counted out my payment.

“Oh, Lord Reaux can take care of that,” I said when he held the bag out to me. I caught Thorne lingering with my plethora of guards a few feet behind us and gave him a grin. He shook his head, but the corner of his lips tugged upward.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. Come back anytime,” the farmer said, taking my coins. He was no longer cautious, but sunny and welcoming.

From then on, the vendors were much less guarded. They greeted Vespera and me as we came around, and I had to admit that Lady Silenus was an absolute master at making others feel comfortable.

I found myself intrigued by the lives and stories of the people, and we spent hours—and far too much money—with them.

One woman selling eggs had a chicken pecking around her tent that she swore once laid a golden egg that she sold to buy her patch of farmland farther south.

Another man and his son sold beautiful handmade jewelry made of dried flowers pressed between pieces of glass.

Each one was engraved on the back with the initials of the man’s wife, who had passed away three years previously.

With every smile, every tale, my heart opened to this kingdom. And I could see their wariness leaving them as well. Whatever misconceptions they had about the Veridian Empire didn’t seem to matter as much when one could see that we were all just people .

We approached a booth with a mother and two little girls, who both stood at opposite ends of the table.

A huge carton of berries sat between them: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and several I didn’t recognize.

The girl on the right held the biggest strawberry I’d ever seen in my life—it was half the size of her head, at least.

I laughed and said, “My, I’m surprised you can lift that!”

Their mother smiled and wiped her hands on her apron. “It’s her prized possession. She hasn’t let go of it since we picked it. Won’t stop calling it ‘His Majesty.’”

“Because its spots look just like a big letter ‘G!’” the girl called out, shoving the berry in my face. “For King Grimaldi!”

The spots didn’t take any particular shape that I could make out, but I smiled along with her. “I’m sure His Majesty would be thrilled to see that.”

“I wanted to show him today,” she pouted. “He’s never come here before.”

Taken aback, I blinked and looked over at Vespera, whose lips fell into a thin line. I faced the little girl again. “Well, I’ll tell him all about it. He’ll be honored.”

He hadn’t been here before? Did Galen never visit his territories?

I didn’t see how one could hope to rule well if they didn’t take the time to get to know their own people.

That was one of the first things I’d done when I became interim empress—traveled across all six provinces, even the ones who hated me.

I would never claim to know everything about being a good leader, but having some sort of relationship with those who followed you was high on my list.

Vespera must have seen the irritation on my face as we turned away from the booth, for she rushed out, “His Majesty is a very busy man. He must not?—”

She was cut off by the sight of a man hurtling toward the potato booth, sweat rolling from his stricken face. He exchanged a few words with the other farmer, and they both began frantically packing up their produce.

Vespera and I made our way to them. “What’s going on, Aiman?” she asked.

“It—it’s the blight,” he responded, voice shaking. He wiped dirt from his forehead. “Our field’s been hit.”

The blight . The one Vespera told me of last night. “Where is it?” I asked without thinking. “Your field.”

“Just over there, Your Majesty. On the northern end of Gold Row.” He pointed north as his partner began hauling sacks of potatoes away.

“I want to see it,” I said to Vespera. “We’ll go with you.”

Her forehead wrinkled. “Your Majesty, it might not be safe.”

At that moment, Thorne chose to reappear at my side. “Lady Silenus is right. Galen wouldn’t want you putting yourself in danger.”

I rounded on him. “If I’m meant to marry into this kingdom, Lord Reaux, then I want to know exactly what I’m getting myself into. If you won’t take me to the fields, I’ll go myself.”

He stared back at me, a silent battle taking place between us. Each second under the hot sun sent another bead of sweat rolling along the column of my throat. His eyes dragged down my neck, watching the droplet glide over my skin and out of sight. When they met mine once more, his jaw tightened.

“Fine,” he finally said, running a hand over his dark beard. “Let’s go.”

Thorne and I rode in the back of Aiman’s wagon with several guards to his fields on the north end, while Vespera and my mother stayed behind to calm the nerves of the other vendors.

Anticipation built inside me during the short trip.

I didn’t know what to expect. The way Vespera had described it was like a plague eating the land.

I wondered how far it had spread or if anyone had been hurt.

The look on the farmers’ faces was so permanent.

Devastated. Hopeless. As if once the blight hit, there was no return.

And this was their livelihood at stake. If they could no longer grow crops or breed livestock, if their only method of providing for their families was wiped away…

I could see why the thought caused such panic.

My heart raced as we drew nearer to the site and the wagon slowed.

I saw it the moment I stepped down.

It was like an invisible line had been drawn in the ground. On one side was vibrant greenery, rows and rows of golden wheat stalks and green foliage of potato plants shining under the sun. And on the other side was darkness.

Death stretched back beyond the field and into the surrounding forest. Every single leaf, stem, and flower was rotted and crumbled, some of it blowing away in the wind.

What were once rows of strong stalks were now lines of wilted, black thickets with torn roots breaking through the soil like claws rising to strangle anything in its path.

Even the dirt looked sunken and starved.

Words failed me. I ran my fingers through my tangled hair, letting it blow to the side in the soft summer breeze as I thought about what these farmers might be feeling.

What words of comfort I could offer, what empty promises I could make.

A small crowd had gathered around us, what I assumed were Aiman’s employees and neighbors muttering with arms crossed over their chests and fear in their downcast eyes.

When I stepped toward the blackened land, a callused hand grabbed mine. “You can’t, Clarissa,” Thorne said in his low voice. “It will kill you. ”

I looked back at him. A warning shone in his eyes—not to control me, but out of genuine fear. Protection.

As if this had happened to others.

“How do you know? It’s just a blight. It only affects the land.” I moved closer, my forehead creasing. “Right?”

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t answer. His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “There’s nothing you can do. What’s done is done. We need to get back to the manor.”

I looked back at the rotted field. “More secrets,” I murmured. This kingdom was full of them. First the dead sea life, now this. Lord Reaux knew more than he was letting on.

“Clarissa, look?—”

“Don’t worry, Lord Reaux,” I said, removing my hand from his. “I’ll find them out eventually.”