Page 11 of Straw and Gold (A Realm of Revelry #2)

Morella

The sound of birds chirping incessantly woke me, and as much as I struggled to tune them out, the singing came with my name beside the bed.

“Morella.”

I blinked blearily, rubbing my eyes.

No, I was not mistaken.

My mountainous husband peered down at me from the side of the bed. His face was close—too close to not have a purpose, and I grinned, unable to stop the warm excitement that burst through my veins.

I was married . To this man.

I stretched my arms over my head and let out a groan. “Good morning,” I cooed, ensuring I was not at all covered by sheets in my thin nightgown. “Did you sleep?—”

“Why didn’t you break the contract?” His voice was dark and deep, matching the frustration on his face.

“What?”

“Our marriage contract, Morella. Why didn’t you break it?”

“I…” Sitting up, I pulled the covers a little closer.

In the early light, it was easier to make out the details of our room. Dark midnight blue accents in the curtains and tapestries left a feel of old secrets and rich history.

“Morella,” he commanded, grabbing my chin and turning my head to face him again.

“I didn’t want to break it,” I answered truthfully.

“Why? You were fifteen. Fifteen-year-olds don’t just willingly give away their futures to men they’ve never met.”

I frowned, wiggling out of his hold. “Didn’t you read my letters?”

“I burned your letters.”

“But why?” I whined. “I wrote them for you to get to know me.”

“What could I possibly have learned from a fifteen-year-old—seven years younger than me?”

“But I sent more as I got older!” I yelled, now hotly offended. This was too damn hard. It didn’t need to be so hard. We were married. Done. Finished. What was there to worry about now?

He folded his arms and leaned back in the chair by the bed. “And what are you now? Nineteen?”

“I’m twenty-eight, jackass!”

“Ah, the language of maturity,” he jeered.

I snapped my mouth shut. Fine. He wanted to begin our first day this way, and I wasn’t going to fight him and give him the satisfaction he obviously enjoyed from our first spat.

I hurled the bedding in his direction, pulling myself out of the sheets and scooting to the far side of the massive bed where I hopped out, throwing open the curtains before storming off to find the bathing chamber.

Rounding the foot of the bed, I stopped short.

Our room was enormous, easily as big as Seraphine and Korven’s entire cottage. The bed I’d slept in remained in the middle of the room at the far wall. But next to it was a dressing screen wrapped around another, smaller bed that I knew hadn’t been there the night before.

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing at the new arrangement.

Killian rose from his chair, picking it up and placing it back at his desk near the door. “That’s your bed.”

I pointed again to the bed I’d slept in last night. “This is my bed.”

He shook his head. “You may insist on sharing a room, but we are not sharing a bed.”

My face fell. “Why not? We don’t have to…you know.”

He leaned against his desk, shoving his hands in his pockets. “No, enlighten me.”

“You know ,” I lifted my hands in the air and gestured to the bed wildly. “What two people tend to do when they share a bed together.”

His face remained stone as he asked, “Which is?”

In an exasperated groan, I flipped open the lid of my trunk, searching for one of the new gowns I'd commissioned for my days as queen. Yanking it out, I slammed the lid closed with my foot, wincing at the sound of breaking glass. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what fucking is, Killian.

You’ve got the word written all over you. ”

He watched me open the lid again to search inside for which jar had broken. “Do I now?” he murmured softly, coming nearer.

I began pulling dresses, undergarments, and jars out by the handful, searching for the one that was bound to be leaking over everything, despite Seraphine’s careful packing.

“What are these?” he asked, bent next to me. I jumped, snatching the tiny jar of gel Seraphine had given for intimate moments with my husband. I glanced over the contents and scoffed. “Don’t worry about that one,” I replied sweetly. “We won’t be using it.”

“We?” he replied.

I ignored him, searching in each corner until I found which jar was broken.

Two jars, actually.

“Goddess fucking dammit!” I cursed, carefully pulling out the broken bottom of a salve for small cuts along with the broken jar of thistle nuts I’d stashed away until I could bring more.

The nuts were covered in blue goop and utterly inedible. All I had left of them were in the pockets of my traveling dress from yesterday.

Killian emptied a basket filled with extra blankets and brought it over to my continued cursing as I pulled more glass from the trunk.

“Here. Put the pieces in this and be careful with them.”

I sighed, but did as he said, adding, “Oh, you care suddenly?”

“I don’t want blood and…whatever this is all over my room.”

“Our room,” I corrected under my breath.

I continued to carefully lift each piece of broken glass, knowing most of these gowns would need to be laundered before I could wear them.

He rose and cleared his throat. “Your bed is here. Your wardrobe is there.” He pointed at a new wooden cabinet I swear hadn’t been there the night before either.

“Did I sleep through servants bringing these in?” I opened the doors, finding it empty.

“No,” he said, folding his arms again.

“But then how did they?—”

“You’ll find the bathing chamber behind this door.” He pointed at the blue door beside the second bed. “And you’ll find this door leads to my study.” He gestured to the door painted in gold next to the enormous fireplace that took up most of the wall.

“ Our stu?—”

“No, Morella, I will not be sharing my study with you. Your vows did not promise that.”

I folded my own arms at my chest. “ Our vows,” I added, just to smile at his irritation.

He strode to the door leading to the hall. “I expect you to be ready in fifteen minutes. Someone will come to retrieve you for our breakfast.”

I grinned happily at my success at him using the word.

He poked his head back in as he left. “Don’t get so excited. ‘Ours’ meaning the entire castle staff and guests will be there, too.”

He chuckled and shut the door on my scowl.

Twenty minutes later, I was already five minutes late.

The servant he had sent up to retrieve me waited politely at the door to our room as I scrambled in and out of the bathing chamber, tossing my things every which way out of my trunk, looking for proper shoes to coordinate with my midnight blue dress.

I slid across the wood floor, calling, “Just one more minute, please!”

She curtsied and said softly, “Your Majesty, perhaps you could use some assistance?”

“Oh, no,” I laughed, “I really am almost—” I found my second shoe, cursing at the blue salve gooped at the heel. Falling to the floor in a slump, I rubbed my face, exhausted from long days of travel, a night of dancing, and a vexing husband.

I had lain in that room for two hours the night before—tossing and turning, growing angrier by the minute before I’d decided to take what I wanted.

And I wanted to share my bedroom with my husband.

Judging by the rising flush to my cheeks as I pictured his face, I wanted to share much more, even through his incredible talent of making this harder than it needed to be. But I never did back down from a challenge. And Killian was a challenge I had no choice but to win.

“Would you prefer to wear these, Your Majesty?” the woman said, holding out a pair of yellow slippers, gilded in pearls.

“Perfect!” I shouted, sliding my feet into them and rising from the floor. “Right. Thank you, er?—”

“Alista, my queen.” She curtsied again, clasping her hands in front of her.

I thanked her another time, giving her a good once-over. Ringlets of gold framed her head in striking contrast to her mahogany skin. With wide eyes and full lips, I recognized her as the servant who had captured Fedir’s attention on the dance floor.

“May I?” she asked, gesturing to my frizzy braid.

Nodding, I sat at Killian’s desk, making note that I’d need to drag the dressing table into our room as well.

Alista hummed a sweet song as she braided my thick black locks, taming them into something far more queenly than I’d ever be able to achieve. When she finished, she added, “Just one moment, Your Majesty.”

She rushed out of the room and across the hall.

I peeked through the door to find her rummaging in the wardrobe of the room I would have been occupying if Killian had his way.

Pulling out a crown of simple gold and citrine, she placed it on my head.

“There,” she sighed, “you’re ready for your first day as queen. ”

I stole a glance in the mirror, admiring her work. “Alista, would you be able to help me more often? I mean, at least until I get the routine of things around here.”

“Queen Morella, I have already been assigned as your personal maid.”

“By whom?”

“King Killian, of course.”

“Of course,” I echoed.

As I followed Alista through the halls, I tried to memorize each path that led to the lavish dining room, overfilled with people. Some of our wedding guests mingled with plates full of cheesy eggs and some kind of black meat.

Each bowed as we passed and I nodded, attempting my first impression to be the right one. I’d been born a princess, but that didn’t mean the customs of the Brackish Wood were that of the Citrine Cliffs.

The Ravenfae, though respecting the royal children of the Ravenfae Goddess Reshina, were not exactly formal in their treatment of those in high ranks.

I followed Alista’s bouncing golden curls to my seat near the head of the long dining table—right across from my scowling husband.

“You’re ten minutes late,” he scolded, pushing his empty plate forward.

Captain Fedir remained silent beside him, but watched us both with interest.

A plate filled with eggs, fruit, and rounded slices of the black meat was set down in front of me. Lifting my fork to poke at the runny beans and what looked like steamed tomatoes, I replied, “My clothes were more covered than I’d thought. That ointment got onto everything.”

I took a bite of what seemed to be a harmless piece of toasted bread and met Killian’s gaze with a polite grin. He watched me chew, his brilliant blue eyes darting from my mouth, to my crown, down to my dress of midnight blue where my breasts were hinted at in the square neckline.

Calling Alista to his side, he murmured something in her ear to which she nodded, bowed, and left. Fedir’s eyes followed.

Killian wiped his mouth and rose from his seat. I bolted from my own.

“I must begin the day’s dealings,” he said, pushing in his chair. “Fedir will begin your tour of the castle and grounds if you’d like.”

“I wouldn’t mind waiting for you to finish so you could give the tour instead.”

His eyes looked me up and down again. “Fedir will suffice. I have meetings to attend and farms to visit.”

He turned to leave but I was already there at his side, taking his arm. “I’d like to visit as well!”

His eyes darted to my hand on his soft linen sleeve. Goddess, he was warm. And his forearm was huge .

Taking my hand gently, he squeezed my fingers, murmuring low, “Perhaps another time, Morella.”

He left without another word and Fedir joined my side. “Would you like to finish your breakfast before we begin, Your Majesty?” he asked.

“No, thank you,” I sighed, suddenly queasy as I watched my husband leave me once again.