25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

T he chamber was my least favorite room at Sunlis. The walls, floor, and the large rectangular table that dominated the space were all made of the same black marble, and the room was built underground—it meant to function as a safe place for strategizing in the event of an attack.

While there was an abundance of silver orbs to keep the place safe from shadow walking, it still felt incredibly oppressive, and I'd barely left this room for the past week. Talks had gone on all day and well into the night, every night, as I tried to convince my father to renounce his abdication, and he tried to convince me to merely live my life exactly the way he did and never complain about it.

"We've been too lenient on you," Mother sighed, not for the first time. Not only were my parents here, but an assortment of relatives from both sides of the family, all buzzing around like insects, pushing their own interests. Osric had made sure he was here, of course. While my father and I sat at opposite heads of the table, Osric was around halfway down, his claws touching lightly where he clasped his hands over his stomach, looking like nothing could have amused him more than these discussions. My uncle stood supportively behind his son, one hand resting on Osric's shoulder.

It was clear what they wanted. They were hoping that Father wouldn't back down, in which case I'd be forced to step aside also, and then the position would be Osric's.

And there had been many moments over the past few days where that had seemed pretty tempting. I could walk away and finally be free to live my life on my own terms.

But now I had Meera to consider.

What kind of future could I offer her if I gave up my inheritance now? I owned no property of my own for us to live in. While I could probably afford to purchase something, it wouldn't be anywhere near as grand as Sunlis, and would have no staff. Meera deserved the best. She'd suffered enough—I wanted her life to be nothing but comfortable from here on out.

I wanted her to have every meal prepared by a chef to her liking, and for the bed to be made for her each morning with the fabrics she chose. I wanted Meera to spend her days in complete and utter relaxation, only choosing to indulge in activities that brought her joy, like gardening, and helping deliver babies.

As far as hobbies went, I could think of more relaxing options, but I would support her in all her endeavors.

Except, the pressure to do that now would be too much for either of us. Meera wasn't even entirely confident that she wanted to be in a relationship with me yet. I definitely didn't feel equipped to run the estate. If my father would give us just a few more years to get accustomed to it all, that would be more than sufficient.

I'd already been fired from my job. How else was I going to provide for my love?

"All this objection is because of the Hunter," Father said, more forcefully than I'd expected him to. Perhaps something in my expression indicated that Meera was on my mind. "Give her up, Verner. Hasn't she done enough damage?"

"I will not give Meera up. I will never give her up."

His fist hit the table with a thud, making everyone else in the room startle. I surveyed him coolly, disappointed that he'd displayed such a loss of control. Despite our differences, I'd always admired him—he was my father, after all, and a dignified figure of authority in both the local community and the shadow realm as a whole. Perhaps this was the first time I'd ever really looked at him, not as the Earl of Sunlis, but just as a Shade. As a male. As a peer.

And now, technically, a subordinate. Perhaps I should stop objecting. I could take up the seat, be miserable for a few years while I got the lay of the land, and hope that I didn't run the estate into the ground. In the meantime, Meera could come and visit to her heart's content until she felt comfortable enough to move in.

That might never happen , I remembered uneasily. Meera wouldn't want to leave her garden. She'd struggle to move away from her friends.

And Sunlis would probably be hostile to her, at least for a while. The staff here were loyal to my parents, and if they didn't like her, the employees wouldn't either.

"It seems we're at an impasse," I said mildly. "Or rather, you are. You can't stop me from taking Meera as my wife and mate, and I assure you that I intend to do both. All that's left to decide is whether you are going to accept that fact, and accept us into your lives accordingly."

I was being high-handed—making assumptions about Meera's wishes that I had no idea about. But this wasn't the venue to show any sign of weakness. I had to make a choice and stand by it.

"I cannot fathom why you're being so stubborn about this," Mother muttered. "You've never been stubborn before. Your obedience has always been much remarked on by everyone."

"There's never been anything I cared enough to fight for until now," I countered. "I'll fight for Meera. I will always fight for Meera."

"That's the problem, don't you see?" Mother hissed, glancing around in embarrassment at our audience. "You should be looking for quiet, appropriate civility in a relationship. Or no relationship at all—your father and I are hardly the norm. Simply produce Sunlis's heir and be done with it. No need for all this… heated emotion. You're wanting to uproot the natural order of things, Verner."

"Yes, cousin," Osric agreed, sticking out his chest. Perhaps it was the abundance of self-importance that made him puff out that way. "Maintaining the honorable traditions of Sunlis is essential to our future success."

I wished I could roll my eyes the way Meera could. The action perfectly captured a sense of disdain.

"I understand I'm not the perfect heir the way Elisaria was—"

"Don't you dare speak her name," Father hissed, slamming his hands down on the table and raising slightly from his seat. "Not in my house—"

" My house," I interjected firmly. "Is it not? You stood aside. I am the Earl of Sunlis now. And my first act will be having my sister's name restored to the records."

"You wouldn't dare," he rumbled.

"I assure you, I would. I have been trying to work with you, to negotiate with you, to come to a solution that suits everyone involved. I see now that my efforts were futile. If you aren't with me, you're against me, and I'll use all this newfound authority you have so kindly gifted me to deal with you accordingly."

I surveyed all the spectators in the room, letting them know that the message wasn't exclusively for my father.

It didn't feel particularly natural for me to speak in such a way, but I had been letting far too much disrespect for me and my future mate slide. I needed to channel some of Meera's quiet fierceness and make things happen.

"You're ruining everything!" Mother wailed, collapsing onto her forearms on the table. Before I could respond to that, the door to the chamber flew open, and Theon, Duke of Lindow, marched in like he owned the estate.

"I would say I'm sorry to interrupt," he began in a bored voice. "But my duchess asked me to do it, so I'm not sorry."

The duchess in question sauntered in behind him, all gracefulness and mischief.

And followed by a faintly terrified-looking Meera.