Chapter 20

As soon as the door closed, she pounced. ‘What the fuck was that?’

‘There is a lot to unpack from that discussion, Sister. You’re going to have to be more specific.’

She was livid. ‘I explicitly told you not to talk about the tidal beasts.’

I blinked. Doesn’t she realise that she brought it up? ‘That was all you, Slaviya.’

‘You forced my hand,’ she seethed.

‘I asked questions about graduate numbers. Because, quite frankly, you’re acting fucking shady, and I don’t trust your intentions. I didn’t talk about the tidal beasts, you did. That’s a fact.’ I threw Xylan’s rationale back in her face.

She clenched and unclenched her jaw as she tried to get a handle on her emotions. ‘You made the Queendom look weak.’

‘No, Slaviya. I didn’t make the Queendom look weak. Nor did you. But do you know what does look weak?’ I asked against her stare. Oh, if looks could kill. If silence could kill.

‘No? Not going to bite?’ I taunted. ‘Alright, Sister, I’ll play. You exposed yourself with your ego and your need for control. You exposed that you would rather feed your own pride than ensure your people see another day by accepting help and considering a new approach to things. And by doing that, Slaviya? You made yourself look weak.’

I made my way to the door and felt a vine from the plant by the door suddenly slither up my leg, holding me in place. A quick flick of my wrist snapped it in half, and it fell to the floor. I spun around, blasting a wave of air that forced Slaviya back into her seat, at the same time calling thicker branches from other plants in the room to wrap around her arms and tie her to the chair.

A cruel smirk formed on my face as I sauntered back towards her. ‘I thought you would know better than to threaten a mage more powerful than you. I’ll attribute it to a lack of control, and lapse in judgement.’

‘But make no mistake, Sister,’ I sneered, continuing while leaning down so our noses almost touched. ‘If you ever come at me with magic again outside of a training room, you will feel the full wrath of my power. And it won’t end well for you. I make every effort to be the opposite of our father, but rest assured there is a little piece of Dominiq running through me as well. I am just more selective on when I let that show.’

I stepped away from her and walked to the door, leaving her to figure out how to get herself out of the bindings before the others rejoined.

‘You need to help me get out of this fucking mess you’ve created. Starting with untying me,’ Slaviya demanded with uncontrolled rage.

I snorted and opened the door as I said over my shoulder, ‘That sounds like a you issue, sister.’

I stepped out of the room to see Xylan and Ramone sitting nearby. The former had a mug in his hand, sipping on coffee, while the latter looked sympathetic. I caught Xylan’s look of approval as I strode past.

They had heard it all.

And for once, I didn’t fucking care.

‘Are you okay?’ Ramone’s voice interrupted my thoughts as he took a seat on the bench next to me.

In my haste to gain some distance from Slaviya, I’d headed into the gardens. The smells and sounds helped to calm my racing heart.

I cursed quietly, gripping my shaking hands, willing them to still. Despite engaging in it frequently, I hated conflict. In the moment, impulse takes over, adrenaline fuelling my words. But after? When I no longer need to maintain the fa?ade? I turn into a quivering mess.

‘Not really,’ I responded. There was no point in lying. My tear-streaked face gave me away. I hated the relationship I had with Slaviya. It was frustrating, how easily she got under my skin. How everything turned into a fight. Ramone hummed in acknowledgement, not probing further. Instead, he simply sat next to me, staring at the horizon. He wasn’t much of a talker, and his calm, quiet nature soothed me.

The silence was comfortable. The chirping of birds and the whispering of leaves swaying in the light breeze provided an air of serenity. It was a welcome change from the busyness of the past few weeks.

‘Do you have siblings?’ I asked.

He smiled fondly. ‘One. She passed away when we were younger. I didn’t have the opportunity to learn the trials and tribulations of sibling fights.’ His sly, knowing eyes briefly met mine.

‘I’m sorry. That must be hard,’ I said. ‘The fights aren’t anything to be jealous over.’ I laughed darkly.

‘I’ll have to take your word for it.’ He paused, considering his next words. ‘Would you like to know a secret? It might improve your mood.’

My eyes widened in surprise. I love secrets, and I would love to shake the mood I’m in. ‘Absolutely.’

His returning smile was radiant. His darker complexion contrasted beautifully with the incredible whiteness of his teeth. ‘That book you and Xy were talking about?’

Oh. Not where I thought this was going. However, I wasn’t mad about it. I leant towards him.

Moving towards me, his lips were next to my ear when he whispered, ‘I wrote it.’

I jumped off the bench, squealing in excitement. Maybe a bit too loud, judging by the way he cupped his hands over his ears.

‘No way,’ I rushed out. ‘Wait a second. How? The name on the book is clearly female.’

Ramone blushed. ‘I’m quite partial to romantic-comedies. One day I decided to write my own. However, being Qynthia’s second, I wanted to keep my anonymity. Hence, I chose a pen name,’ he explained. As an afterthought, he added, ‘The initials of the pen name are my sister’s.’

Damn. Ramone wrote that? And all those scenes? Whoever frequented his bed is a lucky person. The quiet ones were often dismissed yet were commonly the ones who knew how to throw it down. This put my opinion of him in a whole different light.

‘Okay, I must ask. There’s so many whispers out there saying there is going to be a novella, an update on Louisah’s and Runaile’s lives. Can you confirm this?’ I asked excitedly, bouncing on my feet in anticipation for his answer, wanting him to say yes.

A sombre expression clouded his face. Maybe I pushed the friendship with my question. ‘No. I don’t think there will be,’ he answered quietly.

My heart dropped in disappointment and I sunk down on the bench. ‘Oh, that’s a shame,’ I said. There was so much more he could do with the story.

He cleared his throat and answered, ‘With these things, we’re always hungry for more information, more context of another’s perspective, to see more of the story. But there’s an art to accepting we may not always be gifted that. Instead, we need to find our own closure so we can move on for our own sake.’

Why do I get the impression he wasn’t just talking about the book? I gave him a side-eyed look. He’d successfully distracted me up until now. ‘Let me guess, Slaviya?’

He lifted one shoulder. ‘You can make of my words what you will. I’ve been in this world for many years, young Queen,’ he said warmly. ‘You can’t always control other people’s thoughts and actions, but you can always control your response to it.’

He patted my shoulder and stood up. ‘Do me a favour and keep what I’ve told you to yourself. Few people know how I spend my time outside of being Qynthia’s Second. I’d much prefer to keep it that way,’ he said softly.

I was shocked when he leant down to press a kiss to my forehead, much like I imagined a father would.

‘It can be our little secret.’ He winked at me before strolling through the gardens, back towards the palace.