It was late afternoon, and Odelia stood at the river dock with Kennard and Dad. Kennard had insisted that Herman rest at the inn while Patricius, whom they’d picked up on the way to Iverish, took over the funeral arrangements in town. While Kennard’s height made him stand out in the former Vistan capital, he wasn’t easily recognizable with his head down and his hood pulled low. Odelia had told him he could stay back with Herman, but he refused to leave her side, holding her hand as they waited.
When the next riverboat docked, it was hard to tell who was disembarking because everyone was bundled up for the ride. Two women approached them, one much taller than the other. The shorter one, who was hauling a large bag, pulled back her hood as they neared. It was Mom. Dad didn’t say a word as he embraced her, teary-eyed, and held her close.
The taller woman walked up to Kennard and hugged him. “I missed you,” she said.
“Conora?” Kennard and Odelia asked.
Conora stepped back. “I was in Hortensia’s workshop when she got the news. I couldn’t not come.”
“I’m surprised Mother let you,” Kennard said.
“She didn’t object when I told her I wanted to see my brother.”
Dad put a hand on Odelia’s back. “We should go. We should get to the burial woods before dark, and I need to talk to Herman and Conora before they can attend.”
“Oh.” Conora furrowed her brow in curious concern. “Is there something different about Vistan funeral rites that we need to be prepared for?”
“Yes and no. But it will have to wait until I can speak to you both privately.”
Dad led the way back to the inn, keeping his arm around Mom. Inside, he took Conora up to Herman’s room. Mom gave Odelia and Kennard clothes she had brought from the Cedar Palace, then met them downstairs after they’d changed. They found a table and ordered a round of ciders, which the three of them stared at for a long while.
Odelia picked at the skirt of her dark gray dress. The long fabric suffocated her. Kennard looked equally uncomfortable in his gray pants and jacket.
Mom finally broke the silence. “He was assigned to guard you. Were you with him at the end?”
Odelia shook her head. “Mom, that’s not—”
“I was standing right next to him when it happened.” Kennard didn’t look up from his drink, his voice hollow. “I would have Healed him if I could but…”
It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was what Mom needed to hear. Valerzan was Odelia’s brother, and it was hard for her to find out what had happened, but he was Mom’s baby. It was enough that she had to bury her child. She didn’t need to know that he’d died alone in the mud.
With tears in her eyes, Mom reached across the table and took Kennard’s hand. “Thank you for trying.”
Patricius walked in with a pine cone and a lantern and joined their table. “It’s good to see you again, Hortensia. I wish it were under any other circumstances.”
“Is everything ready?” Odelia asked.
Patricius nodded. “We can start the procession as soon as everyone is here.”
Odelia stood up. “I’ll tell them.” Anything to get away from this table. Being near Mom, feeling the pain radiating from her, was too much. Odelia couldn’t stand being helpless to fix it.
Upstairs, she knocked on Herman’s door, then opened it slowly. Herman and Conora stared back at her, eyes wide.
“Patricius has everything ready,” Odelia said. “You can come downstairs when you’re done.”
Dad nodded solemnly. “I’ve said all that I need to.” He walked out.
Herman blinked, shook his head, then followed him.
Conora hugged Odelia. “You and I are going to have a very long talk about princess things later.”
“Of course,” Odelia said, then chased after Dad. She caught him at the bottom of the stairs. “You told them the secret?”
He put a hand on her shoulder. “It was time. Valerzan deserves a burial worthy of what he truly was.” He motioned to the table to get up and join him, then led everyone outside.
Patricius handed the lantern to Dad and the pine cone to Mom. “Do you remember the route to the burial woods from here?”
Dad nodded and took Mom’s hand, then set off toward Lake Iver. Patricius lined everyone up in order behind them: Odelia, Kennard and Conora, himself, and then Herman. Behind them, four Vistan Strongmen carried Valerzan’s coffin. No one spoke as they walked along the lake, leading him to his rest. When they reached the eastern edge, they continued on toward the forest and the walled-off ghost of the former Vistan palace. A thicker grove of trees grew just north of the palace, and the procession walked straight into it.
Within the burial woods, huge stones stood in front of even larger trees, all bearing names. On the south side, nearest the old palace, the Vistan crest was engraved as well. Mom and Dad had taken Odelia and Valerzan here when they were very young children—so young that Valerzan likely wouldn’t have remembered, as Odelia barely did herself—though she hadn’t noticed the difference between the stones back then. Now that she knew the truth, it was obvious which ones were royal.
A fresh hole had been dug among the royal graves, and a wooden marker stood in front of it, with “Prince Valerzan DiOrto” painted on the side away from the grave. Dad placed the lantern next to the temporary grave marker as everyone else gathered around the hole. The Strongmen set the pine box down over a pair of ropes nearby and moved several yards away.
Mom and Dad each kissed their fingertips, then laid them on the top of the coffin. Odelia kissed her fingers, wishing she could feel the tingle of her own Gift. When she touched the coffin, she couldn’t transfer that power. There was nothing but rough pine under her hand and a cold wind blowing through the trees. Kennard put a warm hand on Odelia’s back and gave Valerzan his goodbye kiss, then gently pressed her until she remembered to move on her own again.
As each person took their turn, Patricius passed them a shovel. The Strongmen used the ropes to lower the coffin into the ground, then bowed and walked away.
Dad dropped the first shovelful of dirt onto the box. The clay-heavy soil thudded on the wood. When Odelia’s turn came, she sliced her shovel into the earth, and she couldn’t help but shudder at the way it mirrored the wound she’d seen in her brother’s chest.
After everyone had shoveled once, Herman and Kennard removed their jackets, then stood near the head and foot of the grave and began shoveling in earnest. After a while, Herman stepped aside for Patricius. Then Conora. Then Mom. Odelia took over a few minutes after her, but Kennard didn’t stop. Not until Dad put a hand on his shoulder.
When the hole was filled, Dad picked up the lantern. “My son, you deserved a full royal procession, your name chanted through the streets of Iverish. We cannot give you that.” He cleared his throat. “But we’ve buried you with our ancestors, and pray you find rest with the Giver. Eighteen…” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as tears fell. “Eighteen years was not enough. I Saw the great warrior prince you could’ve become, that the world will never see.”
Dad stepped over the grave and opened the lantern, exposing the flame inside. Mom held the pine cone over it, turning it back and forth until the resin dripped from it, and its scales began to open. She pressed the cone into the freshly turned soil.
“May a tree grow here, as Strong as you were in life,” Dad said. “Rest well and find peace, Prince Valerzan.”
Back at the inn, Patricius ordered food and drink. Though Odelia ate and drank while everyone swapped stories, she tasted nothing. Everything she’d avoided thinking about while she was running and fighting bubbled up and washed all her senses in funeral gray. Soon, she would have to bury these feelings again if she were to successfully make use of her time to plan with Kennard and Patricius. An early night’s rest might make everything brighter in the morning.
Odelia said her good-nights and retired to her room. Though she’d fallen asleep so easily on the road back to Solace, she could only toss and turn now. She rolled from anger to numbness to pain and back. Shutting her eyes brought her no peace.
Before she could think through her actions, she was pulling a skirt and jacket on over her sleeveless chemise. In her bare feet, she snuck down the hallway to Kennard’s room. Candlelight shone under his door. Odelia knocked softly.
She looked down at her half-dressed state. What was she doing? She started to turn back.
Kennard opened the door a crack and tilted his head. “Lia?”
Were there footsteps coming up the stairs? Odelia moved toward Kennard, and he stepped back to let her in, quickly closing the door behind her. He was barefoot and bare-chested, wearing only a pair of loose pants.
She looked away, then hugged her arms around herself and took a deep breath. “I couldn’t sleep. I don’t know why I came here, but I couldn’t stay in my room.”
He put his arm around her and led her toward the bed. “Why don’t we just sit down?” He sat and pulled her down with him. “You were so quiet at dinner. Maybe you haven’t said what you need to.”
She gripped her skirt. “It’s all so dark. And when I let myself feel, it’s mostly anger. I’m angry at Tehazy. I’m angry at Gonfrid. I’m angry—” Odelia swallowed “—I’m angry at myself.”
Kennard rubbed her back, concern etched over his face. “What do you mean?”
“Valerzan wanted me to run to Doivrie as soon as I told you the truth, and I wanted to give you more time, which was bad enough, but I should’ve run with you when Gonfrid threatened me. Maybe if we’d left, Valerzan would still be alive.”
“Don’t.” Tipping her chin up, Kennard looked into Odelia’s eyes. “Don’t do this to yourself, love. I already have, and it doesn’t help.”
“Is that why you couldn’t stop digging?”
“Yes.”
“I want this all to end.” Odelia looked at her skirt, smoothing the folds over her legs. “I have two weeks of access to Patricius and all my other followers, and I can’t waste any more time.” Taking a breath, she looked back up at Kennard. “If I claimed my throne now, would you stand by my side?”
He put his hand to her cheek, his dark eyes shining. “I will always stand by your side.”
Her pulse quickened. “I’m asking you to overthrow your father.”
Kennard held his gaze on her. “I know.”
“This is treason.”
“I can live with that.”
Odelia couldn’t look away from his beautiful face. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in him. His devotion lightened the gray cloud over her.
He tucked her hair behind her ear. “What do you need me to do?”
Every word he said felt like a ray of sunlight from that morning’s dawn.
“The troops Gonfrid sent you to gather are Vistan. We can turn them against him. If we don’t let on what we’re doing, he’ll trust that the men are his, and it should be easy to surround him and demand surrender. And if Fort Vigil is anything like Solace, I doubt you’ll have much resistance from the men already posted.”
Kennard nodded. “I can do that. What else?”
“We need to strengthen our claim to the throne”—warmth crept up Odelia’s cheeks—“which means we need to marry before you lead those men.”
He furrowed his brows. “What happens if he finds out we’ve eloped before the coup?”
She leaned in close. “I guess we’ll have to get good at hiding, but I can’t sit back any longer. If I don’t want any more blood on my hands, I have to take advantage of this opportunity to make Gonfrid surrender. I might not get another one.”
“We,” Kennard said. “We might not get another one.”
Odelia smiled as tears spilled over. The hope and love he’d given her helped, but the pain and anger were still there. “I just keep expecting Valerzan to walk in here and tell us about his part of the plan.”
Kennard laughed bitterly. “One of the last things he said to me was that he wouldn’t have to go to our wedding if the Tehazian’s got him.” He teared up and shook his head. “Curse him for being right.”
Odelia gasped. “Are we dishonoring his memory? Would he not—”
He put a finger to her lips. “Stop worrying. He made a joke. I couldn’t help but taunt him all the time, and he always returned the favor. Val told us to run before. He’d be the first in favor of securing this plan.”
Odelia sighed and laughed. “He was such a pain sometimes.” Her laughter turned to crying again.
Kennard wiped her tears with his thumbs.
She looked up into his gentle, caring eyes. Food and drink and sleep had done nothing for her. Talking to him was the only thing that had made her feel anything good. Odelia needed to feel, to crawl out of her cave and be alive. Leaning closer to him, she pulled his face to hers and kissed him slowly, half-expecting him to make her stop, to tell her it was wrong.
But he deepened the kiss, digging his fingers into her hair. With his eager lips, there was something desperate in his embrace that she’d never felt from him before. He slid his hand inside her jacket and around her waist, sending a delicious shiver up her spine as his touch warmed her through the thin fabric of her chemise. Giving into the passion of her own desperation, she buried her fingers in his soft curls and ran her hands over the hardened muscles of his torso. He pressed his body and his lips against her until she felt the bed under her back. His hands explored upward, caressing her breasts. It was more even more sensual than she’d expected, and as his fingers brushed over her with so little material between them, she let out a soft gasp. She wanted more.
His hand brushed down her side, lingering to caress her hip before working along her thigh to grasp the bare knee just under her skirt. She trailed her fingers down his back, curiosity taking hold as she hooked one under his waistband.
Kennard tensed, then scrambled off the bed, attempting to cover his arousal with one hand. His face was crimson. He ran his other hand through his hair and rubbed the back of this neck. “Lia, we can’t.”
Humiliation oozed over her, burning and sick. She took a shaky breath and covered her face with her hands.
He knelt by the side of the bed and took her hand. “I love you, and Giver knows how much I want you right now. I mean you’re beautiful and half-dressed, and your hair is doing that messy, wavy thing that—” Eyes closed, he shook his head and cleared his throat. “I have regrets, Lia, and I don’t want the first time we make love to be one of them. Taking advantage of your grief, that’s not how I want to become one with you.”
Odelia sniffed, holding back tears. Everything he said was rational, but it still felt like a rejection. She sat up and let him pull her up from the bed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left my room.”
Kennard put his arm around her shoulders. “Let me take you back.” He opened the door and checked down the hallway, then escorted her into her room. He stepped inside and quietly closed her door.
Confused, she furrowed her brows. “I thought you didn’t want to bed me.”
He smirked. “Oh, I very much want to. I said I wasn’t going to. But you came to me because you couldn’t sleep, and I was thinking about how easily you fell asleep in the moose cart. I assume that’s what you were wanting. If you can keep your hands to yourself, maybe I can help you sleep.”
“I would like that,” Odelia said softly. She began removing her jacket, keenly aware of his eyes following her movements. Between the bare shoulders and thin fabric, she was giving him quite the view. “Maybe you should turn around?”
He raised one eyebrow. “Says the woman who was going to take my pants off.”
She turned her back to him. The chemise ended a little above her knees, but the front dipped low. Her covered bottom was preferable to flashing her bosom as she bent to shimmy out of the skirt.
Kennard laughed. “Looks like I got to see some of your undergarments today after all.”
Pivoting back to glare at him, she realized he had, in fact, turned around as well. Odelia climbed into bed and pulled up the comforter. “I’m covered.”
He sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her. With a gentle hand, he pressed her head to his chest and stroked her hair.
She sighed at the soothing movement. “If I were a cat, I think I’d be purring.”
He chuckled. “If you start, I’ll have to make Conora translate.”
Odelia laughed and closed her eyes. It seemed like no time at all before consciousness slipped away.
All morning at breakfast, Ken had expected someone to call him out for the events of last night, but instead, Lia’s parents had summoned them to their room. Though Ken had taken more liberties with Lia than he should’ve, he’d also been careful to check the hallway before he’d snuck back to his room once she’d fallen asleep. No one seemed suspicious of him, yet it still made him nervous. It was a good thing Lia wanted to elope soon. Ken wasn’t sure he could hold out for thirteen more days. Stopping her from undressing him had taken all the willpower he had.
Ken held Lia’s hand, lacing his fingers through hers as they stepped into Abhenric and Hortensia’s room. Inside, Patricius and Conora were making small talk. Herman pointed to a large sack in center of the room. “What’s in there?”
“A wedding dress—among other things,” Abhenric said bluntly.
Lia put her free hand on her hip. “You knew. Mom wouldn’t bring that unless you told her, which means you already knew when I was worrying about you withdrawing your approval. Why didn’t you say so?”
Abhenric held out his hands apologetically. “You needed to get there on your own. I honestly thought it would take you a few more days, but your mom told me about the decision last night.”
Ken and Lia tightened the grip on their handhold.
Frog nuggets. They had been caught. Ken’s heart thudded. How much had Hortensia Heard? More importantly, how much had she told Abhenric? She hadn’t tried to stop them or even said a word about it all morning.
Conora crossed her arms. “You’re actually eloping this time?”
Ken smiled. “I think it’s only half an elopement since the bride’s parents are clearly involved.”
Conora rolled her eyes. “Unless Father’s changed his mind, he will hang Odelia.”
“If things go according to plan, he won’t be able to hang her or anyone else,” Ken said.
Conora gaped. “Oh great Giver… Kennard, tell me you aren’t talking about a coup. You’ve always rebelled against him, but that? For all his faults, he’s still our father and—”
“And a cruel and callous king. He sent Val to his death. If Herman and Lia hadn’t defied him, I’d be dead too.” Ken shook his head in disgust.
“We all know Gonfrid’s not stable,” Lia said quietly. “You may not care about the plight of Vist, but he isn’t even good for Elgatha anymore. This may be our only chance to do this peacefully.”
Patricius scowled. “Why are the Elgathans even in the room for this discussion—with the exception of His Highness, of course?”
“I stand with Kennard,” Herman said solemnly. “Like he said, I’ve already defied orders in an effort to save him. And I owe Odelia.”
Abhenric nodded. “We had a long talk while we watched over Kennard the other day. As long as the prince is involved, Herman will be too.”
Patricius crossed his arms. “And the princess? Who could be more inclined to warn the king than his own daughter?”
Ken raised his hand. “Um… I’m his son, and more involved than anyone.”
“You’re also madly in love with our queen,” Patricius pointed out.
Ken put a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Father and Grandfather have threatened Lia. Mother hates her. Conora, you are the only family I trust to share in our wedding. Please, don’t make me do this alone.”
Conora pulled away and shook her head. “What kind of choice are you presenting me with? Either you and Odelia die as traitors, or I help you kill Father.”
Lia reached for her, eyes wide. “No, no, no. We aren’t trying to kill him. The plan is to capture him.”
Sighing, Conora closed her eyes. “I love you both, and truly do want to see you happy together, but I can’t participate in a coup—”
How could she do this to them again? Ken held up his hand and opened his mouth.
“—which is why I don’t want to know anything more than wedding details. Tell me when it is and if there are things like dresses or flowers that I can help with, but I don’t want to know anything else.”
Ken hugged her. “Thank you. That’s all I wanted.”
Hortensia put a hand on Conora’s back. “Let’s go to your room.” She picked up the bag on the floor. “You can give me your opinion on these wedding clothes.”
Conora nodded and followed her out.
“What is the plan, Your Majesty?” Patricius asked.
Lia laid out her plan to use the Vistan troops to force a surrender, then bring Father back to Meria to stand before a gathering of the nobility. “The most important thing is formalizing our union. The sooner, the better.”
Ken put his arm around her. “I’m ready to marry tonight if we have someone who can perform the ceremony.”
Lia’s eyes lit up. “Dad, since we haven’t claimed the throne yet, you haven’t officially abdicated. You have the power to marry us.”
Abhenric smiled and nodded. “I can’t think of anything better for my first, last, and only act as king.”
Patricius shook his head. “This is a royal wedding. This inn is hardly fitting, and more witnesses can validate your claim. I can call a meeting of the Vistan nobility in Doivrie in ten days and give you a proper ceremony.”
“More witnesses means more wagging tongues,” Herman said.
“And make it that much harder for the Elgathan king to silence them and declare the marriage invalid.”
Lia crossed her arms. “I’m not willing to wait that long. With the time to get the troops to Vigil, Kennard and I would have to leave the morning after the wedding.”
“How long can you wait?” Patricius asked.
Lia reached up and scratched her neck as if in thought, but two of her fingers lingered near her vein. She was checking her Vitality. “Four days.”
Ken’s breath caught in his throat. Women’s Vitalities cycled. It was too subtle to interpret from touching someone once, but after years of daily checking, Lia had internalized her rhythm. Even Ken was familiar enough with it to tell if he paid attention, and he’d run his fingers over her pulse points enough last night to know where she was.
Patricius furrowed his brow. “I can get you to Doivrie and send for Grandilord Straton and my own lords and pettilords, but I’m not sure that’s enough time to get all of the lords and pettilords from Yophiex there. You need them in attendance to claim your title and solidify your union.”
She sighed. “We can hold a meeting with the Vistan nobility after the wedding. There are—” blushing, Lia averted her gaze from Patricius and Abhenric “—more important ways to solidify this union. I won’t wait more than four days.”
Ken took a calming breath. If he wasn’t sure before, Lia was definitely planning their wedding around her fertility. She’d failed to mention that last night. She was putting more trust in his Healing than he had, but he wasn’t about to voice his reservations here. An earlier wedding still suited him, and the two of them could discuss this later. “You know, Herman makes a good point about the risk of witnesses,” Ken said, desperate to change the subject.
Ignoring him, Patricius said to Lia, “You can always accomplish that later. I’m sure the prince will be very attentive. We need Vist to rise up together—”
Ken took a step toward Patricius. “Your Grace, I am not discussing this subject in front of my future father-in-law. Your opinion has been noted, and we are moving on.”
Patricius narrowed his eyes. “I was speaking to Her Majesty.”
“And Her Majesty has made her will known,” Abhenric said.
Clasping his hands together, Patricius took a breath and stepped back. “Apologies, I will send Flight messengers to Yophiex as soon as we’re done here.”
“Are there any other details we need to establish before the wedding?” Herman asked.
“Until they can rule Meriveria jointly, Kennard will need a Vistan title,” Abhenric said.
“Prince consort would be proper,” Patricius said.
Lia put her arm around Ken’s waist. “King consort.”
Patricius pursed his lips, his face turning red.
She sighed. “What is the objection now?”
Patricius steepled his fingers. “There are those who would rather see an independent Vist. They may be a bit reluctant about your union in the first place, but naming him king will be an affront to them. You are simply trading one Elgathan king for another.”
Ken shifted uncomfortably.
Lia looked up at him, her brow furrowed in thought, then turned to Patricius. “If he did nothing, he’d already be in line to be the King of Meriveria, but he’s risking everything for me. And when he thought I was common, he was willing to raise me to his level. I cannot do less for him.”
Ken couldn’t resist a smile. He tucked a golden strand behind her ear. “Thank you, love, but it’s just a title. You know it doesn’t mean anything to me.”
She put her hand to his chest. “But it’s what it represents. Like you said, you and I are in this together, and your status should reflect that.”
“What if you tell the Vistans about Kennard when you hold your meeting?” Herman suggested. “If you help them understand, maybe they’ll be more open to him.”
“You should give our people more credit, Patricius,” Abhenric said.
“King consort it is,” Patricius said. “Anything else?”
Lia nodded. “Make sure you invite Moira, Sergeant Rhonwin’s wife. She’ll be at the manor in Losuno. The two of them were my first allies, and if we can’t keep Meriveria whole, they want to join Vist.”
Patricius bowed, then left.
Ken frowned. “He was such a delightful host when I last saw him. Did I do something to offend him?”
“He likes being the one to make the plans,” Abhenric said. “You should’ve seen how upset he was when I decided not to claim the throne. But he’ll settle back down as Odelia asserts herself more.”
Ken raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure he isn’t more interested in an independent Vist?”
Lia shook her head. “Even if he is, he’d be a fool to turn on you, considering that you’re integral to our plan.”
“On second thought, maybe I should help him send those letters,” Abhenric said, then walked out the door.
“Herman, would you mind making sure my things are packed?” Ken asked. “I’ll meet you in my room later.”
Herman nodded and dashed out.
“We should probably check on Mom and Conora.” Lia took a step toward the door.
“It would’ve been nice if you’d told me about your plans to bear my children,” Ken mused.
She pivoted slowly. “What does that mean?”
Ken crossed his arms. “You’ll reach peak Vitality in a week, and four days from now gives you a perfect window of time. You want me to impregnate you as soon as possible.”
Lia rolled her eyes. “Of course I do. Why do you sound so surprised? That’s part and parcel to this marriage. Our heirs will secure the Treaty of Meriveria better than anything.”
He took her hand in both of his, so soft and small, and traced the delicate lines of her fingers. “Patricius was right about one thing. We don’t need them right away. You won’t be safe as long as my father is in power, and I want to protect you from that before I put you in danger again.”
She smiled sweetly. “I pulled you from the edge of death, and I trust that you can and will do the same for me. Besides, you’re the one who wanted to marry tonight. What were you expecting to happen?”
He felt her wrist, the familiar hum of her Vitality shifting brighter than last night, but not at its brightest. Ken grinned. “I would expect a very fun night and nothing more.”
Lia turned pink. “I can’t believe you can tell that.”
“Why not? I have almost as much practice with it as you do.”
“And what were you planning to do later?” She took her hand back and pressed herself closer. “I doubt you’d want to stay away from me for a whole week.”
He smiled. “Well, no, I hadn’t planned on being intimate that way.” Then he wiggled his eyebrows and whispered, “But there are other ways of being intimate, especially with this.” He brushed his lips against her ear, counting on the tingling sensation to get his point across.
Backing away, she cleared her throat. “We really should check in on Mom and Conora.”
Ken bit back a laugh. “You’ll talk about fertility, but intimacy embarrasses you?”
“I’m not embarrassed. I’m suppressing the urge to ask you to show me.” Lia put a hand over her mouth, eyes wide.
He laughed harder. “Wow. This is going to be a really long four days, isn’t it?”
She nodded vigorously, then scowled in thought. “Our wedding night is set now. Would you really avoid consummating?”
Ken sighed. “Of course not, on the first night. But it still scares me.”
“Then don’t think of it as dangerous. Think of how it could protect me. Even if we fail to unite the Vistan and Elgathan nobility, Gonfrid couldn’t attack me while I carry your heir because it would be his as well.”
“It didn’t stop him from sending me to that battle.”
“He didn’t do so publicly, did he?” Lia pointed out. “He can’t afford to do that in front of the nobility when his crown is at stake.”
“You’re going to have an argument for every angle, aren’t you?”
She smiled. “You know me too well.”
He smiled back. “Not as well as I’d like, but we’ll remedy that in a few days.”
Lia scoffed. “And I thought I was bad last night. We should go before you succeed in tempting me into trouble.”
The door to Conora’s room opened before Odelia reached it.
Mom hefted a large bag over her shoulder. “I Heard. Four days.” She adjusted her earmuffs and closed the door.
Kennard put a hand on Odelia’s back. “How’s Conora taking all this?”
“Fine,” Mom said. “Once she saw your outfits, she relaxed a bit more and focused on that. She’s packing now. I would definitely keep an eye on her, though. I doubt she means any harm, but just in case, I don’t think we should let her send any messages without checking them first.”
“That’s probably for the best.” Kennard rubbed the back of his neck. “Is there anything you need to know for your part of the planning?”
Mom shrugged. “No, I could Hear everything through the wall.”
Kennard’s eyes went wide.
Odelia suppressed a laugh. “What is it, Ken? Are you the one embarrassed by our conversation now?”
“I’m not thinking about the one we just had,” he said.
“Oh,” Odelia said softly. “I guess you did mention that earlier, didn’t you?”
Mom waved it off and shook her head. “What’s done is done. I don’t want any more details.”
“Nothing happened,” Kennard insisted.
“You were in and out of each other’s rooms, which is something enough,” Mom whispered.
Odelia bit her lip. “How much did you tell Dad?”
“Only what he needed to know,” Mom said.
Odelia’s face was warm. “If you knew what I was trying to do, why didn’t you stop me?”
Mom sighed. “You’re a grown woman, Odelia. Your choices are your own.”
She had raised Odelia to use her head, not give in to impulse, and she didn’t need words to show her disappointment. The look in her eyes said everything.
Odelia nodded. “I’m going to get my bag,” she said quietly, then returned to her room.
Four days. She only needed to hold back for the next four days.