She waved a hand at me. “Do not apologize to me. I do not want your pity, nor do I care to hear anything from you. You, Miss Komita, do not belong here.”
That, we could both agree on. I didn’t belong here. No matter how hard I tried, or who my parents were, I would never fit in amongst these royals.
Amongst the kings. “Why don’t you just get rid of me?” I asked, curious.
Her eyes became narrowed slits. “I would love to get rid of you, Miss Komita, but you have made some powerful alliances by fucking the kings. I have to bide my time and wait for the right moment.”
So, she still wanted me gone. There was no surprise there. “Will you not tell me something of my father or mother?” I asked lightly, knowing my time was growing short in her presence.
The headmistress laughed, reclining in her chair. “You truly wish to know about your father? Your father was a tyrant. He took what he wanted, when he wanted, and gave no apologies. He cared for no one save himself and least of all a bastard child from one of his whores.”
“My mother was not a whore,” I shot back, hating the word.
Isauros eyed me. “You do not know who your mother was so don’t try to pretend otherwise, Miss Komita. You have this elaborate past already figured out, don’t you? Well, I am here to tell you that nothing you have figured out thus far is true.”
I wanted to rail at her, to tell her she was mistaken, but how could I? I didn’t know anything about my mother and less about my father.
“Besides,” the woman continued, pressing her hands into the wood on her desk. “If you knew half the things your father was capable of, you would have already gathered that your mother is dead, and he is responsible for her death.”
**
I didn’t even remember how I got back to my dorm or how I pressed my face into my pillow, sobbing as the truth had come to life.
My mother was dead.
I had known it deep down since the moment I had passed the threshold and learned the truth about my past, but hearing those words from someone who likely knew the truth did not soften the blow.
I found myself walking to the library shortly after my cryfest in the dorm, wrapping my arms around myself to ward off the sudden chill that filled my body. I was truly alone. My mother was dead and so was my father. There was no one that was going to come for me, no one that cared about me or my well-being.
Sure, I had the fortune my father had bequeathed me, but it wasn’t going to wrap itself around me and hug me close. It wasn’t going to call me on my birthday and wish me well or provide comfort when I was sad.
What it would do was buy friends who could not care less about me, only caring about their status.
Even the kings couldn’t deny the allure of the money and what it could do. It would open doors, political ones, that they had only dreamed about. My time with Arthur had clearly defined his need to have that money, and the road I was walking down with Royce was likely not going to be any different. He could talk about how he wanted me for me, but he was one of the three that had made that pact in the beginning, before I had come to the academy.
I couldn’t trust him any more than I could trust the other two.
Deciding that the library wasn’t in me today, I bypassed it and walked outside, where a light snow was falling. It reminded me of my time with Royce, and how innocent our time together had been, if only for a little while.
Had I enjoyed my time with Royce? Absolutely.
Was I going to do it again? That, I didn’t know for sure. One time with a king was enough if I wanted to keep my heart intact.
Which I was finding harder to do.
**
Royce
I lunged my sword toward my opponent, satisfied when I heard the grunt as my sword made connection with his already-sore ribs. A drop of blood appeared, and I stepped back, hearing the cheers of those around the ring.
I had drawn first blood. I was the winner.
After giving my wide-arching bow to the crowd gathered, I sauntered out of the ring, handing off my sword and grabbing my towel. Tonight, the ring was packed, many vying to watch the first round of the annual tournament that I enjoyed putting on. It provided entertainment and a fat pocket, though I always made myself ineligible to receive. The money that was flowing through the illegal club was enough for me.
Plus, it gave others a chance to be on top for once.
Wiping my face, I threw the towel in my bag and walked through the crowd, pushing past them so that I could reach the door. While the tournament was usually foremost on my mind, there was something, or rather someone else pressing more.
Damn, pauper.
She had been on my mind since the morning she had exited my home, refusing to take a ride back to the school in case someone saw us. Hell, they didn’t have to see us together. All they had to do was put me in the same room as her and they would see it written all over my face.
I had slept with Anna.
It wasn’t for any other reason other than that I wanted to. I hadn’t lied to her. I could give two shits about the money or the pact right now. She had infiltrated my mind with her quiet
