"What's that," she asked.
"Nothing," he said, much too quickly. He then folded the paper up and placed it in one of the drawers. That made Aria a little suspicious. She made a mental note to search his desk later. Maybe that was a little out of line, but she didn't care. It was obviously something he didn't want her to see.
He turned to face her.
"So um, Grace said something about us leaving? Where are we going," she asked.
"Oh. Uh. Well, there's this little tradition we have—something like a 'honeymoon' or whatever. We'd just go to a smaller manner house near the river. But...I didn't plan...I mean, I didn't think you'd want to go, so..."
"Oh," she said, a little embarrassed.
"Unless you really want to spend a few days away from your people? But I should warn you, we'd be mostly alone."
"No-no. We don't have to. I mean, unless I have to?"
He sighed.
"How many times have I told you that I won't make you do anything?"
"Well, I'm still unfamiliar with this whole married-to-a-king thing, so I apologize in advance for not knowing everything," she said, annoyed.
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"Do you always have to be such a dick? It was just a question!"
"Do you always have to ask me stupid questions when I've already given you the answers? More than once, might I add."
She narrowed her eyes—that asshole.
"No. I don't want to go. I doubt I could survive a few days of being alone with you. I'd probably go mad."
"Not before I did. Trust me, the last thing I want is to be alone with you and that attitude."
"You're such an asshole."
"Duly noted."
He turned back to the desk.
Aria scoffed.
She found something to wear, grabbed her journal, and left, slamming the door behind her. She walked to the garden and sat down on the bench. She spent the rest of the day writing.
Chapter 16
At dinner, she stayed quiet, not even bothering to try and make conversation with him. He ate silently beside her.
She left right after she was done, going to their room. She figured she would have a little time to snoop before he came up. But when she tried to open the drawer at his desk, it was locked. That only made her more suspicious.
She put on the nightgown she had worn the night before and crawled into bed. As soon as she'd brought the covers up, he came inside.
He went to the bathroom, and she tried not to look at him as he made his way to the bed, shirtless again. Thankfully, he had pants on.
She was on her side, but she could feel the bed shifting under his weight as he laid down on his back. She could hear him reaching for something. Curiosity got the best of her, and she turned to find him reading a book. He was leaning against the headboard, the book in his lap.
"What are you reading," she asked.
"A book," he said. "I assume you had those?"
God, he is so fucking infuriating.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, we did. I know it's a book, asshole. What is it?"
He lifted it so that she could see the cover, Greek Mythology.
"Oh," she said, turning back around.
It wasn't late; she wasn't sleepy or tired. But she didn't really want to get up either. She kind of wished that he would leave. But she doubted that he would even if she'd had the nerve to ask.
"Why is that sword hanging there? Above the bed," she asked, not turning over.
"It's an important sword," he said.
"Do you have to act like that? Do you have to be such a smartass?"
"But I am. Smart, I mean," he said, smirking at her.
She sighed. "Forget it."
"Okay, okay. I apologize," he said, closing the book. "The sword is hanging above us because it really is an important sword. I used it before I was crowned the king."
"Used it? For what?"
"To kill the former king."
"What?"
"I used that sword to kill the man that was king before me," he said.
"Why?"
"That's a long story," he said.
"You've already said that. And last time you said you'd tell me. So tell me. Unless you have something better to do?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
He sighed. And to her surprise, he closed the book and put it beside him. He turned to face her, lying on his side. He rested his head on his right hand and began talking.
"I wasn't the king's son. I was...I was a bastard. My mother had me before she married the king. With who? I'm not sure. The king didn't even know I existed," he said.
"The king before me...he was a cruel man. Unjust. Evil, some might say. That's why people talk about this place the way they do. He and his men were banished from the Terra lands long ago. They were sent here. But they were resourceful and resilient. They lived off of the land and steadily built this place."
Aria turned to face him, lying on her side. Just as he was.
"They raided other lands. They took whatever they wanted. Most of the time, they brought people back with them. Slaves. That's how this place is populated. My mother was one of the women that had been taken. She became one of the servants in this very palace. She'd already been pregnant then. Somehow, she kept it a secret and had me. A few days later, she'd paid someone to take me to a village, as far from the palace as possible—a poor place. One the king rarely ever visited. They'd had an orphanage there. There weren't many of us. But that's where I grew up."
Aria stayed quiet. Completely swept up in the history of his life.
"My mother, she was strong. And incredibly beautiful. The king became so obsessed with her that she was forced to marry him. She came to visit me when she could. When she was crowned queen, she obviously had more power, more money. More to give. So she'd come by
