Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 137958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 690(@200wpm)___ 552(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 690(@200wpm)___ 552(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Mars chuckled.
Cassius grinned at his calf that was up, his ankle resting on his knee.
And with that, Mars’s man strode out.
Cassius gave Mars his attention.
“How did you know that would work?” he asked.
Mars sat back. “I didn’t know. But there are two sides to every coin. You can’t know what you’ll get when a coin is flipped. But there was no harm exploring. Fortunately, the coin flipped in our favor.”
Cassius nodded before his expression turned severe.
“She will not relent on Elena,” he said.
“Of course she won’t,” Mars agreed. “Her jealousy consumes her. I noted this during the parade when Elena rode on her own. Serena watched her with the ill-concealed need to control her bow so she didn’t take aim at her mother’s other daughter.”
Mars watched Cassius’s mouth grow tight.
He had not noticed that.
He had been too busy watching Elena.
“She knows her mother’s favorite, Cass,” Mars continued. “She undoubtedly knows, if the prophecy did not need to be brought about, Serena would be relegated to general, and Elena would assume the role of queen. It has happened before in Nadirii history. They are not bound to whatever whims the fates decree for the ascension of a royal line.”
“This is known to me, obviously,” Cass muttered.
It would be.
It was known to everybody.
Though there might be something not known to Cass.
“I watched her tonight as well, Cassius. She’s covetous of what her sister will earn from you. And I don’t think it’s the fact that, clearly, she wishes a man who can take charge of at least some things in her life.”
Cass shook his head. “That’s absurd.”
“She would not make a good ruler. She is not a good sister. Or perhaps a good daughter. But she is a good general. As are you.”
“So you think this draws her to me?” Cass asked with disbelief.
“I think I caught her watching you with Elena at dinner and I did it often. Silence saw me and noted it herself. You were involved with Elena. But we were not the only ones who noted it. Ophelia does not miss much. She did not miss that.”
“Bloody hell,” Cass muttered.
“Perhaps Serena knows she’ll never have any kind of relationship with anyone meaningful in her life, man, mother or sister. She holds too much hate. For men, though Nadirii have long since started to take lovers, partners, even husbands. For her mother, for not loving her as much as her sister. And for that sister, for earning the love of the mother. And now, it may be, she’s admired you from afar and it cannot be escaped she won’t have you, but her sister will.”
“Brilliant,” Cass sighed.
“It is not lost on me, my brother,” Mars started quietly, “that you share some of the same unrests in your life as your intended.”
“Trajan,” Cassius said.
“Yes,” Mars agreed. “Your father did not demonstrate his preferences in a son, as probably Ophelia doesn’t either. But if those preferences are strong, they’ll be felt by a child.”
“Agreed.”
“And Farah and True share weak fathers,” Mars remarked.
“I’ve noted that,” Cassius said. “And what do you share with wee Silence?”
Mars shook his head. “I’ve no idea. My father was good. Her father is not. My mother is good. Her mother is torn. Though I have no siblings, and neither does she. But this is not a foundation for a strong bond, an understanding of each other, the basis from which to build something meaningful, as you have with Elena, as True has with Farah.”
“I suppose you’ll enjoy finding out.”
Mars was enjoying quite a bit about his little monkey.
Thinking of his bride, he became serious. “Tonight, she felt unrest in the veil.”
“All the intendeds are gathered, Mars. And tonight, for the first time, we were in close proximity for an extended period of time. It’s my understanding this is what’s supposed to happen.”
“This is what Nandra says.”
Cassius raised his brows. “You disagree?”
“It disturbed my Silence,” he grunted.
Cass sat for a moment, immobile.
And then again came forth his laughter.
After he expended it, Cassius stated, “I’ve never thought on it. If I had, I would have pictured you with a lush Firenz beauty. Like the Mar-el, your finding the most exquisite female in your land and taking her to wife. Though now, I see, you found beauty of another sort from another land and you are glad of it. So I am glad of it for you.”
“She is virgin,” Mars told him.
“So is mine.”
At that, Mars raised his brows. “Really?”
“As shared by her sister in an effort to humiliate her. She didn’t refute it. And she didn’t because it’s true.”
Mars watched him closely, remarking, “So True hasn’t had her.”
“He has not.”
They stared at each other.
“She pulls at you,” Mars whispered.
“We’ll just say there’s another Nadirii princess who earned a spanking tonight and I very much wish it was her who got it,” Cassius replied. “Though, after that, our ending would have been much different than Chu’s.”