hisses to Merek.
“If you two do not tell me what this is about, I will have both of you whipped,” I state.
Merek’s head turns slowly, his brows lifted and a smirk playing on his lips. “You’ll do no such thing,” he says so cocksure of what I am, and am not, capable of.
“You, I won’t whip. I’ll just best you with my sword,” I snarl, still angry at him for daring to be too friendly with my wife.
Obviously, he is not frightened by my ire, Merek only laughs at my words. “Then it is a challenge I will gladly accept. You do not need to know what Her Highness does not wish to tell you with her own mouth.”
“Cease thinking of my wife’s mouth,” I growl.
Merek shakes his head. “You are in love with the woman, admit it.”
“I hardly know her,” I snap.
He snorts. “You do not need to know her deepest darkest secrets to know how you feel about the woman. She was thrust upon you, but you could have done a dozen different things with her. The fact that you chose to marry her and so obviously do not wish to have the marriage be in name only tells a lot about how you feel for her, even if you do not want to admit it.”
“The witch has cast a spell on her,” I grind out.
Merek’s smirk finally dies as he watches me. Cornwall’s face pales, probably assuming that his mother has cast this spell and that he will ultimately suffer for her wrongdoings. He doesn’t know that I am not a man who would punish a son for his parent’s indiscretions, even if she were the witch who had cast this spell.
“You need to tell us, Elias,” Merek demands, his happiness and jovial mood completely disappeared.
“The prophecy states that Sybilla must fall in love with her heart’s true love. Godiva thought that she would bind Sybilla with her true love, that they would both become ill if they were not with one another. I was sick the whole way home, the men had to take me to a healer, they thought I may not make it. Was Sybilla sick at all?”
Merek’s gaze shifts to Cornwall and he nods his head once. “The Queen collapsed a few days ago in her chamber. Her maids were with her, they put her to bed for a day and she seemed to feel better. Jasmine assured me it was only women’s troubles that caused her collapse, I thought perhaps her ribbons were just pulled too tightly. Yesterday was her first time outside in three days.”
“Gods,” I hiss. “You did not think to tell me any of this?” I demand, my gaze focusing on Merek.
He shrugs a shoulder. “She was in high spirits when I visited her. Yesterday, she demanded to see the children and to visit some homebound souls. I did not deny her, she was very adamant.”
“You did not deny her,” I mumble. Sard.
Merek adores her, it’s obvious and I hate everything about it. Though, I’m more angry at myself for leaving and allowing them to bond, even if it is innocent, which I doubt it truly is. No man can innocently adore Sybilla, it just isn’t possible.
“There is more,” Cornwall meekly rasps.
“Go ahead, I’m already good and mad, finish me off, Cornwall,” I grunt.
He clears his throat, then tells me about the first week of my absence, how they all thought that she was going to expire in her bed. How she refused to eat or drink, that she wasn’t sleeping and it appeared as though I had broken her.
My entire body locks up tight at the mention of my queen losing herself because of me, because I was a right ass to her. All I can do is picture my mother in her deathbed. The way my father treated her, the way he kept mistresses and flaunted them without care or concern over my mother or her tender feelings. The way he ignored her existence.
“You are not him,” Merek mutters.
Lifting my gaze to him, I notice that Cornwall has left us alone. “Am I not, cousin?”
He shakes his head. “You are not. You do not have a mistress that you allow to conspire against you and your country, protecting her so that she will continue to spread her legs for you. All the while agreeing to sell off your people and your lands to the neighboring country just to stay in her favor. You do not bleed your