wasn't there to tell her that she couldn't go back to Lantis. Rest assured, I will have her banished from my own kingdom. It’s more than she deserves.”
"It's no fault of yours. I assume you were busy with other things." He raised an eyebrow at me, a gesture I returned because I realized that it was no surprise this man was the king of the most prosperous nation in our alliance.
He was too astute not to know what happened in Oshal.
"I was. Still, being busy with other things shouldn't preclude me from being a good brother. I'm glad you got her back. She'll be happy here in Oshal and make a wonderful Queen. I thought she might never get the opportunity to truly be one." I looked over to see her comforting the Princess of Arristoel, who looked to be crying.
"You'll be seeing it in the marriage contract, anyway, but I feel I should tell you, because I've seen you looking around the ballroom for someone who isn't here." My gaze narrowed on him and I was on the verge of asking him to mind his own business when Reece interrupted. "I know, it's annoying when someone presumes to tell you how to live your life. However, the contract stipulates a full alliance between Oshal and Lantis. Your sister will make a wonderful Queen and that stems from her love and loyalty to the land she hails from. She wants to see you married and happy, she says. Just as the two of us are certain to be."
Hope and embarrassment speared through me at his statement. I pushed the hope down, ashamed that it had to take Alina's own union to save my kingdom. "I assure you, Lantis will pull through on its own. The offer is appreciated, but we don't want to be a burden in any way."
"Trust me, Aric, you wouldn't. Last night, after I first saw Alina, I spent the time I was awake thinking about her, gathering even more information about the country she came from. I know that it was mismanaged by your father, but I also know that it's lucky to have you at its helm. What I'm offering aren't handouts because I'm sure those wouldn't be helpful. Just rest assured that should you need it, you have our backing. Of course, anyone with half a brain cell could see what an honorable and hard-working King you are in trying to save your country from complete ruin. It is clear that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to."
My eyes widened as I stared at him. He was right, and I'd been stupid. If I'd wanted Bristol I should have fought for her. With or without Oshal, I should have fought for her. I put my untouched glass of scotch down and stood.
"I'll tell your sister you've gone, Aric." He gave me a casual toast. "I wish you the best of luck."
People spoke to me as I made my way through the dining room, the congratulatory mood of the evening following Reece and Alina's announcement making people even more social than normal. For the first time since I'd been old enough to know what my role would be for Lantis and understood what that meant, I ignored them.
I pushed through them as politely as I could, but I didn't turn any fake and friendly smiles their way. All that mattered was getting to Bristol before it was too late to fix the damage I’d caused.
I'd left her with Holden, heartbroken and leaning on another man. It would be a wonder if doing so didn't condemn me to a life alone, just when marriage between us had become a possibility. Nobody could fault her for accepting a proposal from me, not when I had the King of Oshal backing me.
That made me a more beneficial match for her country than even Holden himself.
I backtracked my steps, going the way I'd come in search of Bristol. I had no hopes that she would still be lingering in the hallway where I'd left her, but something about the situation felt like I needed the impact of the place where only an hour ago I'd been crushed with the choice I’d had to make for her sake.
I wound up Holden’s rooms rather than hers, and realized that it was a good idea to speak to him first. If I somehow managed to convince Bristol to accept me, I wanted it to be with his blessing.
The door opened