Royal Torment - Viola Grace Page 0,23
could be the imperial consort?”
“Yes, he would be a prince of the empire and father of the next head of state.” She sighed. “Or, he stays here, and I go home and occasionally send him images of his child, possibly with annual visits.”
He nodded. “That sounds like a sucky situation.”
“For me, sure. For him? He can do as he likes. I was in this position the day I was born. It is what it is. I am just lucky that I got to pick my lover as that was also being discussed the last time I went home.” She shivered.
The music came to a halt, and she applauded lightly.
He murmured, “This next one will be shorter but faster.”
She knew the strains when she heard them and muttered, “That’s what they all say.”
Stringed instruments and drumbeats started, Malin lifted her and spun her through the air, setting her down on her feet. She began to move with him through the dance, quick steps with twisting hips, spins, lifts, and being thudded into his body. When the last strains of the dance were over, she was wrapped in his arms, facing away from him, and the crowd applauded all the dancers.
Tydella was a little sweaty, but she turned to applaud the other dancers, and they had all stepped aside.
Malin chuckled, bowed, and took her hand, pressing his lips to her knuckles. “Thank you. I have never properly been able to take a partner for a spin before. You are only half Kiidar?”
“Indeed.”
“What is the other half?”
She leaned in and told him.
His eyes went wide, and he looked over at her mother with huge eyes. “She’s...”
“Oh, yes. It is how they met.”
Ador was at her side and offering her his hand. “May I have the next and all subsequent dances?”
She smiled. “Certainly, but after getting all worked up with your brother, you are going to have to take it easy with me.”
Malin’s eyes brightened, and his laughter was just as sparkling as his gaze.
Tydella looked up at Ador and took his hand. “Fine. But I am in desperate need of a proper night’s sleep, so I am not going to last long.”
The mid-tempo music was playing, and Tydella let him take over as they swooped and spun around the room. “So, you have enchanted my little brother.”
She chuckled. “Not enchanted, more intrigued. And if he runs into a few of my guards, his first rut is going to hit hard.”
“He’s only nineteen!”
She snorted. “So? How old were you?”
He paused and blushed. “Right. You don’t want to know.”
He twisted his arm, and she spun under it before landing lightly against him.
She smiled. “I think we might get to that conversation eventually.”
“What did you do when your hormones kicked on?”
Tydella shook her head. “You don’t want to know.”
He narrowed his eyes. “We might get to that conversation eventually. What did you and my brother discuss?”
“The endgame for this situation. There are two that I can think of, and neither is properly palatable.”
“What do you think our options are?”
She shrugged. “They are the same as having always been outlined to me. I get pregnant, and I am under high security at the palace, with or without you. If you come, you are now the Imperial Prince Consort; if you don’t, you are here as your parents’ heir, and I will be in the imperial palace learning to knit.”
He spun her out again before cuddling her against him. “That sounds unpleasant.”
“They are my family; this is the spot I was born to. I either have to live with it or occasionally sneak off for a few days with a stranger in rut.” She smiled. “I do a lot of stuff, but I do it with eight people chasing me around. It’s just my life.”
“So, when I come to live at the palace, what will I have to know?”
She stumbled in surprise, and he caught her before kissing her, where everyone could see them.
She stared up at him. “You are serious?”
“Of course. I can still come back here to visit, you know. In fact, we can have family trips.”
“Not until we have at least two children. The imperial heir will not be allowed to travel until there is a second child for safety.”
He smiled. “I know. Your father and I spent a few hours talking. He is slightly terrifying.”
“Only slightly?” she chuckled. “Yeah, my mom taught him everything he knows.”
“She is... formidable.”
Her parents danced past, and her mother sing-songed out, “And she is listening.”
Tydella laughed, and Ador smiled.
She