A Savage Debt (The Beholden Duet #1) - Zoey Ellis Page 0,9

of adventures she’d never have. Surely she could think of something? But the more she tried to find a solution, the more frustrated she became. Clenching her fists, she swore loud and hard, and immediately felt better. Reluctantly, she began to nibble from the platter of food Milly had brought for her.

It was another hour before her door opened and her mother step through, still in her court wear. Although the queen was always composed, with an amenable smile, she wasn’t able to hide the worry in her eyes this time.

“So Father is really going to let him have me?” Ana blurted out, her horror erupting.

“It’s not like that, Ana.” She spoke carefully. “There is more going on here.”

“Like what?” Ana cried. “What is so important that I have to suffer him for three nights?”

“Calm down,” her mother said sharply.

Ana clamped her mouth shut and forced the horror back down, her breathing heavy until she calmed.

“Where is Millicent?” her mother asked looking around. “You shouldn’t be in here on your own with your thoughts.”

Ana’s mouth tightened. “I sent her away. I don’t want to have to pretend to be all right about this in front of anyone.”

The queen sighed. She sat down on Ana’s bed and patted the space next to her. “There is nothing more important to your father than you, you must know that, Ana,” she said softly as Ana sat down. “He suffers greatly at the thought of you being involved at all. But the Royal Promise is of great magnitude to the rest of the kingdom. It has never been broken, and cannot be twisted or modified to circumvent what a non-royal is owed. The Allandis people hold it in high regard because it is the only time where a royal is beholden to a commoner, even the ruling family, like us. If it is known that we broke that promise, it could have disastrous repercussions across the kingdom.”

Ana swallowed, trying to stay calm. “And is it really applicable here?”

“The Royal Promise is awarded to anyone who saves the king’s life. In this instance, there is no doubt that your father is alive because of the intervention received in the ambush. That was never a secret.”

Ana clenched her jaw. It had clearly been a secret from her. “But was it really the outlaw? Could he be lying?”

“The men who attacked your father wore an insignia that is not formally recognized in this kingdom. It seems they may have been sent from outside Allandis to assassinate him,” her mother said quietly. “But the examination of the outlaw’s rag confirmed it was saturated with your father’s blood, and it matches the other piece your father had with him when he was brought back to the palace.”

Ana stared at her. “No,” she whispered.

The queen’s mouth twisted. “I don’t want it to be true either. But it was pointed out after you left today that no one else has come to claim any reward for saving him these past four weeks. Your father thought the man had been one of his guards who’d died.” She sighed. “It is unlikely that anyone would avoid claiming the Royal Promise.”

“Then why did he wait so long?” Ana scowled.

“Probably so that your father would recover and be of sound mind to award him what he wanted.”

Ana lowered her gaze, blinking as she tried to understand it all. “But the Royal Promise doesn’t mean he can ask for whatever he wants, does it?”

“Normally, no. Only if the ruling king’s life is saved, can the claimant ask for anything at all.”

Ana squeezed her fists tight in her lap. “It’s a stupid rule.”

“It is. We have just been examining it for the last few hours, and it is very clear on this point. This is why the commoners like it so much, and why all ruling kings have very strict policies around protection and their guard training—to avoid a commoner having this kind of power.”

“He’s not just a commoner, Mother. He is an outlaw. Why can an outlaw be awarded such a powerful promise like that? It doesn’t make sense.”

“This law has been in place for a long time, Ana, with only one previous recipient. Outlaws like Maddoc didn’t exist when it was passed—the ones that were around were considered redeemable. Including outlaws and criminals as part of the promise made the crown look lenient and accepting of those who may have stumbled upon a life of crime. I doubt anyone expected a criminal as notorious as