There was no telling what the king might do to her.
He dropped his tone so that only Ryssa could hear him. "And you'd best listen to me, dear sister. For your own good. Estes would never do such a thing. It's another of your lies designed to make us free Acheron. Do you understand?"
She slapped him so hard his ears rang from the blow. "You're a selfish, worthless coward! I burn for the day when I stand over your corpse. Better yet, I would gladly pay any cost to see you whored one day the way Acheron is."
Styxx glared at her as those words pricked memories he tried to keep buried. "And you should be grateful I'm not king yet. I'd have you whipped for such treachery." Wiping the blood from his lips, he left her and headed for his room.
"Styxx?"
He hesitated at his father's call from downstairs. Given how badly his face burned, he knew his sister's handprint would be plainly evident.
Shit ...
"Yes, Father," he said without moving.
"Could you come here, please?"
Double shit.
Sighing, Styxx turned and closed the distance between them.
His father's eyes widened as he saw the mark. "What happened to you?"
Styxx rubbed his hand over his stinging cheek. "Said something to a woman I shouldn't have."
"What woman? Name her and I'll have her whipped for the audacity."
Sure you would.... But honestly, he didn't want to chance it. "It's fine, Father. Some might say I deserved it."
That didn't placate the king at all. "You are the prince and must be respected as such!"
Did that include his uncle molesting him, or his twin? He had to bite back that hostility before it got him a lot worse than a bitch-slap. "Did you need something, Father?"
"I wanted to go over the banquet tonight with you."
Styxx glanced up to see Ryssa standing beside his mother on the stair ledge. Both were staring a hole through him. He was so tired of it all. The lies, the deceit.
The shame.
But worse was the knowledge that if the truth ever came out, Ryssa would gloat. His mother, too. The two of them would probably pay Estes for a front row seat to watch his uncle plow him open.
Unaware that Styxx was distracted, the king continued on. "Would you mind seeing Senator Nileas about the proposal he said he'd have to me yesterday? He should be in the forum this time of day."
"I shall see it done, Father." Ignoring his mother and sister, Styxx left the palace then headed for the forum in the center of town.
His face had finally stopped burning by the time he reached the building where many of the noblemen gathered to drink and philosophize away from their wives. Since he could hear their thoughts and knew the majority of them despised him with a venom that made Ryssa look like a devoted fan, he tended to avoid this place whenever he could.
Ironically, the thing they criticized and held against him most was the fact that he'd refused to pick one of them as his "mentor." Rather he'd designated Galen instead of a nobleman because he knew Galen wouldn't expect him to bend over when they were alone together. Nor would Galen expect political favors from him later.
And the old war dog held at least a modicum of regard for him. While his choice was extremely unconventional, it gave him one less nightmare to endure.
"Where's Nileas?" Styxx asked the first senator he found in the complex.
"In the back, Highness. With Patrokles."
Styxx paused to turn toward the two guards who trailed him. The nobles didn't like "commoners" spying on them while they spoke freely. "Stay here. I'll be right back."
Reluctantly, they obeyed.