Page 79 of Tarnished Crown

Evander grimaced. “Yes, I’m just thrilled with how everything has turned out,” he paused. “What does that have to do with your bracelet?”

“He gave it to me,” I said quietly.

Evander looked a little surprised.

“Where else did you think I had gotten a Socairan bracelet?” I questioned.

“I just assumed you bought it with your winnings from our little wager.” He smiled, like tricking me into helping him beat Theo was a fond memory for him, and I narrowed my eyes.

“Just when I start to forget what anaalioyou actually are.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” he said darkly. “So why a lotus flower then?”

My eyes squeezed shut, trying to block out the wave of emotion that accompanied that particular memory. “He said it reminded him of me. Difficult to keep alive.”

Andbeautiful, Theo had said at the negotiations, but I didn’t want to repeat that part in front of Evander and see the mockery on his face when he disagreed.

I wasn’t really beautiful. I was more cute on a good day, especially compared to Avani. But Theo had thought I was, and that had been all that mattered for a while.

And now he was going to be with Galina, who actuallywasbeautiful. I wondered if she wasdifferent,too, then I chastised myself for being petty when she was a pawn in the games of Socairan men every bit as much as I was.

She deserved to bedifferent, to someone. Special. But why did it have to be Theo?

Evander made a sound in the back of his throat, a cross between thoughtful and derisive, but didn’t say anything.

“I guess you were right all along.” I shrugged.

“Naturally, but what about?”

“That two weeks isn’t long enough to fall in love with someone. Not really.” Saying the words out loud brought them home in a tangible, undeniable way.

I loved Theo, loved how noble and upstanding and sincere he was, but I wasn’t sure that I had ever been in love with him.

I probably could have been, in time, but that was a luxury we were never given. I could have blamed Evander for that, or Iiro, or myself, but it seemed there was plenty of blame to go around these days and no real point in dwelling on any of it.

Did that mean he wasn’t really in love with me, either?

My thoughts must have played out on my face because Evander sighed like he was warring with himself.

“I’ve known Korhonan a long time,” he finally gritted out. “I haven’t always liked him, but he’s always been easy to read. I don’t know about love, but his feelings for you were genuine.”

A small weight lifted off my chest. Even though I had believed Theo, it helped to hear it confirmed by someone else. That even if it was over, it was real while it lasted.

“But he was dead wrong about that flower,” Evander snorted. “If anything, Lemmikki, you’re difficult to kill.”

“Oh?” I cocked my head. “What would you suggest, then?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “A cockroach or something equally annoying and resilient.”

I laughed in spite of myself. “I’m sure that would make a very appealing charm. Perhaps you can procure me one as a parting gift. After all, if Theo marries, you have no need to keep me prisoner.”

He stilled, his expression closing off. “This is hardly the first time they’ve initiated talks with Ram. We’ll wait to see if he actually goes through with it, or if this is just another one of Iiro’s games.”

The thought filled me with a weird mixture of anxiety and hope, but neither was a road I could afford to go down.

CHAPTER52

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of the cat’s purrs right next to me. Light streamed in through the window, though the dark curtain was only cracked instead of fully pulled back like it usually was.