Page 61 of Obsidian Throne
“I have no doubt that he will, as soon as he makes his appearance,” Iiro said smoothly. “Lady Ava says he is unwell this morning. I do hope it’s nothing serious.”
“I’m certain he’ll be fine in no time.”Unfortunately.
Since my father’s illness set in, the healers had been saying his lifespan would be shorter, but he seemed determined to hold on.
What did it say about me that I wished regularly that he would hurry things along?
Especially times like these.
* * *
When we finally stopped for a midday break, I wasn’t surprised to see Korhonan approach.
The others filed out of the room while he stayed behind to talk to me.
I tried to keep my features civil since he had been by far the least obnoxious person at the meeting, but it was difficult when he still looked at my wife like she should have belonged to him.
It was all good and well to tease Rowan about her jealousy, but I wasn’t sure I could have stood here at all if things had gone any further between them than they did.
“I know my brother’s method of communication leaves much to be desired, but I believe that he truly does want what’s best for Socair.” Korhonan sighed. “He just...is extreme in his methods.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, not sure how anyone could be so incredibly oblivious to what was right in front of them.
I might have envied that kind of blind loyalty, since I hadn’t had the luxury of thinking anything half that decent about my own family in years, except that his idiocy was going to affect my clan.
Again.
“You know that like you knew he didn’t want to be king?” I finally asked him, opening my eyes.
He leveled a look at me.
“I said he didn’t want to go to war for it, not that he didn’t want the throne. He wanted to get it peacefully, and that’s what he did. Now we have a chance to put our kingdom back together.” He shook his head. “I know who everyone thinks you are, but I also know that there’s more to that, so I’m surprised that doesn’t appeal to you.”
I stilled, but I supposed it made sense if he was obtuse enough to believe there was goodness in Iiro, he thought it of me as well.
Korhonan went on. “The only thing I can think is that this is about you once again holding a grudge.”
My jaw clenched. He might not have known the consequences of blabbing to his brother, but Iiro had certainly known what he was doing when he went to my stepmother about my plan to…remove her from the picture.
“Though I do despise your family,” I acknowledged casually, “this isn’t about a grudge. It’s about the fact that I wouldn’t trust your brother with the wellbeing of my cat, let alone my people.”
He met my gaze unflinchingly.
“It’s not like it would be the first time you let your feelings interfere with your judgment, for all you pretend not to have any.” It wasn’t hard to guess what he was referring to.
Perhaps it was because he walked away stoically from Lochlann, or perhaps it was because I knew he had defended Rowan since then, but I felt compelled to offer him a small bit of truth.
“I didn’t take her that day to get back at you,” I admitted. “I did it to protect my clan.”
He raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You might not have taken her to get back at me, but you didn’t do it for your clan either.”
I opened my mouth to argue, and he held up a hand. “Or at least, that wasn’t the only reason.”
“Then why aren’t you angrier?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Even in Lochlann, he had been frustrated when I got there, but not nearly as hostile as I would have been in his situation.
He held my gaze for a long moment, then shook his head slowly. “Because if Rowan looked at me the way she looks at you, there is nothing I wouldn’t have done to keep her.”