The Betrothed

“My Hollis, what is so imperative that we had to speak now?”

I pulled in a breath. “It has come to my attention that you intend to ask me to be your queen tonight.” He smiled, knowing this was no secret to anyone anymore. “I had to tell you that I am not prepared to say yes.”

The excited fidgeting he’d been doing all night came to an abrupt stop. He stared at me as if I’d taken an axe to the stained-glass windows, as if the shards were showering down around us now. Very carefully, he reached up and took off the Crown of Estus, setting it on the nearby table.

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s difficult to explain. You have shown me such respect and care, but I’m not ready to live this life.” I held my hand out. “You once said yourself that this role could change people, and I’ve found . . . I’ve . . .”

Jameson’s demeanor changed, and he came over, taking me by the shoulders. “Hollis, my love. Yes, I wanted to announce our engagement tonight, but that doesn’t mean we have to rush into a wedding. You can take your time, adjust. That won’t change my feelings for you.”

I swallowed. “But . . . but what if my feelings . . .”

His face grew darker. His mouth hung slightly open, and I watched as he menacingly pushed his tongue against the back of his teeth, looking me over.

“Have you been lying to me, Hollis?”

“No. I did love you.”

“Did? And now?”

“And now . . . I don’t know. I’m so sorry, I just don’t know.”

He turned, walking in a circle as he rubbed his hand against his chin. “I signed a treaty with you in mind. I’ve sent off drawings for your coin. As we speak, our initials are being embroidered on tapestries to be hung across the castle. And you would leave me?”

Tonight, Jameson would be symbolically recrowned with the same ancient crown used on Estus. The nobles who had their own crowns were wearing them, and most women were bedecked with jewels to mimic the appearance

“Do you love him?”

“Don’t be stupid, Hollis. Love is the final course at a feast that I’m still waiting to be invited to.”

Each challenge on its own is nothing too much to bear, but piling them on, one after another? I don’t know if I can take it

Most Isoltens prefer to marry their own kind, and their royal line has been completely pure from the onset

“I believe life will give us happiness that we can’t see just yet.” I gestured to the sky. “There are stars now, little glimmers of light. But soon, the sun will come. We need only wait.”

“But you are my sun, Hollis.”

It was different from what Jameson had said about me a dozen times before. He’d said I was the sun, bright but distant, shining on everything in reach. Being Silas’s sun alone made me feel like I had a reason to rise in the first place.

All of that at once and then some.”

“Eventually, Quinten reached out to other countries, which he wasn’t keen on; he was positive he’d find a quality family in Isolte for his son. But he finally found someone for the prince, and their wedding is set for the winter.”

I smiled. “Snow is lucky in Isolte, right?”

She nodded. “We’re hoping for a thick blanket of it to bless them.”

That was sweet. Snow meant nothing here, nor did rain, nor did the breeze. But I would wish for snow for Hadrian’s sake.

In the end, we made enemies with our heads, but we unmade them with our hearts.

He smiled softly. “There’s a beauty in simplicity, isn’t there?” He looked around the room again. “At one point in my life, I might have chosen the new clothes, the finer food, all the trappings of court. But I can say that, in losing them, I’ve learned that nothing in this world can replace loyalty, patience, and genuine affection.”

I sighed. “I think I might be forced to agree with you.
The most valuable thing you can own is the assurance of your place in someone’s heart. It is far better than any necklace, far better than any apartment.”

We shared a quiet look.