Page 40 of The Half King
“Yes. What of it?”
“His family curse…”
“There won’t be one,” Nina said. “Not for this baby. His late wife already gave him a firstborn—and a second-born. This will be his third child.”
Cerise shook her head. That wasn’t how it worked. It didn’t matter how many children Nina’s husband had sired with another woman. Nina had never been pregnant before. This baby would beherfirstborn, which meant the child would bear a curse.
No.Enough was enough.
The curses needed to end—now. Cerise no longer cared what her role was supposed to be in the Reverend Mother’s “narrow path” to the future. She was done searching for clues that might inspire someone else to break the curses. Since no one seemed to have any idea how to earn the goddess’s forgiveness, she would do it herself.
“I’ll break the curses,” she promised. “Or I’ll die trying. I swear it.”
“Don’t say that,” Nina snapped. “I don’t want to hear any talk of dying. Do you hear me?” Her veiled head turned as if she was seeking support, and then Mama took the mirror.
“Darling,” Mama said as her face appeared in the glass. “I think what your sister is trying to say is that you’re every bit as important to us as the child she’s carrying. We don’t want you to risk your safety. The baby will be fine. We’ll make sure of it.”
“You can’t make sure of anything,” Cerise said. “Do you really think you can change the baby’s fate? Do you think any noble firstborn was ever saved by their family’s love? The curse is beyond your control, but it might be within mine. I already have to help break the noble curses to save the king, so why wouldn’t I double my efforts if it means saving Nina’s baby, too?”
“The only thing youhaveto do for the king is serve as his emissary,” Mama corrected. “That was the task the Reverend Mother assigned to you.”
“You have no idea what the Reverend Mother assigned to me, because I didn’t tell you.” But maybe it was time they knew the truth. “It might be time for the curses to be broken. The Reverend Mother couldn’t See how, but she said there’s a path to make it happen. And I’m going to find it.”
“Cerise,” Father called from outside the frame. “Do you want to upset your sister in her delicate condition? Because that’s what you’re doing. Your sister is in tears now.”
She let go of a long breath. Instead of making Nina feel better, she’d made her cry. Why couldn’t she say the right thing, just this once? The puppy seemed to sense her agitation and licked the edge of her jaw. “No. That’s not what I want.”
“Then we won’t speak of it again.” Mama nodded, closing the topic. “Now tell me more about the Solon gentleman you met at the palace. Is there any relation?”
Cerise hated the subject change. For her, the discussion was far from over. But she rubbed her pup’s ear and said, “Not a close relation. He kept asking about you, though.”
Mama touched her chest. “Me?”
“Yes, he thinks I look like someone he used to know. Were you ever at court?”
Mama shared a glance with someone outside the frame—Father, no doubt. Her eyes widened a fraction before they returned to the mirror. “How strange,” she said. “He must have me confused with someone else.”
Something about her tone seemed odd. Cerise studied her mother. She didn’t believe her parents had ever lied to her, but she couldn’t help feeling like there was a story in play and her family had just tried to close the book. “I’ll ask him tonight at dinner,” Cerise said, watching her mother’s expression closely. “He’s my escort.”
If there was any doubt that her parents were hiding something, their reactions put it to rest. Mama’s lips parted, and Father snatched away the mirror. The image movement caught the puppy’s eye, who yipped and snapped at the glass. Cerise held the mirror beyond his reach.
“That’s not necessary, my dear,” Father said. “Simply tell the man that we’ve never met him and change the subject if he asks again.”
“How do you know you’ve never met him?” Cerise asked, raising an eyebrow. “I haven’t told you his name.”
Father stammered.
“What are you hiding?” Cerise demanded. “Because I know there’s something wrong, and you’re not helping me by lying about it. I’m sick to death of being lied to!”
Father opened his mouth and paused to breathe. The frustration etched onto his face reminded her of the way General Petros struggled to tame his temper. “You’ve lived a sheltered life, Cerise. You don’t know how dangerous court politics can be. Nothing at court is as it seems. Behind every honest word, you should expect a hidden meaning. No one will be transparent with you. They’ve learned it’s not safe to be.”
“The king dismissed his court,” Cerise said. A silent voice inside her head added,It’s the priests I have to watch out for, and the ones who serve false idols.
“Even so, information is power,” Father told her. “Don’t give anything away unless you have to.” His eyes, nearly identical to Nina’s, were serious in a way that turned Cerise cold. Whatever he was hiding, it frightened him, and that shook her because she had never seen him afraid. “The temple taught you to be obedient and kind—admirable traits for a Seer but not for a lady in service to the king. Trust no one and say as little as possible.” He pointed a stern finger at her. “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she told him, but she understood less than ever.
That night at dinner, Cerise kept her eyes fixed on her plate, nodding as she pretended to listen to Cole Solon’s prattle but secretly wondering why her parents hadn’t trusted her with the truth about him. The simplest explanation was that Cole and Mama had been lovers many years ago, before Mama married Father. But an affair wasn’t frightening or scandalous enough to lie about…unless it had happenedafterMama married Father.
