Page 149 of Of Darkness and Ruination
“The heir is your daughter.” The words dropped into the space heavily, but Aelius scoffed.
“I don’t have a daughter.” The King of Day scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Merely a son. A useless waste of a firstborn.” Aelius sneered, and the division between them was a good point to note for later. I wondered how deep his wife’s deception ran.
“Except I wager he isn’t your firstborn.” I countered. I knew what I saw—that light that surrounded her, that brief glow right after her own magic faded away—that was unmistakable. “This heir was born on the Sommer Solstice, twenty-one years ago,and has black hair and sky-blue eyes. Your wife must have hidden her with a spell, knowing what you’d do. She hid her away as a human, where you’d never have a chance of finding her.”
Aelius grew increasingly agitated with every word, and I eagerly watched him descend into a mad temper. Every step away from rationality was one I could use. “War is coming, King Aelius, and if you join me, she’ll be on the opposite side. We’ll get our chance to take her out once and for all.”
“The human you were said to be obsessed with?” Aelius raised a brow, looking me over critically.
I bristled at the accusation, snarling at him. His guards shifted as if to rush forward toward me, but Aelius raised a hand to stop them from leaving their posts. I forced myself to calm down, until I found the words to argue against him. “She was no human in the end. Fae, the entire time.”
“What is her name—”Aelius narrowed his eyes at me. “This monstrosity the gods thought to call my heir?” He glowered at the thought, and I was pleased to see it. Everything was going to plan.
I let the pain I so looked forward to bringing her fuel me, a cruel smile growing on my lips, thinking of my plans to return every ounce of humiliation she brought me as I fucked her bloody.
“Asteria. Asteria Faelynn Zagreus. Or, I suppose I should say…Asteria Faelynn Earendel. Crown Princess of Day Kingdom.”
