Page 32 of The Ruthless Fae King
He was clearly drunk.
Looking me up and down, he nodded. “Not bad.” Then he looked at Lucien. “And she agreed to marry your sorry arse?”
I gasped a little and glanced at Lucien, but he was devoid of all emotion.
“She did,” he said flatly.
The old king stared at me and squinted. “He’s worthless. Couldn’t even save his own mother.”
My mouth popped open in shock. I expected Lucien to tear across the room, to maybe even grab his father by the throat. I waited for it to start snowing, anything to show he was mad, but Lucien’s shoulders just slumped and his head hung.
I looked at Piper, unsure what to do. She shrugged, eyes wide. If it were anyone else I would give them a piece of my mind, but this was his father, the former king.
I decided then to treat him as I would a child who misbehaved. When Libby wanted attention, she sometimes did naughty things. If you ignored her, she stopped.
Slipping my hand into Lucien’s, I looked up at him. “I hear you have a wonderful library. Would you show me?”
His father started to mumble something else but I pulled Lucien away from him, Piper trailing far behind us now. We traversed the halls until we reached a set of double doors.
Lucien opened them, and the collective intake of breath that Piper and I took then did no justice to the space. It was two stories high, floor-to-ceiling with shelves, three rolling ladders, and over a thousand books at least!
Piper gravitated towards one book as Lucien turned to face me.
“I’m sorry about my father… I should have told you. I was going to but…” He trailed off.
I gave him a sweet smile. “It’s okay.”
I wouldn’t lie. Seeing the old king in such a state had been a shock, but who didn’t have that one embarrassing family member? I was hoping his cruelness to Lucien was a one-time thing I had just witnessed and would not continue. Wine and moonshine did horrible things to men who couldn’t control their lust of it. What his father had just said out there was proof.
“You know you’re not at fault for your mother’s death, right? You couldn’t have saved her. You’re not a healing elf,” I said suddenly, wondering if he believed his father.
He sighed, looking distant and withdrawn. “I don’t know anything about that anymore. He’s said it so many times, I’m starting to wonder if it’s true.”
My heart dropped into my stomach then and I reached for him, but he backed away. “I should consult with my staff. I’ve been away a while. I’ll see you at dinner?”
Unshed tears were lining my eyes, and Lucien’s form blurred, so I just nodded and he left me in the library. I blinked rapidly to clear my vision, and Piper ran to my side.
“Did you hear that?” I asked her. She looked distraught, so I thought maybe she had.
She nodded, staring at the closed door. “Do you think that’s why he doesn’t drink?”
I gasped. Yes, it all made sense. Lucien didn’t have the problem, his father did, and probably in an effort to not have an issue himself, Lucien widely stayed away from wine and mead.
“It’s just proof that you don’t really know what a person is going through in their private life and we shouldn’t be quick to judge them based on rumors,” Piper said.
I nodded, slinging my arm around her shoulders. “You’re too wise for your years, Piper. Too wise indeed.”
She smiled and we exited the library to go in search of my rooms… in the place I would soon be calling home. It was overwhelming and exciting all at once. Mostly because now that I had kissed Lucien, I was one hundred percent sure that I wanted to marry him. I couldn’t imagine not ever kissing those lips again. Who said that arranged marriages couldn’t also become love marriages?
EIGHT
The rooms that had been designated for me were bigger than what I’d had at the Fall Court palace. I had a private bedroom, three guest quarters, a sitting room for tea, three washrooms, and my own library! Not to mention servant quarters for Piper, and a small kitchen. It was like my own little house in a wing of the castle shared with the king and his father. I had no idea what type of living arrangements we would do after we were married. Most arranged marriages started with separate bedrooms, and the couple only came together for the occasional bedding to make an heir. I wasn’t sure if Lucien would want to keep to himself and I would always have this side of the castle or what. The thought of it made me a little lonely.
After getting cleaned up and changed, I slipped into a silver gown with white fur trim and walked down to dinner with Piper.
On the way, some courtiers popped into the hallway to greet us and introduce themselves. We met Master Greeves, who was the head of the household staff, and the one I should go to with any issues. Then we were greeted by a delightful older woman who was the baker and palace chef, Mrs. Pennyworth.
We also met a few high-ranking soldiers, some housekeepers, and a palace healing elf, and I was highly impressed with everyone. They were respectful and seemed genuinely excited to have a new queen. I felt very welcome, and the evil rumors about this place fell flat.
