Into The Wild ~ Book 3 ~ The Royal Blood Collection

Chapter 20

It was surprising to find that an email was waiting for me when I woke in the afternoon. Trepidation filled me, wondering what the advisor for province five had to say for himself. To my shock, it was Oliver and not Silas.

I suspect that he wanted to hear my version of the events and of course, not upset Alaric while having a good laugh about it but, he couldn't. The life of an advisor was done in a formal way and the man that I'd once known as rough around the edges would be struggling.

Oliver began with a vague congratulations on retaining the province and the formation of the new agreement then went onto say that Silas would be returning to the province by the end of the week. Once he'd tidied up his affairs, he'd make the permanent move. The official notice would be made public during the week, he offered to contact Asa to go through the announcement.

It was also added that a wedding would have to take place, preferably soon. If I wanted to pretend that the child was created after that date, I had to let him know so that arrangements could be made. The pregnancy was new enough to pretend but I didn't want to add to the lies that I was already living with. If anything, I could suggest that confirming our ability to produce an heir was the reason for conceiving before marriage.

I sighed as I leaned back in the seat, the chair tilted enough that I could look out the window. The night sky was looming, slowly dragging the sunset down. The thoughts about marrying Silas caused a lot of anxiety. It's not as if I didn't like him or that I didn't enjoy his company. I just didn't know him all that well.

It was a little late for these issues though. The child growing inside of me would be here before we knew it and if Silas and I were not ready then it would cause problems.

My biggest issue was that I knew what Oliver was hinting at. He was trying to keep up the appearance that Alaric had swooped into this province and won. I'd bartered for my life by offering my hand to his bachelor uncle. Alaric would give the illusion that this province was under his control. I might be queen but Alaric was the one that called the shots.

I hadn't considered this angle when forging the agreement. I'd done what I had to so that I could keep my family where they belonged. The lie of Alaric winning didn't really bother me, it was the fact that I had to pretend that I answered to him. It said that I ruled this province but did I really?

Asa appeared at the doorway, I gestured for him to enter.

"An email from five. Silas will be returning by weeks end and the engagement announcement will happen mid-week."

I forwarded the email to Asa's address.

"Email Oliver and go through the announcement with him. Asa, am I still queen?"

"Of course you are."

"Seriously, the document, do you think it will have any weight when it comes to how Alaric interacts with us?"

He paused for a moment and shrugged uneasily.

"I honestly don't know. We're talking about the annihilator here. He's not some pomp and pageantry king, he's a military man. Only a fool would think that he won't give a false view of what's happened here. This will be sold as a marriage of convenience."

"But I don't want that."

"Then in your public life, you make sure that you show affection to your husband. You make your people see that you love him."

I stared at Asa. He stepped forward and leaned on the desk.

"Then you sell the lie." He whispered under his breath, dark and ominous. "If you don't love him at the moment then you pretend that you do. You want this to be seen one way, the opposite to what Alaric wants? Do the grand gestures. Do the lavish wedding. PDA's and goodness, a child is born. Sell the lie."

"I don't want it to be a lie."

He shrugged again as he stood from the desk.

"What happens behind closed doors is completely different."

"I always dreamed that the man that I married would be a man that I loved and could see a long life with. Like my parents."

"We don't always get what we want, especially when royalty is concerned. Marriages are business deals in this world. The agreements are forged to strengthen ties and to settle disputes, like today. I can only presume but if your father were given such an opportunity then it is likely that he would have agreed to the union. After all, he was always good friends with Maelen. If there were a chance to strengthen the ties then he would have jumped at the chance. Your Highness, if you think that you've done the wrong thing then please stop. I can assure you that your father would be incredibly pleased with this development. Your life, your mother's life, the staff that were always devoted to your father, they're all alive. It, above all, is what your father wanted. This house, this land, it meant little to him. Life is more important than land and one day, Alaric will realize it for himself."

Hopefully, it won't be when one of his family members is dead.

"Your Highness, if I may be so bold?"

"Sure," I said, flicking my hand.

Asa shifted the chair forward and sat down.

"How did the child come about?"

I smiled at Asa, he looked a little uncomfortable.

"Didn't your parents give you that talk?"

"Your Highness, that's not what I meant. I know where babies come from."

"I know you do, I'm only teasing. You know what I was doing?"

He nodded softly. It was a secret that only a few knew of. Asa was one of them and that was only because if something happened to my parents, he would try to contact me before it hit the news.

"Well, the contracted me to find Silas. He's been up in three building a bridge over the gorge."

"They're what?" He gasped.

"Yeah, I'll bet there aren't many that know about that dirty little secret. He's consumed all the provinces along that ridge. Did you and father note the piece of land that province one handed over to him?"

"Yes, I'd wager that was a deal offered before the army swooped."

"A wise leader that may not be a leader for much longer. At any rate, they wanted to know where Silas was, he'd gone on a holiday and they hadn't heard from him in over a month. I found him in a brothel that I believe was putting something into the blood to ensure that the patrons didn't want to leave."

Asa nodded ruefully.

"We have found a few of those. They appear out of nowhere. No signs, no advertising. Just,"

"Word of mouth?"

"Yes. Funny how the word of mouth happens when the patrons can't leave."

We stared at each other. In my mind, I thought about what I'd seen and how easy it was for the patrons to have their needs and desires catered to. There was no need to leave the place, that is until the money ran out. What then?

"There are creatures on the other side of the gorge. Some are easily seen as dangerous and some are hidden beneath a mask of humanity or vampirism. Alaric knows what is on the other side and he wants to control it."

"If that is the case then it would be wise to keep on his good side. If the creatures are dangerous then they could pose a threat to anyone on this side of the gorge. Let him be the one that ventures over this bridge, let him brave the unknown. When he has the control that he desires, we will benefit by association."

"And if there is no control?"

He smiled darkly at me.

"Then we are far enough away that the blood will not stain our land."