Beneath the Scars Book 3

“Father, you’re such a cruel man,” I declared, approaching him. He was seated on his golden throne, my uncle by his side, and he turned to me with a grin.

“I’m aware. But you can’t deny that today will be unforgettable.”

He rose from his throne and faced me. His gaze met mine as my initial shock and anger began to dissipate.

I shook my head, yet managed a smile and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Why didn’t you inform me?”

He released me and looked into my eyes. “I wasn’t certain I would go through with it. Not until he was kneeling before me.”

“What do you mean?”

He motioned for us to step out onto the patio adjoining the grand hall. Once we were alone, he turned to me. “Laylar, my dear child, I’ve known about you and Rein since before your uncle left to find Connie.”

“Then why didn’t you have him killed then? Why wait?”

He exhaled deeply and looked up at the sky. “Your uncle asked me to give him a chance. To let him prove himself to me. So I did.”

“And it took you this long to realize he loves me?”

“No,” my father replied, turning to me. “It was only when I held the blade in my hand that I saw what I needed to see.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” he said, causing me to frown at him.

“You’re not upset with me?” I asked softly.

I felt my father’s arms envelop me. “No, my child. I am incredibly proud of you. You’ve grown into an amazing woman. Your mother would be so proud of you too.”

“I wish she were here,” I said, feeling a sting in my eyes.

“I wish the same. You and your siblings lost her too early. But I know she’s watching over all of you with a smile.”

I took a deep breath and bit my lip before saying, “Ash is a remarkable woman too, Father. She brings you joy, and the way people follow her…”

When he remained silent, I dared to look into my father’s eyes. He dropped his gaze to the ground in thought before meeting my eyes again. “Laylar, there’s something I need to ask you—”

“Yes.”

He frowned. “Yes?”

“Yes, I approve of her,” I said, smiling.

“What makes you think I was going to ask that?”

“Oh, Father,” I said, linking my arm with his. “Your thoughts are so loud sometimes, I’m sure even the stone walls can hear them.”

We slowly walked back into the hall, and as we stood at the top of the stairs overlooking the crowd, my father turned to me. “You know the rules, Laylar. Even I am bound by tradition. If I want to be with Ash, then…”

“Then you need to marry her and make her the queen. I know, Father, and like I said, we all approve.”

I left my dad in the company of three other men from our village, my eyes scanning the room for Laylar.

Suddenly, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I turned around to find the prince’s metallic mask staring back at me.

“My lord,” I greeted, my gaze dropping to the floor.

I exhaled, shaking my head with a smile. “It doesn’t feel right, my… Raylon.”

“You’ll get used to it,” he assured me, motioning for me to walk with him. “We need to talk about something, and it’s long overdue.”

I swallowed hard, following him toward the wooden doors at the back of the room. He led me into the throne room, and as the doors closed behind us, he commanded his mask to retract. I met his gaze briefly before my deep respect for him forced me to look away.

“Rein,” he began, his eyes scanning the room, “you’re aware of the close bond between Laylar and me, right?”

“Yes, my lord,” I replied, earning a sideways glance from him.

“Raylon, I insist,” he corrected me, continuing, “you know she’s the firstborn daughter, and breaking her heart would cause unimaginable pain.”

I swallowed again. “Yes, of course. But that will never happen. I love her too much to ever hurt her.”

“Good,” he said, his gaze returning to me. His eyes narrowed, and I could tell he was about to say something serious. “Rein, if you choose to be with my niece, and you marry her, you will become second in the line of succession to the throne. After Azmurtas, you will be the next heir. This is not a responsibility to be taken lightly. You carry a heavy burden now.”

“What about you? Aren’t you next in line for the throne, after the king?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. When I abdicated the throne as a child, I made a decision that cannot be reversed. If I didn’t want it once, I can never be offered it again. My brother has only one heir at the moment, and if you marry Laylar, you will not only become a prince, but also an heir.” His words sent my mind spinning, and I struggled to keep my nerves in check.

“There’s a responsibility that comes with that,” he continued, walking toward the gold thrones. I followed him, trying to keep pace. “A duty to do everything in your power to protect the heir. For my brother and me, that means Azmurtas. That responsibility will fall on you as well. Do you understand?”

“I do. You have my word, I will do whatever is asked of me. All I care about is Laylar and her happiness. I would die before letting her baby brother get hurt.”

“Good,” he said, pointing to the throne. “Go sit down.”

I looked at where he was pointing and took a deep breath. The sight of the gold chairs on the steps brought back memories of blood dripping down stone, the metallic scent of it covering my face and hands as I beat a man to death, and the way everyone looked at me, standing beside the king.

“Go on,” Raylon urged. “Try it on. Who knows, there may come a day when that is your seat.”

“I don’t want to,” I whispered.

“Why not?” he asked.

“I can’t disrespect the king like that,” I said, meeting his gaze. “I can’t and won’t let anything happen that would require me to sit in that chair.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, Rein, it’s that life is unpredictable. No matter how much we hope, pray, and dream for things to go our way, the universe has a path for all of us. No matter how hard we fight it, and how much we think we’re changing our direction, it will always lead us to where we’re meant to be.”

“Raylon,” I said, turning to him, “I would be the first to sacrifice my life in service and protection of your family. Not you, or the king, or Laylar, or anyone in this family will ever die or get hurt before me. That’s what I do. That’s who I am. Prince or not, heir or not, my life is the least important of all.”

Raylon turned to face me. “Not anymore. You are just as important to us all as any one of us. Don’t ever think that you are less than us.”

“But I am,” I said, trying to be as respectful as possible.

“Why would you say that?” he asked.

“Because of where I come from. Who I am. My lord, if things had gone differently; if my blade had slipped just an inch, I would have—”

“Would have what?” he interrupted.

I shook my head, the memory too painful. “I would have killed Laylar,” I whispered, my gaze dropping to the floor.

I expected him to react with anger, maybe even violence. But when I looked up at him, he was smiling. My confusion must have shown on my face because he laughed.

“That sounds like a story I should hear. Why don’t we sit down, and you can tell me.” The prince walked over to the steps and sat down on the bottom one, stretching his legs out in front of him, and resting his elbows on the step behind him.

I joined him and began my story. “Well, it was the day you declared peace with the Fuls. Captain Milrax sent me to escort the Ful delegates back to the border. It was my first time in the palace, and the first important task assigned to me. The last thing I expected was to find the princess lurking in the shadows in a dark cloak. I had one job: to protect the delegates and get them safely to their ship. I had no idea who she was when I drew my dagger and held it to her heart.”