The Mortal Queen | The Cruel Prince / Wicked King Fanfic

Seven

If I was paying any attention.

I stop as the pieces almost come together in one perfect moment.

He turns around when he realizes I've stopped and gives me a look I've seen before.

I stare at him for a long moment. What is that look? Where have I seen it before? Yes, it's just on the tip of my tongue.

All at once I feel an odd sense of deja vu, and then I recognize the look. It's the same look I saw on his face when he exiled me from Faerie. Just as the words fell from his mouth, and my stomach dropped to my toes upon hearing my fate, this was the last thing I remember of his face right before I was hauled away. That knowing look.

A tentative grin appears on his face as he watches me. " Jude?" He asks gently. "What are you thinking about right now?"

I hold up my hand to keep him from interrupting my train of thought, and close my eyes so I can focus on the last stubborn piece of this puzzle.

And then, just like that, it all falls into place.

I open my eyes to find him still watching me intently. I let out the breath I'd been holding and a laugh follows. "Unbelievable." I feel the heat rise in my face, and my heart is racing. I feel so stupid right now. How did I not see it? It's so obvious now that I want to both throw up from embarrassment, and kick Cardan hard in the shins for getting away with it.

I take a few steps forward and we begin walking again. I look around and notice we are going in the opposite direction of where we should be going, and if I didn't know better I'd say Cardan was leading us back to Vivi's house.

"I realized something not too long ago. Something that may or may not still be true based on the other thing I realized just now." I can see my answer puzzles him. Good.

"And what is that?"

"Well, it seems you thought I was in on your little plan all along."

"Yes, that's true." He says slowly. "And the other thing? What did you figure out before today?"

I just look at him for a moment, deciding if I actually want to say it. I decide I want to because I know I'm right. And I'm going to rub it in his smug face.

"That you sent me here as sort of a sick, twisted insurance policy." I wait for him to react, but he just stares at me. His silence is unexpected but it confirms my suspicions.

"So it's true?" I say a bit loudly. "And you thought I'd already put this much together when you announced in front of everyone that I was basically a traitor?" When he doesn't say anything I move to start walking again but he grabs my hand to stop me.

"Jude, stop." His voice is soft and pleading. "Actually, what you just said—about you being an insurance policy—" he pauses. "—didn't even occur to me until this very moment."

I don't even know how to form words right now. All my thoughts have flown right out of my head.

He pulls me toward him and drops my hand. "I thought we were on the same page that day, with everything that happened the night before. I thought you understood my intention."

I remember back to that night, when we found ourselves bound to each other as King and Queen, husband and wife.

"And I thought you'd understand I was trying to get you away from Orlagh." He looks at me intensely, seriously. "To protect you."

I don't say anything. Not because I'm waiting for him to say more, but because I don't have a clue what to say. I'm completely lost by this confession. This was not something I even considered.