Iᖴ ᗩᒪEKSᗩᑎᗪEᖇ ᕼᗩS been denying new alliances that would benefit Ravka and driving us to seclusion, he must have a reason for it. He always has a reason.
I just have to find out if that reason is a good one.
After Nikolai disappears behind a pair of golden oak doors, I backtrack in the same direction to confront Aleksander. I don't have to go far though. He was listening to the whole conversation between me and Nikolai. Aleksander can blend in with the shadows, lurk in hidden corners, making himself imperceptible like how I can bend light around myself to become invisible. It has taken a long time for me to figure out when he does it and which corner he skulks in. The sound of his breath, a footstep, a creaky floorboard is the only giveaway, but it is enough to reveal him to me. This time, it was the flare of our shadows cast on the wall of the hallway when Nikolai kissed my cheek.
As I round the first junction of the long corridor, Aleksander steps out of the darkness with a set jaw and stiff posture. I flinch a bit and clench my fists at my sides.
"You know," I say with a tone that suggests reprimand, "Once in a while I would like to have a private conversation with Nikolai."
I am astonished to see his eyes darken with what looks like jealousy. To further prove my assumption, his hand levels with my cheek and wipes his thumb over where Nikolai pressed his lips against my skin as if he had tainted it.
"That is a difficult ask when he is always closer to my wife than he should be."
"Nikolai isn't a threat to you. He grew up royalty in this palace, so he knows common propriety such as not going after married women."
A callous laugh bubbles in his chest which ruffles my feathers more. He says, "His role models were certainly not virtuous. His father went after plenty of married women, I'm sure of it."
"He is different. You know that but you are too preoccupied with your jealousy to admit it."
His nostrils flare at the insinuation and he takes a step nearer. "I am not jealous of that prince," he huffs.
Now it is my turn to laugh. "I don't believe that for a second," I say. "You've been jealous of him the minute he reappeared in the public eye and joined me in the war."
Aleksander's mood seems to change as quickly as Tamar can whip one of her axes out. He threads his fingers through my hair and pulls me intimately close. His voice borders a whisper. "You were right this morning when you accused me of being fond of him. I do respect the prince. He is confident and clever. But he also fills your head with ideas such as me keeping secrets from you. The boy is trying to turn you against me."
My forehead wrinkles, irritation reigniting within me.
"The only one turning me against you is you."
"There is no reason to be angry, my Alina."
My jaw becomes rigid when I grit my teeth, my lips growing taut. "Since you listened to our whole conversation, you should know why I am angry."
"I didn't keep that information from you on purpose."
"Bullshit!" I yell, making his eyes widen at my unusual use of profanity. "The meeting with the Shu Han ambassador, cutting off contact with our allies—which I should remind you that we have very few of. I am Ravka's Queen! I should have a say in matters as important as those."
He opens his mouth to speak but I cup my hand over it, not giving him a chance to try and apologize for something he is not sorry for doing. "Here is what's going to happen," I assert with my chin held high. "Not only are you going to inform me of every decision you've made without my knowledge, but you are going to continue to disclose your plans from here on out."
He takes my hand covering his mouth and gently eases it off, kissing my palm.
"Okay."
"Really?" I ask in a moment of shock, thinking he would put up more of a fight.
"Yes. You are right. You are Ravka's Queen. You deserve to have a say in things that evolve our country."
I shoot him a suspicious look as he takes my hand, placing it in the crook of his elbow. Neither of us speak as he guides us down the hallway, through the Grand Hall, and up the twisting staircase to the war room. Once he closes the doors and lights the lamp, he says, "I have not been honest with you, but I am also not the ruined king that people claim I am. I have my justifications for shutting down all contact with Shu Han. And unfortunately, that blundered the trust we share with countries that are also allies of Shu Han."
I circle the war strategy table with a diorama of Ravka on top. My fingers trace the empty void where the Fold used to exist before I tore it down. "Then what is your justification for cutting us off from Shu Han?"
"The servant woman who tried to poison you," he suddenly slaps a file on the table in front of me, the loud noise making me jump. I begin to thumb through the papers while he continues. "She was adopted, but her family is Shu. Shu Han doesn't like that you are Ravka's idol and half Shu. They call you the Queen of tainted blood."
"I already know Shu Han would much rather put me on a pike than on a pedestal. What does that have to do with the disloyal servant?"
"I have always had the presumption that when you were poisoned, it was by that group of Ravkans that think I am a better king when I am soulless, without love, without you." Aleksander navigates through the dimly lit space until he lands a few inches away from me. The intensity of his gaze makes me shiver. "But when I saw this information," he gestures to the papers in my hand of her adoption papers and more documented data of her life, "I finally figured out why things weren't adding up. That servant's loyalty lies with Shu Han, not the traitorous Ravkan group. She was a good actor. That group is still out there, active, but they were never responsible for this. It was Shu Han's coverup."
"So Shu Han. . ."
"Wanted you dead," he finishes for me. "I was suspicious of Shu Han a while back, which is why I started to cut them off one export at a time to see how they would react. Their overreaction simply proved all of my deductions correct."
My head swims with all the shocking information being dumped on me. "I understand that they hate me, but why go through all the trouble of covering up who wanted me poisoned? I took them as being proud that they are grisha killers that use us as experiments.
"They need our resources as badly as we need theirs. We have the types of metal they need for their advancing weapons and technology and we need their sugarcane if we would like anything other than bland tea. But I would much rather take my tea bitter than risking your life again. Sacrifices must be made."
He traces the outline of my jaw and angles my chin up so that I am fully facing him. "Your friend is clever," he mutters softly, "but this time, he was wrong. What I've done is not some sort of mental breakdown. It is for our family. Everything I do is for our family."
I nod and caress both sides of his face. "Not many people know who you really are behind that black kefta and metal crown. A good husband. A good father. A good man."
His eyes glimmer with numerous emotions. Unsure of how to express them, he settles on yanking me to his chest and kissing me deeply, threading his fingers through my hair to close the distance even more.
"So," I say with a smirk after his lips release mine. "How about some unsweetened tea then?" referring to how Shu Han has possession of the sugarcane.
He just rolls his eyes, then brings me back in, using our connection as he kisses me to say, "You think you're so funny, don't you?"
"I'm hilarious."
"You won't be smirking for long."
In a sudden swift movement, he scoops me up and places me on the table, stepping between my legs. I gulp at the feeling his action brings, my skin heating up and blushing which doesn't go unnoticed by Aleksander.
Then there is a knock as the door.
"Always," he grumbles under his breath.
Aleksander placed a ghost of a kiss on my swollen lips as a promise for later. Then, he steps out from the comfort of my arms to answer the door. However, I am not prepared for what the other side presents.
Two guards sporting the royal colors stand stiffly in the doorway. Their eyes are wide with both fright and amazement. Their uniforms have holes burned into the fabric. The guard on the left still has a stream of smoke coming from his shoulder pad. Lastly, their eyebrows and the ends of their hair are singed to a crisp.
The shorter of the two finally speaks up after a moment of deadly silence.
"Come with us, please."
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