Chapter 16: The prince

Magnus was speechless at her motivation but he could understand what he meant. He also trusted her, a stranger, that night and not his maid whom he had known for a long time. A strange sense of content fell over hun thinking how he trusted each other that night. "And you think I am to be trusted then?"

"Indeed I do," the lady responded without hesitating.

"May I know the reason why? As you just said, we are but strangers."

"Because Lord Daemon is your most loyal subject."

His cousin? That answer was not what any of them expected. Looking at Daemon, the prince knew his face reflected the same shock. From all the reasons she could invoke, from him being the heir to ending a long war, there were many other reasonable alternatives.

"I don't follow, my lady. Are you saying you trust the prince because I am loyal to His Highness?" Daemon asked.

"Yes, my lord. Everybody knows about your unwavering loyalty towards His Highness, do they not?" When he nodded she continued. "At the same time my lord, you are both just and intelligent, is it not so?"

When he didn't answer, Magnus took over. "He is."

Her smile deepened as if she was expecting this. "Then the conclusion is quite simple. A just and intelligent person would never follow a vile ruler to the front and put his life on the line for said ruler."

Magnus chuckled, satisfied by her answer. He raised the tea cup to his lips and took a sip before further interrogation. "Then I suppose my lady will come with news of the duke's plan as soon as possible."

Looking away from them, Lady Ivalyn seemed to admire the garden as she pondered on the question. "I heard the harvest festival will soon take place."

"And what does that have to do with everything?" Daemon leaned in to ask.

"I have also heard that our beloved prince will not be allowed to be the one to hold the speech at the beginning. In a try to cheer Your Highness up, I will strive to bring the news then. I believe it may be a lovely day to have tea in this garden again," she smiled at the two men, waiting for one of them to invite her later.

The prince took the clue. "Would my lady like to have tea with us on the day of the harvest festival?"

"It would be my pleasure, Your Highness. If I may be excused, I think it is time for me to go visit the egg before it hatches in my absence," she joked, making the prince chuckle again.

"Of course, my lady," the prince excused her.

Lady Ivalyn stood up, her dress straightening around her making her appear taller than she was. Turning to walk away, she paused and looked back at them. "I heard that Lord Markus will be the one to hold the speech at the upcoming festival," she said enigmatically, taking a moment to see the effect of her words before adding. "I wish you two goodbye."

Lady Ivaly took her leave without any ado and Magnus leaned on the table with his elbows and followed her as she made her way through the garden and in the castle. He stared, deep in thought, at the place she disappeared and a long silence fell upon the two men who remained at the table. Only when Daemon made some noise, moving to drink from the already cold tea, did the prince take his eyes from that place and look at his cousin as if he forgot he was there.

He coughed shortly to recover. "Well, cousin. What do you think?"

Daemon slowly put his teacoup down and stared unbelievably at him. "What do I think? Is it you who knows best if the last had lied or not, isn't that so?"

"She didn't lie. I never felt her soul weaver. It was always stable when we talked."

"Then she didn't lie. The next question is whether she told us all the truth or only what was convenient for her."

"Do you not believe her?" Magnus inquired.

His guest nodded. "I believe what she told us today is true, as you have just confirmed. But it is too soon to trust her completely. If there is a plot to eliminate you, there has to be a plot to put someone else on the throne. Someone who is not me and I don't think anyone would bet on Allan either."

"And why is that? He is the obvious choice after you."

"Because he isn't as easy to manipulate as others think. He only plays dumb but I don't think that's the case."

Magnus thought about the times when he genuinely thought the lord was too idiot to converse but couldn't think of one. "Don't you think the problem with him is that he's a man whore? Not that he plays dumb which I don't think fools anybody."

"Whatever the problem is, he is not the one Duke Everglow wants on the throne. That I am sure of."

"The who?" the prince inquires. "Surely not his own son, the boy is only five."

"Not his son, but his own blood," Daemon gave him a suggestive look.

Slowly, he understood what his cousin meant and outrage bursted from him. "You surely don't want to imply that Lady Ivalyn will take the throne. Thrakia has never had a queen ruler. That's nonsense."

"Is it really?" Daemon asked, raising his left eyebrow as if the answer was obvious.

Magnus didn't grasp the full meaning of his words. "Lady Ivalyn just claimed that the ones behind this plot want me dead. And she didn't lie. How could she become king after my death?"

"Who rules the land without the need to sit on the throne? If the king is dead? It's his queen, is it not? And it could be easily arranged if the royal family is weekend by, let's say, the heir losing his ability to use spirit. The lady did say the plan is for you to die, but not under what circumstances," Daemon explained.

The words went through the prince's head. The woman who wed the king can rule if the king is bedridden or after his death, but there not entirely. "There has to be an heir for a queen to rule," Magnus whispered, understanding his cousin's words. "You mean to say that their plan is to marry Lady Ivalyn to me and have a son together? Isn't that a little far-fetched?"

"Is it really? Why do you think so?" Daemon asked and continued without waiting for an answer. Marriage can be obtained by different ways and the lady is a duke's daughter, nobody will raise questions about it. It is actually speculated by both nobles and commoners that either Lady Ivalyn or Lady Cecilia will become queen. Nobody thinks that they will be the ones to bond with the dragon and obtain such terrifying power."

"The ladies have just as much chance to make the dragon hatch as you and the other lords do. The people speak unaware of the situation," Magnus dismissed the words. "And, presuming a marriage is forced upon my father, it's too absurd to expect heirs knowing what we know now."

"Magnus," Daemon interrupted him, making the prince curious why he'd use his name in public when he usually avoids it. "It is not absurd at all. Do you even realise how smitted you are with the lady?"

"Smitted?" the prince protested. "Don't be ridiculous!"

"Think about it next time you two meet. Try to see if you can take your eyes off of her and not hang on to her every word."

As Magnus reflected on his conversation with Daemon, he couldn't shake off a lingering sense of uncertainty about Lady Ivalyn and their burgeoning connection. While he found her undeniably attractive and alluring, the idea of marrying her and starting a family seemed too absurd. He sensed the truth in what Lady Ivalyn had revealed through their bond, but trusting her completely might prove to be a challenge, and he couldn't dismiss the possibility of hidden motives behind her actions.