Masked (Royally Hot 2)

“Tell me what happened,” he said when they’d gone. “And be quick, I don’t know how much time we have.”

I shook my head. Even now, wiping blood from his face, his mind was on the bigger picture. My biggest picture was and always would be Iris, but he had no wife. No children. He was 66 years old. How much longer did he have left? The kingdom had been his life, and he wanted me as king because it would be his legacy.

“Assassins attacked Iris,” I said, and his eyes went wide.

“What? When? Is she all right?” I nodded. “How did I not know about a plot against her? I have informants everywhere. How is it possible…? Oh. Oh, that snake.” He chuckled wryly. “Tell me Randal, who told you I was behind this?”

My mind raced. It couldn’t be true. But it added up. It all added up. Patara. It could only be Patara.

“I’ll fucking kill her,” I said, starting to turn.

“Ah ah, not so fast.”

“Giles, she will die for this.”

I fumed, my hands balling into fists. My only friend. My sister in all but name. How could she do this to me? Why?

“you’re king we can do what we like. But right now she’s the heir apparent and your father could draw his last breath at any moment.”

“I don’t give a ripe shit about any of that now.”

“You should care, Randal.” Giles crossed the room, closer to me, so that he could lower his voice. “Think about why she did this,” he said, and despite myself I controlled my rage, listening to him. “I know she asked you to abdicate. Perhaps she’d have sent someone to kill you anyway, even if you left the kingdom, but when you started to consider being king she knew she had to act right away. Even with you still unacknowledged you’re a threat to her gaining the throne and she knows it, but so long as she’s still queen she’s also a threat to you and anyone you care about. We need to act quickly or that war I was talking about will have the two of you as competing factions whether you like it or not.”

I took a step away from him, moving instinctively towards the door. Every bone in my body was telling me to find Patara and kill her, but as it had been when I thought it was Giles, I knew I had to be cautious. The queen was guarded, and if she had any idea I was alive she’d know I was a threat.

“What’s your plan?” I asked, finally accepting that my father’s most trusted adviser was now mine, and I needed his advice.

He drew a deep breath, as if he’d been half expecting me to make a different choice. “Where is Iris?”

For a moment I hesitated, still suspicious despite everything. Forcing myself to trust someone else with her safety was the hardest thing in the world right then. Finally, I said, “In the ruined tower.”

“In your dungeon?” He rolled his eyes at my expression. “You really need to learn that I know everything, your majesty. Yes, your majesty. You’d better get used to the idea of being king. And as king, your…appetites…are of no concern to anyone but you. It is not my place to judge, nor is it anyone else’s. Iris is in your dungeon?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll send Erik to protect her. He’s already aware of the place and will stand guard at the top of your staircase. As for the two of us, I have it all under control. We’ll have you dressed in something a little more suitable, then we’ll present you formally to the court. That’s easy enough, they’ll accept you on my word alone. After that, and once your father dies, a coronation is a simple matter of persuading every commoner in the entire kingdom that you’re the rightful heir and that questioning your right to rule would be blasphemy.” A smile pulled at the corner of his lips. “Don’t worry. I always have a plan. Several, if you must know.”

Within the hour, I was dressed in purple and red and feeling naked with my mask removed. People were staring. Even here, in the corridor leading to the banquet hall, the servants were barely able to keep their eyes off my face. I was a monster, I knew that. All they saw was the scars.

“I can’t do this,” I said to Giles, and he snorted a derisive laugh.

“I thought you weren’t afraid of anything.”

“I’m not afraid.”

“Good.”

“They’ll never accept me. I’m hideous, a monster to them. The kingdom will be in chaos and it will endanger everyone, including Iris.”

He huffed, turning to look me in the eye. He didn’t flinch. “You’re not hideous. You’re the king in waiting. Your scars are from your tireless work protecting the kingdom, which is why none of these pampered lords and ladies have seen your face before. You’re a hero, Prince Randal.”