“The entire point of this diarchy is that you have to deal with all the boring stuff.”
“I thought the entire point of the diarchy was that you thought I would be a good leader,” Em said, kicking her sister’s leg.
Olivia kicked her back. “That too, I guess.”
“At least just listen to what he has to say.”
Olivia let out a long sigh as she rose from the bed. “Fine.”
“And don’t be hasty. We’ll listen, then discuss after he leaves,” Em whispered.
“Fiiiiine,” Olivia said, pushing Em toward the door as she dragged out the word.
They walked back into the living area to find August still standing near the door. He nodded at Olivia.
“Thank you for agreeing to see me, Your Majesties,” he said.
“You can call me Em,” she said.
“You can call me Your Majesty,” Olivia said.
Em winced, worried August might have been insulted. Instead, his lips curved like he was trying to hold back a laugh. Em dug an elbow into her sister’s ribs.
“You can call me Olivia,” she grumbled.
“Wonderful. You can call me August. Everyone does.”
“Do you want something to drink? All we have is water.” Em gestured to the jug on the table.
“No, thank you. I’m fine.”
“Please, sit,” Em said.
The living room consisted of a sofa and three chairs, two of which were in questionable condition. August took a seat in the ragged gray one, the furniture creaking as he settled into it. Em sat down on the couch next to Olivia, across from him.
“I have to admit, after seeing this place, I’m surprised you declined my brother’s invitation to visit us in Olso. He would have put you up in the castle.”
“We like Ruina,” Olivia said. Em caught the hitch in her sister’s voice. Neither of them liked Ruina all that much, especially after seeing Lera, but it was the only home they had.
“I’m sure you do, but we would have been happy to have you while your castle is being rebuilt.”
“It’s best if we all stay together right now,” Em said. “The Ruined need leadership here, not queens off gallivanting in Olso.”
“Gallivanting,” August repeated with a chuckle. “Fair enough.”
“Did you come here to try to convince us to go to Olso with you? If so, you’re wasting your time.” Olivia waved at the door. “You might as well just go back.”
“No,” he said. “My brother asked me to pass along that it’s an open invitation, and we hope that you’ll visit soon. But I understand why now isn’t a good time.”
“You understand,” Olivia said, leaning forward in her chair. “But let’s be honest. Your brother is the king. You have two older brothers in line for the throne ahead of you. Why did they send the least-important heir?”
“I like to think I’m a bit more important than some of my cousins.”
“Do you have any real power?” Olivia asked. “If we make deals with you, will they be honored by the king? Or are you wasting our time?”
Annoyance flickered across August’s face. “I’m authorized to make certain deals.” He said it with the bitterness of being the least-important heir. Em bit back a laugh. Olivia looked pleased to have upset him.
He twisted his face back into a smile. It was fake this time. “There are things I can’t do, but I’ll let you know if they come up. I was sent here with a specific purpose.”
“And what is that?” Em asked.
“My brother wants to solidify the alliance between Olso and Ruina.”
“Solidify how?” Olivia asked.
“He sent me to marry the Ruined queen.”
Silence descended on the cabin. Em went numb.
“Of course, we only expected there to be one, but since there are two …” One side of his mouth lifted.
Marry? Marry? Cas’s face floated across her vision.
Olivia snorted. “You can count me out.”
“Olivia!” Em exclaimed.
“What?” Olivia said. “I’m not doing it.”
“You’ll note that I didn’t ask to marry you.” August sniffed.
“Thank goodness.” Olivia turned to Em. “Sounds like he prefers you.”
Em gripped the arms of her chair and eyed the door. Would it be strange if she bolted out of the room?
She couldn’t marry August. Sure, he was cute, but his smile often seemed forced and she knew nothing about him. She still half expected him to do something horrible.
It was easier to marry Cas, even though she’d hated him at the time. At least she’d felt in control of the situation. This was unexpected and there was no way for her to get her footing.
“Are you open to the discussion?” August asked.
No. She hadn’t even considered her next marriage. As queen, it was a given that the union would be more about politics than love, but she’d thought it was a ways off.
Cas.
The name burned a hole through her heart. She tried to ignore it. Her feelings for Cas didn’t matter. It would never be him, no matter how much she wanted it.
“I know this is sudden,” August said when she didn’t respond. “But it could be beneficial to the Ruined as well as Olso. You need food and clothes and protection. We can provide that.”
“We don’t need you to provide anything,” Olivia snapped. “Certainly not protection. We’ll be back on our feet soon enough. I’ll make sure of it.”
August was clearly skeptical, but he didn’t respond to that. He looked at Em, waiting for her reply.
Em could shut August down right now. Tell him to pack up and leave. Olivia would be delighted.
But Olivia was wrong. The Ruined did need Olso’s help. The warriors could provide protection and supplies that Em couldn’t. They could help rebuild the castle. Was marriage really such a terrible trade for the opportunity to rebuild Ruina that much faster? To provide the Ruined with a better level of security?
“Do you understand what you’d be getting into?” Em asked slowly. “A human hasn’t married a Ruined for … centuries.”
“I know.”
“Our children would be Ruined. I’m useless, but that doesn’t mean my children will be. They could be very powerful, like Olivia.” She sucked in a breath. “Wait. You’ve considered that.”
“Of course.”
“With Ruined in the royal family, you’d never have any challengers to the throne. No successful ones, anyway.”
“Exactly.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “And with Ruined in the Olso royal family, you’d also never have to worry about us turning against you. Your blood would be our blood.”
“And you would live here,” she said. “In Ruina.”
“Of course. Our children would be expected to spend half their time in Olso, though.”
Talking about children sent blasts of terror shooting down her spine, and she let out an almost hysterical laugh.
She wanted to tell him no. She wanted to tell him she couldn’t get through one minute without thinking about Cas, and she didn’t want another man intruding on her brain.