“What petition?” Cas asked, looking at Violet. She’d told him to be honest with Franco, but she hadn’t mentioned why.
“We wrote a letter to your father detailing why we were against hunting the Ruined. Most of the captains and judges in the southern province signed it. As did Violet’s father.”
“What did my father do?” Cas asked.
“Nothing, for several months. Then we each received a letter that said we would be removed from our posts and tried with treason if we mentioned it again.”
Cas ran a hand down his face, his shame about his father overwhelming him. Had he even showed that letter to any of the advisers? Did they know they didn’t have the support of the southern province? Did they have support from any of the provinces?
“Don’t misunderstand me,” Franco said. “The Ruined scare me. My great-great-great-grandmother was enslaved by the Ruined. She kept a diary, and I still have it. The things they are capable of are terrifying.”
“But those people are gone,” Cas said. “The Ruined today … most of them want nothing to do with us. We’re the monsters now, not them.”
“Indeed we are,” Franco said.
“Then can I count on your support?”
“You certainly can.”
Franco rode with Violet to her house, and they returned with a dozen people eager to meet Cas. Neighbors trickled in all day, until Franco’s house was stuffed and Cas’s throat hurt from talking.
“You have our support, Your Majesty,” a woman named Antonia said to him. She’d fought in his father’s army. She’d been there the day they killed Wenda Flores and took Olivia. Her voice shook when she spoke about it.
“I can count on you to take the lead in assembling an army here?” he asked. “I need as many as you can spare. You can leave some behind to protect the south, but I’ll need the rest.”
“Of course. If you’re marching north to retake the castle, I know most southerners will want to help.” The lines around her eyes crinkled when she smiled.
He returned the smile and got to his feet. He waded through the crowd and pulled open the front door, sighing with relief as the chatter faded behind him.
Violet sat in one of the rocking chairs on the porch. He pulled the door closed behind him and sat in the other chair. The curtains behind them parted and Paula peeked through. She quickly disappeared when Cas waved.
“I think she likes you,” Violet whispered with a giggle.
Cas leaned back in the rocking chair, propping his feet up on the railing in front of him. “She has poor taste.”
“Oh, please.”
“I’m a disgraced king who was recently married to a woman pretending to be someone else.” He grinned. “I am rather good-looking though, aren’t I?”
“Humble, too.”
“At least I have one thing going for me.”
“You’re ridiculous.” She rocked back and forth, her forehead creased in thought. “Do you want to know what your real problem is?”
“Please.”
“You’re in love with someone else.”
“Well, yes. Obviously.” His throat constricted when he thought of Em.
“I wasn’t done. You’re in love with someone else and you’re just letting her go.”
“I offered to stay with her. I don’t think that’s just letting her go.”
“I think it is. You presented her with one option—a bad option, I might add; I’m still mad about it—and she said no, so now you’re pouting.”
“Tell me how you really feel, Violet.”
“I will, thank you. You keep giving up when things get hard.”
Anger raced down his spine. Her comment hit too close to home. “I’m here, aren’t I? Not giving up.”
“After trying to give up. You were going to give up being king because it got hard. Now you’re going to give up Em because there are too many obstacles. You’re never going to get what you want if you don’t fight for it.”
“You think I could have Em if I fought for her?” he asked skeptically.
“I do, yes. August wants to marry Em to align Olso with the Ruined. Why not you? Why not align Lera with the Ruined?”
“I don’t think I need to list off the many reasons why that would never work. How about just the main one? Because we murdered most of them.”
“And we should spend the rest of our lives trying to atone for that. It doesn’t mean we can’t try to find a way to make peace. I don’t even like Em and I still support it.”
“You don’t like Em?”
“She caused the raid on the castle that killed my father.” She raised an eyebrow. “Though you’re in the same position, aren’t you? And you managed to forgive her.”
“Yes,” he said quietly.
“I can’t be her friend, but I understand why she did what she did. I think others can as well.”
He shook his head, refusing to let in even a spark of hope. “It’s insane, Violet. I wish it were possible, but I can’t see it.”
“Fine,” she said with a long sigh. “But I’m not marrying you.”
“What?”
“I know you wanted to bring me with you to see Em to make her jealous.”
“That’s not the only—”
“Cas, please.”
“It just worked out that you were with me.” He paused. “But I won’t lie, it crossed my mind that she would be jealous.”
“She was. Was it fun torturing her?”
No. He’d seen the way she looked at Violet, the way she swallowed down words she obviously wanted to say. It had just made him feel worse.
“I’m not marrying you,” Violet said. “I’m no one’s second choice.”
“I didn’t ask!”
“I know I was under consideration to marry you before. It must have crossed your mind.” She jerked her thumb at the house behind them. “I must have been asked ten times today if our relationship was more than friendly.”
“I’ve considered it,” he admitted. “You’re a logical choice, of course.”
“Romantic,” she said dryly.
“But I’m not in a place to even think about marriage right now. I’m too … I don’t know. Wrecked.”
“I understand.”
“But, uh, later, if …” He pressed his thumb into his pointer finger until the knuckle cracked. “Assuming I move past some things. Would you ever want to be considered again?”
“No one’s second choice, Cas.”
“Right.”
THIRTY-ONE
AREN REACHED FOR Iria and lightly wrapped his fingers around her wrist. Her lips twitched into a smile. He’d done that exact gesture at least twenty times over the last few days. She seemed used to it.