“Alix isn’t his daughter. She’s Lewis’s.”
Ransom stared at her in surprise. The daughter of the King of Occitania? The king’s reaction was even more stunned. He gaped at his wife.
“I thought . . . it was a knight,” Devon said, perplexed.
“Of course you believed that. It sounds far more romantic that way,” said the queen, her voice betraying bitterness. “I was very young, Devon. I didn’t understand the nature of some men back then. He came to visit me, to offer his . . . protection. But his actions belied his motives. I was frightened. My father was dead. I had no one to protect me.”
Devon stared at his wife, a gamut of feelings playing across his face. This was news.
“I tried to keep the pregnancy a secret,” she said. “Lewis knew and offered to take the child. This was before Estian and Noemie were born, and he and his wife had no children. He was . . . greedy about it. He wanted her. I think he feared for his kingdom’s future if he died without having a child. I did not give myself to him, Devon. I was too frightened to refuse.”
The king looked down and nodded. “You deceived me,” he said.
“I did,” she answered. “On our wedding night. I confess it. But I never intended to hurt you.”
A frown twisted Devon’s mouth.
Ransom stared at the queen in pity. This was not the story Alix had told him. Perhaps she didn’t know the truth herself but had been fed the lie since her youth. Lewis was dead now, beyond the reach of retribution.
Something in the queen’s words triggered a memory in his mind. A memory of Lewis’s daughter, Noemie, and something she had said to Ransom when she had tried to manipulate him. He hadn’t thought on that encounter in a long time, and he vaguely remembered her words, her urgency. Had it all been a trick? Or was there indeed a magical game of Wizr at work that controlled the fates of kingdoms? How could he know what was a lie and what was truth?
“I might have forgiven you if you’d told me,” he said. “I very much wanted the Vexin, and I very much wanted you at the time. Now, things are different. You twisted my sons against me. You poisoned them.”
“I did not,” said the queen, shaking her head. “You still cannot see it, Devon? You have done the poisoning yourself. Pride is a poison. And you’ve drunk your fill of it.”
The king flinched, her words landing a blow. “And what of your pride? What of your conceit? You drove my sons to rebellion!”
“You blame me for their insurrection still. But it was you yourself who caused it. Your determination to persecute Occitania gave Lewis the opportunity to draw them in. I never told my sons that they were making friends of my enemies. I kept that pain to myself.”
The king held up his hand, visibly frustrated. “There is no point discussing this further. Instead of being grateful I delivered you from bondage to that wily king, you have castigated and condemned me. I’ll hear no more on that score. Tell me, then, truthfully. If Alix is your daughter and Lewis’s spawn, then she is no true heir of Bayree. Nor is she an heir of the house of Vertus. She’s illegitimate and thus cannot inherit anything. Do I understand well the laws of Occitania?”
“If you accuse her, yes,” said the queen. “But in doing so, you challenge the honor of Pree, and thus void the treaty of peace you’ve just established. To what end, Husband?”
He flinched at the word. “Do not call me that!”
“But I am your wife in the eyes of the Lady and our people. Think, Devon! If you deny her, will it not cast in doubt the legitimacy of your own sons, who also came from my womb?”
The king’s cheeks were flushed, his breathing growing sharper and sharper.
“I swear on the Lady that the sons I bore you are your offspring. I have been faithful to you, even though you’ve cast me aside. But if even one person sows doubts . . . That is why I’ve never spoken of this. To protect you and our sons. Leave the girl alone. None of this is her fault.”
Devon slumped into a chair, pressing his face into his hands. He coughed and then lowered his hands and glared at her. “She killed our eldest child, madam. And others. And if I send Ransom to her, she’ll likely kill him too. Or anyone else I allow to marry her.”
The queen stared at him in confusion.
“Lewis made her a poisoner! He must have sent her to that accursed place in Pisan when she was old enough. You never knew this?”
By the look of shock and horror on the queen’s face, it was obvious she had not.
“No, Husband. I did not know that.”
“So you’ve never seen her? You don’t know your daughter?”
The queen’s face crumpled in anguish. “Not since her birth. I placed one kiss on her bloodied scalp, and then she was rushed away from me and taken to Pree. I didn’t even give her that name. But I’ve heard of her resemblance to me . . . that it has caused rumors and idle stories.”
“Perhaps I should capture her and send her to the tower to be your companion!” said the king harshly.
The queen, who had been standing by the door the entire time, rushed forward and knelt by the king’s chair. “I beg you, Husband, do not be so cruel. Have I not suffered long enough? Release me.”
Ransom’s throat tightened as he listened to her plea. The entire situation was horrible, none of the possible outcomes desirable. Would the king force him to take Bayree and send Alix away in humiliation? He did not want that to happen either. Even if she had knowingly deceived him, he still believed there was good in her. He’d seen her tend to the wounded for days, tireless and unflinching.
“I’ll not hear of it!” thundered Devon. He clambered out of the chair and left her on her knees, her eyes wet. “You think I am fool enough to be convinced by tears to do something that would only hurt me?”
“Have you not had enough revenge?” the queen pleaded. “Send me to Auxaunce. Banish me there that you may never see me again.”
The king choked down a cruel laugh. “Oh? And what about when I give the Vexin to Jon-Landon? Will you be so keen to live there then? He’s not so fond of you as the others.”
The queen gazed at him, her mouth turning down in a look of dread. “Surely you are not that foolish.”
“The kingdom is mine to do with as I please. Benedict will be heir to Kingfountain, and the Vexin will go to Jon-Landon. Surely Bennett wouldn’t want it the other way around?”
The queen hung her head, her golden tresses hiding her face. She looked so like Alix at that moment, and Ransom’s heart burned with grief for both of them.
“You do not know your sons as well as you think,” the queen whispered.
“Do I not, madam? I know Bennett is jealous and vengeful. He’s strong and cunning, but his resentment is a flaw that is easily exploited. Goff is content where he is. He’s busy seeking trading partners and increasing his wealth. He lacks the spine to rule a kingdom. Jon-Landon has suffered with want of a mother’s kindness. Of all our children, he loves me best. He’s cunning and quick-minded. He’d make a good king, although he cannot defeat Bennett. Not yet. But with me as his mentor and guardian, he wouldn’t need to. I am willing to give the throne to Benedict if he has enough sense to claim the opportunity. But if he defies me again, I will give it to the youngest, who deserves it more.”