DARIUS

“So,” I said, eyeing Jay between the bars after he’d been secured in the dungeon, pleased to see him sitting on the ground with his wrists bound by chains and shackles. “I just had an interesting conversation with my fiancé. Princess Roselynn certainly seems concerned about your wellbeing.” I stroked my chin. “A lesser man might wonder where her heart truly lies.”

“Leave Roselynn out of this!” Fear sparked in Jay’s eyes. My words had hit their target. “We were traveling together, that’s all.”

“Really?” I sneered at him, although I was pleased. His answer revealed far more than his few words implied—Roselynn was the key to getting rid of this man. “So, my betrothed doesn’t have feelings for you? Could have fooled me.”

“She loves you, Darius.” Jay looked down as he said the words, his voice a quiet rasp, as if speaking them cut his heart. “She always has.” His gaze lifted, resolute. “I don’t care what you do to me, just promise that you’ll take care of her. I need to know she’s safe here.”

“I’m a jealous man, Jay.” I met his stare boldly. “If I thought my fiancé had been disloyal to me, well . . . I can’t guarantee that I would ensure her safety.”

Jay was on his feet in an instant, gripping the bars with his shackled hands. “You better not hurt her! I swear if you do—”

“The way I see it, the problem is you, not her.” I slipped a piece of parchment through the bars. “Once you’re out of the picture, I’m more than willing to love and cherish her as my wife, just as I promised.”

Jay took the offered paper and perused it. After a moment, his gaze met mine. “What do you want me to do, Darius?”

“Sign that confession and you ensure Roselynn’s safety. Refuse, and . . . I may just wonder whether my fiancé has been plotting treason with you. There would be an inquiry and she would answer accordingly.” It was the perfect bluff. I knew it by the way Jay snatched the proffered quill from my hand and scratched his name at the bottom of the confession.

“Smart man.” I grabbed the parchment from him. Finally, I held justice for my father’s death in my hands. Perhaps now the anger and guilt that tormented me would subside.

Satisfied, I looked up and met Jay’s gaze. He scowled at me, but behind his eyes was the same dejected resolution that had been there all along. He truly did love Roselynn.

Anger flamed in my heart—an irrational fury, for it wasn’t as if I loved her—but anger all the same.

You stupid, foolish man, I wanted to scream at him. Do you think your love makes you strong? That your sacrifice makes you noble? It doesn’t. It makes you weak; it makes you a fool. You’re wasting your life for nothing. Just like my father wasted his life, loving someone he couldn’t have, forcing my mother and me to bear the consequences of a man mourning a lost love so he had none left to give us.

But I said none of that.

Instead, I stuffed the confession into my pocket and then faced Jay with a triumphant grin. “I can’t wait to see Roselynn’s face when I show this to her. Maybe then she’ll see you as the lying criminal you are . . . But don’t worry, I’m sure she won’t mourn you for long. She’ll be my wife soon enough, and I’m sure after our wedding, she’ll have forgotten all about you.”

With that, I turned on my heel and left Jay in the dank dungeon, letting his mind torture him with thoughts of the woman he loved wrapped in my arms.

© Copyright 2021 Cece Louise. All rights reserved.