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“The king su at the others with some puffed-up sense of superiority

A snicker, a few h as a child, words were nothing

My father lay in bed It had been at least a feeeks, maybe a month since I’d last seen hiotten the words of the duke, that my mother was dead and that if it had been up to my father I would be too I stayed in the castle because to not do so would , but not codom They couldn’t allow someone with my face to simply be out in the world It would be too much of a risk to the throne

Seeing hied decades since I was last here I went to his bedside, and saw little of the old light in his eyes Gone was the strong, authoritative lion that I had met when I first arrived here, replaced by a frail old man that would have already been dead if not for the benefit of his wealth

He smiled at me, clearly unaware of as at his bedside, and I turned ust

“Patara? Is that you, rasp me by the forearm, and I shook him away

“It’s me, you blind fool What the hell do you want?”

He grunted “I don’t want anything from you Bastard Where’s Patara?”

“Who knows? With any luck, she’s discovered some poison that will hasten your demise”

“She…she loves lass of water from the pitcher at his bedside

I snorted a laugh Patara did not love him, that much I knew for certain because she’d toldme to the castle after the duke’s body was found by his men, when I was fourteen, and used her friendship with me as an excuse to visit the capital

The king ht have been old, but he was certainly not wise She twisted hier with the talent of a master artist, and on the few occasions they’d nancy The last thing she wanted was the old man’s child

“Tellto leave”

My father coughed “Why don’t you do us all a favor and throw yourself from the battlements?”

I growled and turned, and in a few strides I was out of the door