“Even the king seemed…more…accepting,” she said.
“Resigned, anyway. Which reminds me, I intend to have a word with him this morning.”
“Don’t get yourself thrown into the dungeon.”
“I would gladly spend time in a dungeon for you—except we don’t have one. And he can’t punish me by dispatching me on a mind-numbingly boring assignment because I’ll be on my honeymoon with my beautiful wife.”
* * * *
“Relay to His Majesty that his son wishes to speak to him,” Jaryk told his father’s personal secretary.
“Do you have an appointment, Your Highness?”
“Just tell him.”
“I will see if he is receiving.” The secretary departed.
Jaryk paced the parlor where his parents received family members. The Kaldoran monarchy maintained a certain formality even with family. It didn’t matter if you were the king’s son—you still needed an appointment. If the king refused to see him, he would force the issue.
Several minutes later, the door opened, and his mother entered.
“I asked to see Father.”
“I figured you would confront him, and I needed to see you first.”
“This is between me and him. He crossed the line last night.”
“Do you love Kismet?”
“Of course, I love her! That’s why I’m so furious.”
“Up until last night, you’d seemed rather ambivalent,” she said.
“Perhaps at first. But I quickly came to realize she is the love I’ve been seeking. I’m proud to claim her as my wife. I want the whole world to know of my devotion to her. I wish for there to be no rumors or speculation about my love for her.”
“Excellent. I’m very pleased. She’s a lovely woman—much better suited to you than Alia or Charday. Her heart is honest and pure. She doesn’t care about being royal—perhaps, she even wishes you weren’t a prince.”
“You wanted me to marry a noblewoman.”
“A woman ofclass. I want you to be happy. We both wished for you to marry a woman of quality who will love you. You and Kismet are meant for each other.”
He arched his eyebrows. “How do you know that?”
“Mother’s intuition. I just needed you to realize it.”
“I do realize it.”
“Now you do. Before? I tried to open your eyes…so I invited Charday to the ball.”
His jaw dropped. “Youinvited Charday?”
“Your father is quite angry with me. Despite what you think, how he has acted, he has come to realize that Kismet is perfect for you, and despite his goals for the kingdom, he wishes you to be happy.
“I figured if you saw Kismet and Charday together, you would recognize the gem from the fake.”
“I already knew!” He gaped at his mother. Who was this woman? What had happened to his rational, measured maternal parent?No wonder Falkor does stupid stuff. The nut doesn’t fall far from the tree.
“I’d hoped so, but I wasn’t sure.”
