where the thorns grow

CHAPTER NINE,

CHAPTER NINE | WHERE THE THORNS GROW

  "YOU ALREADY SAW the plans I gave the daren?" Irina demanded, leaning back in her chair, the very picture of an arrogant princess used to endless power at her fingertips. "What do you think?"

  The fact that Irina would ask her for her opinion on anything was a miracle in itself, but Rhys assumed the girl felt especially unsure about her decisions regarding this because it was technically her engagement party. It must feel as if everything she knew had suddenly crumbled around her all at once, the world suddenly changing.

  Rhys said, "I already gave him suggestions. You've planned well."

  "Of course." And returning was the pride as she sat up straighter. "Let us pray all goes smoothly, as unlikely as that would be."

  Rhys reminded gently, "Besides, you have other things to worry about."

  "Like getting married, I know." Irina's smile wasn't pleasant. "Or just engaged. Whatever. I suppose Prince Stephen is a... tolerable husband."

  "He's not that bad. He's supposed to be quite an intelligent man, able to match you, even."

  Irina shook her head. "Still. An Arecian prince, really?"

  Rhys said, "Cassalyn. Ciri. They're both with Arecians. Asteria's lover is a Caershireen, which is close enough to an Arecian, I suppose. Danna's with a Novokulugan, for fuck's sake, and you approved, and you're upset because your fiance is an Arecian?"

  "They chose them, I didn't choose mine," Irina grumbled.

  Rhys said, "You're usually far more rational than this."

  For a long moment Irina said nothing, and Rhys panicked for a moment that she'd accidentally enraged the princess, but right as she was about to apologise Irina asked, voice the most vulnerable Rhys had heard in a long while, "Do you think I'm selfish?"

  Worriedly Rhys asked, "Is that a trick question?"

  Irina bowed her head and shook it. "No. It's a genuine one. Do you all think I'm selfish? Be honest with me, Rhys, there's no one else here."

  "If you were selfish," Rhys replied, "you wouldn't do so much for Sai. You'd stay in your ivory palace and play all day."

  "Yes. But I keep putting all of you at risk. I put all of you into positions that are the most advantageous to me even when you don't want to, even when you ask me not to. I keep asking you all to make sacrifices but I never make one myself. And when I have to I complain and I cry and I argue. Do you all not think I'm selfish?"

  Rhys chose to remain silent. Irina wasn't an idiot. She knew how her behaviour felt to the rest of them—a slap in the face, quite simply put. She did it because she could, and because they were the only people she could act like a child around. Irina musingly continued, "None of you really said anything about it to my face, though. Not even Justine."

  "I'm sure," Rhys said, "she had her reasons for remaining quiet."

  Irina shook her head. "Never mind that. It's too late now, the engagement will go on. Let's move onto some other topics. Io, for one."

  Rhys' brows knitted together. "Is something wrong with her?" Io frequently left Sai on missions. From what she'd heard from Danna, Io had gotten injured recently, but considering the fact she was immediately able to head to Cheonuang for a mission afterwards, Rhys had assumed it wasn't that serious or severe of a wound.

  Irina tilted her head. "You could say that. Danna admitted to me a long time ago there was a lot more than it seemed."

  Rhys narrowed her eyes. Io was young, only eighteen, but she was already one of the best among all of them. Human she was, but she'd trained with the Iron Wolves since she was very young, and could more or less match the averagely trained wiccai. She was an excellent spy, able to sneak past most of the Wolves unnoticed since she was a little girl. The amount of times Io had eavesdropped on her and Dom's conversations were actually a bit embarrassing.