A Muse Her

Chapter 43

"I can't believe you're alive," Harald cried, crushing Mateo with a hug. "I thought I lost you."

Mateo hugged him tight. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"It's not your fault," his father said, pulling away from him with his eyes watery with tears. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I brought you back here when I should've left you and Maia alone." He wiped a tear rolling down his cheek. "I never thought you'd be targeted so soon like this."

"Neither did we," Willem said, crossing the room to tug the sack off Bas' head. "But our informant has told us this was being planned the moment you announced Prince Hendrik's return."

"And now I've given Jorien free reign to do as he pleases as king because I thought you were gone," Harald said, cringing as he slid a hand over his face. "What a fool I've become."

"That's not true," Mateo said, grasping his father's shoulder. "You didn't know I was alive."

"No," Harald scoffed. "But I shouldn't have listened to Anna who urged me to let Jorien take care of things while I grieved."

"She was just doing what she thought was best at the time," Maia said, standing beside Mateo. "I'm sure she didn't anticipate Eline starting a protest."

"Probably not," Bas smirked. "But your queen knew about Mr. Haro and what he wanted from Prince Jorien."

"What are you talking about?" Mateo said, turning to Bas. "You never mentioned anything about the queen."

"I didn't think it was necessary until now." Bas shrugged. "But she's not so innocent in this. I'm surprised you don't know the history of Queen Anna's dealings with Mr. Haro before she married you."

A snarl curled over Harald's lips. "And what do you know about it?"

"We don't have enough time for me to explain her family's history with the Haros, but the life you made with Queen Anna was always part of a bigger plan to take over Oost den Burg and Queen Viona's death was part of it too."

Something snapped in Mateo and rage burned through him at Bas' confession. The notion that he lost his mother and nearly lost Maia for some sinister take over of his country ignited a fury inside of him. He lashed out, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against the stone wall. "You had better be fucking lying," Mateo seethed.

"You wanted the truth," Bas choked out. "And I have no reason to lie."

"Bring me the queen," Mateo said, looking over at Willem and Lars. "I want to hear it from her."

"Yes, Your Highness." Lars nodded.

"Mateo, release him." Maia said, nearing him with concern swirling in her eyes as she slid a hand to his arm. "Bas isn't the one who killed your mother."

"You don't know that," Mateo said through gritted teeth.

"I don't, but if you choke him to death, he won't be able to tell you," Maia said, squeezing his arm. "And your father needs you right now."

Mateo looked over Maia's head to his father slumped on the couch with a blank look on his paling face and tears rolling down his cheeks.

"What have I done?" his father whispered.

Mateo's heart clenched as he released Bas. "It's not your fault," he said, crossing the room to sit beside his father. "And we don't know if what he said is true."

"It is. The doctors never figured out what caused your mother's death and I was still blinded by grief and wanting someone to fill the hole your mother left that I didn't care about Anna's conditions of our marriage," his father said, wiping the tears rolling down his cheeks. "After all this time trying to keep Haro out of this country, I'm the one who let him in."