The Dream Oath

Chapter 2.7

Ralse felt a little guilty over his excitement. May he shouldn't have asked Maria to join him.

He smiled faintly as his valet adjusted his clothing for the evening. Ralse had not expected her to say yes. He knew where he stood with her, taking over her country and all. It was a miracle that she was as mild-tempered as she was.

Being the youngest child of his father's second wife, he watched his older sister get sold off into marriage. Celes was inseparable from him and Edgar growing up. Everywhere they went, it was the three of them. The unwanted children of the second wife. The contingency plans.

As they got older, Celes had only gotten more beautiful. Auburn hair and blue eyes that were lighter than the sky. Then their father realized that men looked at her. He saw a profit. He started the bidding war on her 13th birthday, holding out for three years as he gambled on when her beauty would peak.

She left home shortly after her 16th birthday to marry a man twice her age whom she had never met. Celes wasn't the weeping type, but both Edgar and himself felt her devastation. Edgar had thrown himself into the fighting arts after vowing to rescue her. Ralse, at 13, studied strategy and estate management to make sure he could provide for his sister if she ever needed to flee her husband.

The letters home weren't happy. But they didn't hint at abuse or dishonesty. Celes had not been happy, but she admitted she was not mistreated and found some small joy in her children.

Ralse didn't want that for his wife. He wanted someone he could depend on and protect. He hopes for a woman who felt joy when she was with him. But he hadn't foreseen this situation. He knew the West Kingdom had a princess, but she was plenty old enough to be married so didn't look into it when he made his invasion plans.

Still, even though she was likely in a worse situation than his sister had been, he wanted to make her happy.

"You care too much," Edgar pointed out. Ralse smiled.

"You can't sneak up on me, brother. You know that." Ralse had not been enthusiastic about assuming leadership when their father had first told them to expect to be exiled as adults. Their father didn't want any competition to his firstborn daughter who would inherit. So he gave them an ultimatum, train here, conquer another kingdom, and create a permanent alliance with their half-sister, or be castrated. They both chose to study.

Edgar had kept the fun in their lives. They studied like their lives depended on it. But seeing Ralse's unhappiness, Edgar assumed the role of the goofball and nurtured his younger brother into a leader men would respect.

"She would marry you even if you were naked and you're fussing over dinner." Edger continued. "That one is a survivor. You could be a troll, and she'd still marry you."

"I am not sure you are right." Edgar thought about Maria in their brief interactions. She was poised, elegant, and quiet. She struck him as a bit helpless, which only made him want to protect her more. He didn't think he could order her execution at this point. "She seems so...soft."

"Perhaps," Edgar thought his brother's words over. "But have I ever been wrong about a person?"

"Not yet," Ralse admitted.

"Then she's a survivor. Don't let her stab you on your wedding night."

Ralse paused. He adored women. As a Prince, availability had never posed an issue. So he'd made a game out of it, not for his pleasure, but for theirs. There was nothing more beautiful in the world than seeing a satisfied woman.

He didn't think that it would be right to ask that of Maria. Although they had to consummate the marriage, maybe she would agree to put it off. He wasn't sure that he could do his duty as a husband if his wife wasn't enthusiastic about participating. He shuddered.

Edgar laughed before adding, "You really are hopeless. If you die, I'm not marrying her. I refuse to put this body in that sort of danger."

Ralse laughed at his brother. Both at his joke and at how on some level, Edgar was genuinely vain. He didn't act on it, but his brother was more into himself than Ralse thought was right for a person to be. A knock on the door interrupted the brothers. One of Maria's maids entered the room. The blonde one. He would have to learn their names.

"Excuse me, your majesty." Gwen curtsied and waited for the king to respond.

"Yes?" Ralse asked.

"My mistress is feeling unwell. I'm afraid that it would be inadvisable of her to join you for dinner this evening."

"Is she alright?" Ralse asked.

"Is there something we can do?" Edgar finished right on top of Ralse's question.

"She just needs rest," Gwen replied, itching to leave before they asked too many questions.

"What brought this on?" Edgar questioned Gwen after thinking for a moment.

"She," Gwen grasped for any reason avoiding Draco. "is distressed about the fate of her clansmen you brought back as prisoners today. She has a delicate system that responds poorly to stress."

"Please let us know if there is anything we can get her." Ralse excused the maid to attend to her mistress.

"I'm not buying it," Edgar observed after the door closed behind Gwen.

"I agree," Ralse said with concern.

"What do you think it is?"

"The army did come back today. Are there any other siblings or half-siblings we might not know about?"

"I don't believe so. But I will make discreet inquiries about her. I distrust survivors that hide things."

"Now I am genuinely worried that she may kill me."