Page 124 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

I leaned on her ear and whispered, “I told you there was no need.”

She turned to me with a deep frown. “You are like a sieve. I really don’t like sieves.”

“You say the most romantic things to me, wife.” I kissed the tip of her nose and she sneered.

The table had gone quiet and the two of us were so deep in our food and thoughts we hadn’t noticed. When I looked up, Moriko gave me an amused look.

What? I mouthed.

She lightly pointed her fork to Snow’s neck, pulling my attention to a little violet mark that I’d left there.

Carefully, I plucked a bunch of my wife’s hair to her front to conceal it. Snow didn't pay much mind, entranced by the colourful and flavourful food before her, but the Sun King did.

Magnus looked amused. “So the two of you are really in love, huh?”

“Is it so difficult to believe?” I asked, sliding an arm on the back of Snow’s seat, resisting the urge to pull her on my lap and make her come again just so I could hear that sweet fucking sound she made.

Magnus’s brows rose almost to his hairline. “You sent to kill her twelve years ago, if I am not mistaken.”

Snow froze, her fork halfway to her mouth.

“Didn’t you and your wife have a similar background?” I asked and Snow turned to me half astounded. “You killed her family and then imprisoned her before you fell in love and married her. Unwillingly, might I remind you. It wasn't till long ago that she reciprocated your feelings, correct?” Cora’s father was a priest with a larger desire than to guide people to their beliefs. He wanted to guide the whole kingdom to his rule. He’d challenged Magnus, had even raised a resistance against the Vayr rule over Solarya with the argument of fading belief and modern practices that was ruining their blessing. Magnus not only had crushed the resistance, opened hundreds of temples and made it a habit to pray every day in mock of what was being said against him, but he’d tortured the priest and kept his family in his dungeons for years. The priest’s daughter, Cora, too. Magnus had fallen for more than her beauty and grown a soft heart for her, it was known all over the realm, but Cora had taken years to warm up to him. At least, that is what it was said.

“I see you are well informed,” Magnus said, sparing a glance at his now quiet wife and sliding a hand over hers.

My fingers curled around Snow’s shoulder. “Informed enough not to make judgements I am not entitled to make.”

Magnus scoffed, leaning back on his chair, and pointed a look at Snow. “He has sharp wits despite his young age. I can see the charm.”

“I’d return the compliment to Cora, but I’d be lying,” Snow said through a mouthful of food.

Cora made a startled sound, but Magnus roared with laughter. Once he came down from his amusement, he cocked his head at my wife again. “I heard you poisoned your half-siblings.”

“You have heard right.”

“Heard you became a Captain in your father’s court, fought for the position yourself.”

She had stuffed her mouth so tight with food her cheeks had swollen. “Your hearing is still intact, Your Majesty.”

Magnus laughed again. “It surprises me, that’s it.”

Snow dropped her fork and leaned back in her seat, seizing Magnus like he was seizing her. “Do not tell me that is because I am a woman?”

He shook his head. “Because you are your father’s daughter. Trickery is in your blood. I’d never think you would pass up the opportunity to fight an unfair fight. It entertains you Krigborns.”

Snow levelled a bored look on him. “Heard your father beat your mother. Are you your father’s daughter, too?”

Magnus laughed again and pointed a finger at us. “You come prepared.”

Snow only shrugged. “It’s in my Krigborn blood as you said.”

“You remind me a bit of Jonah,” Magnus said with a sigh. “He was a clever man. Unforgiving, like you. But the kindest and most gentle ruler I've met in my time as king. During the time of the Misae drought that plagued our island, when my people were starving and dying, he offered help. We refused it, of course. It was unheard of for us to accept pity, so he bought all of our catch that was going to rot away and then all of our spices. He paid more for that spoiled batch than I would have ever, and I bet he never fed it to his people. But he saved us. He was a great man.”

“He was,” Snow said quietly. “And I am nothing like him, Your Majesty. I would have let you starve off and die.”

Magnus’s brows rose and he turned to me. “Do you think so, too?”

“No,” I said. “She would have picked a fight with you, thrown you here and there till you’d bleed and ruined a few of your furniture, and then she would have dumped stacks of coins before you as pretext to make up for the damages she caused.”