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13
Erik could feel Sabine and Andrea, both watching him as the door closed behind Mina. Their gazes felt like ice against his skin, whereas Mina’s gaze felt like fire.
“Stop staring at me like that,” he warned, turning to face the trade ambassador.
Sabine held up her hands, chuckling. “It is not me who must win the girl over. It’s you, Sire.”
“Leave us, Sabine. What I must say to the king is for his ears alone,” Andrea commanded.
Sabine’s lip curled and she stood from her chair, giving Erik a formal bow. “Have a nice day your majesty. I’ll have those reports sent over to you as soon as I have them.”
He gave her a polite nod. “You have a nice day too.”
Andrea waited for the woman to leave them, and then let out a loud sigh. “I see you’ve progressed nicely with the girl.”
“I picked her to be my bride. What else did you expect?” He asked, folding his arms behind his back. Andrea had always set him on edge, but her insights had always proved useful in one way or another.
“I would’ve thought you’d at least wait until I was able to examine her and tell you if she was indeed—”
“It’s hard not to be drawn to Mina,” he said. “No matter if she is Evangeline or not, she is…intoxicating.”
“Would you like me to read her blood, and see if she is the one you’ve been waiting for?” She asked.
He thought for a moment. Reading Mina’s blood would mean telling her about his suspicions, and from what he could tell she wouldn’t take a revelation like that very well. She may have admitted that she desired him enough to share her body with him, but she didn’t trust him yet. Not completely.
“Don’t approach her about doing the reading just yet. I want to be sure she’s comfortable here before I throw something like that at her,” he said, pacing a few steps away from her.
“You think making her love you will soften the blow if she isn’t in fact Evangeline?” Andrea laughed. “I would think that might have quite the opposite effect.”
“You were the one who suggested I take my time getting to the amphitheater in Distova. Are you telling me that you were wrong? Are you telling me there’s another reason why she looks just like Evangeline?”
The witch held up her hands. “I’ve told you before, My King, I’ll never be positive unless I read her blood.”
He waved her off and ran his hands over his face in frustration. In the short time he’d spent with Mina, she was exciting, and he couldn’t stop thinking about her, but was that because she looked like his Evangeline? Would it change things if she wasn’t?
Shaking his head, he gestured to the seat at the end of the table. “Sit, please. We need to discuss the blood plague. We were nearly overtaken by a horde on our way into the city. That’s closer than they’ve ever come.”
“It seems the plague is making its way south, faster than we anticipated,” Andrea sighed. “I’ve sent some more sensitives out to try and ease the suffering, but the tide of evil is powerful.”
“There has to be something we can do,” he grumbled, dropping into the chair on the opposite end of the table. “Something I can do. I’m supposed to be theirking. I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
“You are doing something, Sire. You have witches and advisors digging into every facet of this problem. You cannot do it all yourself. You are a king. You have other responsibilities to worry about. It is your job to ensure our future. You’re the one responsible for handling the foreign threats to our borders. Not to mention the fact that the people are waiting for you to fulfill your promise and find them a worthy queen.”
“Mina is more than worthy, but you know as well as I, the problem isn’t finding the queen. It’s getting her to fall in love with me.”
“Well, in my experience,” Andrea said, steepling her fingers in front of her lips. “One key to ensuring that she falls in love with you is spending time with her. Let her get to know you. Get to knowher.”
Erik narrowed his eyes at her, trying to puzzle out her motives. “You will redouble your efforts to figure out this plague.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” She bowed her head and slid back from her chair. “I will go now and reach out to my coven to see if there is any fresh information I can work with.”
“Good.” He nodded.
Andrea gave him another bow and began to retreat, but just as her foot hit the top step before the door, she turned back to him.
“Forgive me, Sire, but I saw that Lucy has been moved into the palace. Have I disappointed you in some way?”
He shifted in his chair. “Lucy is Mina’s cousin. I moved her into the room beside the Princess so she can serve as her companion,” he said. “I thought it would make it easier for Mina to adjust.”
