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I have a generous allowance. That said, Reiks is a prince. Who knows how much his baubles might cost.
He laughs, a sound both soft and rough. I don't know him at all, but I somehow get the feeling he doesn't laugh very often. Still, I'd prefer he didn't do it at my expense.
He must have noticed my glaring, because he stops to say,“I don't think so. It was regalia of the first queen of Anderkan. The goblet spelled at her wedding, actually.”
My jaw falls.What?
“And you were holding it in yourhands?” I demand, practically screaming. “Why wasn’t it boxed, and sealed, and spelled to be safe?”
Reiks is all casual indifference. Me? I'm panicking.
The first queen of Anderkan was a legend; a half giantess who sided with the mortal kingdoms and determined the fate of the war. Her chamber pot would be worth ten times my weight in gold. Her wedding goblet? Breaking it could easily cause a diplomatic incident between my family and Anderkan.
Throughout Xhera, there are many wedding ceremonies, but one of the traditional ones is to use one goblet spelled with the intimate vows. They drink of that same cup to seal the spell, and if one of them willingly breaks their promises, they die.
Even in ancient times, that tradition was rare because it is so binding.
The shards on the floor were priceless.Priceless. How could I mess up so badly?
How couldhe?
“It was protected at the palace," Reiks replied. "I was bringing it to be studied by the historical department. Not that it matters now.”
But it does. A precious, unique, ancient antique is broken and it is my fault. “What can I do to help?"
He tilts his head, as though my help wasn't something he'd ever considered asking for.
"I don’t want to get in trouble. I don't wantyouto get in trouble over something I did either.” Part of me wonders why I'm blurting everything I'm thinking about without a moment’s hesitation. That's not my style. I don't…talk. I'm the shy Frejr. The background one.
It must be sheer panic loosening my tongue.
“In trouble,” Reiks repeats. Then he has the gall to smirk. “Don't you know who I am, Frejr?”
Of course I do, but princes have responsibilities, like everyone else. His had been to take care of the irreplaceable goblet. Now it was broken. When the king finds out, he's bound to take it out on Reiks.
Or on me.
“I will speak to my palace liaison and make sure she understands my carelessness broke the goblet,” Reiks decides.
I open my mouth to thank him, but he's not done.
"Which meansyou do owe me." Letting go of my foot, he finally straightens up to his full, intimidating height. "How much…well, I'll have to get the goblet valued. But I'm not interested in your coin."
I stare at him, waiting for the axe to drop.
What could he want from me?
If he'd demanded money, I could have worked something out, somehow. Given the value of what I've destroyed, that would have meant going to my matriarch and begging her to bail me out. Valina would have done it, too. Not without making a deal with me first.
I know just what she would have asked of me. It would have cost me everything. The future I imagined for myself. The fragile control I gained over the last eleven years would have been torn out of my grasp and shattered as thoroughly as the goblet.
But there's a high chance Reiks wants the exact same thing from me.
He'll ask me to use magiks. I don't see anything else a man such as him could want me for.
"What’s your name, witch?”
“Alis.” I get up, tightening my towel again. I need to get out of here and find clothes. "And I don't practice, so I'm no witch." I'm quick to assure him, dreading the thought of having to change my path because of this mess.
