Free Web NovelChapter 381: Chapter 381
"I have attended a total of two Lamorian weddings, and there isn’t a more isolating feeling than being the only one who doesn’t understand what is happening or a single word that is being said. It also made me realize that I was no more than an oblivious bystander at our own wedding." Her lips quirked faintly, though the humor in the gesture did not quite reach her eyes. "I might have to start learning your language going forward. There is no point in staying in a land when I cannot even speak its language."
He regarded her with his full attention, his hand still resting warmly against her lap, thumb absently tracing slow circles against the fabric of her dress. He did not interrupt. He knew her well enough now to recognize that she had more on her mind that she wanted to say. His silence stretched between them, patient and inviting her to continue.
"But something at the wedding stood out to me," she said after a moment, her gaze drifting briefly to the carriage window before returning to him. "I noticed that, unlike the couple today, we did not share any vows at our own ceremony." There was an unspoken question woven into her words, and she returned his stare with a curious one of her own.
"No," he answered honestly, his voice low. "We didn’t."
She had expected as much. And if she were to be completely truthful with herself, it made sense. They had not always been this close, this in love. Only months ago, she had despised the very air he breathed. A while before that, he and his troops had carved their way through her homeland like a merciless plague sweeping across fertile soil. Had vows been exchanged between them that day, they would have been nothing but hollow words, blatant lies spoken before watching nobles. Words neither of them would have meant. Words she certainly would not have received kindly.
Yet Ragnar continued before she could respond.
"The people of this kingdom tend to be zealous when it comes to their spiritual beliefs," he began carefully. "It is even worse in the army. You will find it difficult to come across a soldier who is not at least a little superstitious." His jaw tightened slightly as he spoke, memories flickering behind his eyes. "We all stood before the flames of Marzen as fresh recruits and swore oaths to serve and bleed for this land. Those flames are sacred to us. Any vow taken before them is considered binding beyond life itself."
He paused, drawing in a measured breath.
"That is why, on the morning of our wedding, I sought out the priest who was to officiate the ceremony. I told him my plan to omit the vows." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
These were truths he had never shared with her before. He had always assured her that he had been transparent, that he had done his best to be honest in both his private dealings and their marriage. But as the words left him now, he realized how much he had withheld, how much he had allowed to remain buried.
A heavy silence followed. The rhythmic creaking of the carriage wheels filled the void as he confronted the weight of his omissions. frёewebnoѵēl.com
When he finally lifted his gaze to hers, those grey eyes the color of storm clouds, he confessed the oldest and most damning secret of all.
"I did not have the best intentions for you when we married," he said quietly. "In the beginning, I saw you as a pawn. A piece on a board I believed I could position to my advantage when the time came."
His eyes searched her face intently, studying every flicker of emotion that crossed her features. "How mistaken I was. It did not take long for me to realize it. With your fierce heart and that fiery temper that burns so brightly, it was ludicrous to think you could ever be controlled or bent to another’s will. If anything, the opposite has proven true. You own me completely, wife. Body and soul."
He looked away then as the carriage swayed beneath them. The next confession felt heavier still, and he was not certain he could bear to see hurt in her eyes if his words were to offend her.
"When the queen first proposed that we marry, I protested to the king," he admitted. "I even sought her out in private to reject the arrangement outright. After the way my first wife died, I had no desire to wed again, especially not to a woman the kingdom still regarded as a war prisoner." His voice roughened slightly at the memory. "But then I began to consider the advantages. My proximity to you could serve me, particularly if my father chose not to name me as his successor."
"What advantages?" she asked.
Her voice was calm, too calm. The warmth that had filled the carriage earlier had long since dissipated, replaced by a suffocating tension that pressed against the walls and the regret that poured from him with every word.
Her expression shifted, becoming more guarded, more distant, as she waited for his answer.
"My pursuit of the throne has never been about wanting more power for myself," he said firmly. "It has always been about protection. About survival. They already murdered Luria. And despite my complicated relationship with my father, I knew I survived my childhood because he sat on that throne. Without that protection, I would not be here. I also know the type of man my brother is. If he ever becomes king, the first thing he will do is send an army after me. I would be arrested on the spot, and this time I would not be granted the privilege of a trial. I would be forced to flee the kingdom if I wished to keep my life."
"If that ever becomes reality, I planned to take you back to Westeria. There is currently a revolt brewing there—rebel factions pushing back against Lamorian forces on their land. They detest being under my father’s rule, and they long for the day when Westeria can once again be governed by a Valdris." He paused only briefly, as though testing the weight of what he was about to confess. "I would establish you as a figurehead for them, to feed their hopes while I pulled the strings from the shadows. As the daughter of their former king and the rightful heir to the throne, they would be bound to you. Their loyalty would come easily. And I intended to use your influence over them to weaken Hairan."
He could feel the heat of her stare burning into the side of his face.
"You truly had it all planned out, didn’t you?" she asked. It was impossible to decipher what she was thinking. Her voice was smooth, stripped of inflection, giving nothing away.
"Yes. I did." The admission tasted bitter on his tongue but he refused to hide it from her any longer. "That is why I refused to make any vows to you then. I would not have meant them, and I likely would not have kept them."
"Marrying me was simply part of your contingency plan." It was not a question.
"In the beginning," he answered, forcing himself to meet her gaze. "But it is not that way anymore. It has not been that way for a long time."
