Free Web NovelChapter 44: Chapter 44 - Loyalty
Thalia stood by the horse, watching as Solomon searched for water. She still couldn’t believe that he had poisoned Lilith. freewёbnoνel.com
Thalia tapped her fingers against her arm, a dangerous idea sprouting in her mind.
If she took the horse and left Solomon now, she could ride to the church and send word to her mother that she was there. She wouldn’t have to travel another mile with Solomon or spend another moment in the dreadful dress he had bought her.
Thalia looked back at the horse, which was busy grazing at the grass around them, its tail flicking lazily in the air to get rid of flies. She knew how to ride.
Thalia took one step towards the horse and reached for the reins.
"There are bandits on these roads, and men who will take one look at you and know immediately that you are a woman. Once they see your face, they will know you are the princess." Solomon’s voice stopped her where she stood, without him even turning around.
"You’ll either be attacked and killed or sold to a brothel. Men would give everything they own for a moment with a princess, and I assure you, that is not a life you could endure. Take the horse, if you wish," Solomon said, almost hoping she would so that what came next would not be his fault.
"You’re only trying to frighten me," Thalia said, her fingers closing around the reins regardless.
Solomon exhaled slowly, his patience wearing thin. "You have spent your entire life inside castle walls. You have no real understanding of what lies beyond them when there are no guards at your back. Go, then. See how long you last," he urged Thalia. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Thalia held the reins a moment longer. Then, without a word, she let go.
"You had better get me to my mother, or you will hang," Thalia said, turning away from the horse as though the decision had been entirely her own.
Solomon said nothing.
"Can you swear your loyalty to me? I can’t shake the feeling that you once cared for Lilith, and though you poisoned her, you are still holding onto something. I hate Lilith and will not have you getting in the way of my plans," Thalia said.
Solomon moved towards her, and Thalia stepped back instinctively. He reached past her for the reins and began leading the horse towards a tree to be tied. "I never once cared for Her Highness in that way. I acted like a friend and guard as your father instructed me to."
"To say that I loved Lilith would be to say she was worth loving. I could never love a bastard," Solomon said, fortunate that his back was to Thalia.
"I suppose you’re right," Thalia said, glancing away to the surrounding trees. "You’d be a fool to love her. What I saw must have been nothing more than a man wanting a woman. Swear your loyalty to me, and I’ll let you have her when the time comes. We can put a chain around her neck."
"I proved my loyalty when I got you out alive," Solomon answered.
"I wish I could have seen her face when she realised you left. She must have been so certain you were hers," Thalia said, smiling at the thought. "It is Lilith’s fate to lose everything she loves. Had you betrayed us, you would have been next," she added.
Thalia gazed out across the open road in the direction of the castle. "I haven’t had the pleasure of hurting Lilith in so long. Her maids, or the children she once doted on. It was satisfying to have my father order them to be killed."
Solomon’s hands stilled on the rope.
"You should have seen her face. Though you would have been at her side for some of those moments, wouldn’t you? Tell me, did she weep at night? Did she believe she was cursed?" Thalia said, Lilith’s suffering bringing warmth to her. "I missed watching her reactions."
"Lilith isn’t one to show what she feels," Solomon said, resuming the knot. "And I was never as close to her as you seem to think."
"A pity. I’d have liked you better if you had stories to share," Thalia said, her interest in Solomon leaving fast. "At the very least, you must know the names of those she cares for now. Her maids, her pets, the servants she loves. I want her to lose them again"
Thalia moved towards Solomon quietly, her arms folded. "Don’t try to tell me you don’t know. I’ll start to wonder whether you were ever truly on our side and if it was you who poisoned her. If you were fully with us, she would be dead."
News of Lilith’s death had not reached Thalia’s ears, so Lilith had survived.
"I take some pleasure in knowing she still lives, as it means I get to be the one to kill her. Still, it reflects poorly on you. If I begin to suspect you’ve been lying to me, I won’t shield you from my mother. I’ll have you and everyone you love burnt alive," Thalia threatened Solomon.
Solomon stopped what he was doing and faced her. "Your Highness, I’ll offer you one piece of advice. You may still carry the title of princess, but out here, that title means nothing. There are no castle walls, no guards, no one bound by a station to overlook your temper. You would do well to remember that."
"I could have sold you before we ever left, or handed you to one of the men you imagine were loyal to your father. I could have left you alone somewhere your mother would never have thought to look. Instead, I am risking my life to see you safely to her," Solomon said, his eyes not leaving her face.
"It is your duty," Thalia said, because it was the only answer she knew how to give.
"My duty ended the moment the king drew his last breath. I am doing this because I chose to, not because I am bound to," Solomon said before turning and walking back to the horse. "Continue as you are, and I shall leave you to manage the rest alone. The nights here are not kind, Your Highness, and the bandits that come with them are even less so."
Thalia watched Solomon’s back with narrowed eyes. She didn’t like the way he spoke to her and hated to acknowledge the fact that she needed him.
’I’ll deal with him the moment he’s no longer useful,’ Thalia plotted.
