Page 8 of A Crown of Fates
Murmurs and whispers swarm the room as women side-eye me while they walk toward the exit. Hell, some even glare, and I almost offer to switch places with them, but something tells me that won’t help my situation.
The room empties, and I’m left standing there, with no clue what I’m supposed to do.
Maybe he asked me to stay behind because he thinks I’m some sort of royal liaison, and he wants to find out more about the one he’s identified as his mate. Yes, that would make more sense.
That has to be the reason.
The advisor comes forward and bows before me. “Princess Estee, I’m Jerome Graves, First Advisor to King Theo. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to his office so the two of you can have a private conversation.”
“He doesn’t need to ask for my permission to claim his mate,” I state without moving, even though he’s gesturing for me to proceed toward the archway. “Any of these women are free to stay here with him. King Asher won’t stop that from happening.”
Jerome pales, and his throat bobs. “Princess Estee, it’syouthat King Theo believes to be his mate. Can you not feel the connection as he does? Are you unwell?”
Motherf— I was right the first time.
I guess I’m about to have an awkward conversation with the King of Selaris.
“Show me to his office,” I demand, leaving no room for further conversation. This has just become a royal matter, and even if Jerome is the top advisor, I’m not discussing this with anyone other than Theo. Well, maybe Asher and Isla if I need to bring them into whatever’s happening here.
He nods and turns on his heel before leading the way. We move through the now empty space and into the arched hallway. My jaw is locked tight with frustration and my eyes fail to focus on anything other than the back of Jerome’s head.
My intuition knew coming here was a bad idea before I even boarded the ship. I should’ve listened, but… Damn my sister for making me love her so much that I didn’t want to disappoint her.
One foot in front of the other. I curl my fingers into my palm and take a deep breath before slowly letting it back out.
Okay, Estee. Think. What’s really happening here?
Why would King Theo think I’m his mate when I hardly felt anything after seeing him? Or why did I hardly feel anything if he truly is my mate? Is he trying to attach himself to me as a wayto gain something from Polaris? Gods, I might actually kill him myself if that’s true.
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep my thoughts from getting out of control. Thinking clearly is a must, and I need to rein in my emotions. As of right now, King Theo isn’t my mate. He’s just a desperate man who’s up to something, and I need to figure that something out.
Yes, that’s it. Another mystery to solve. While this isn’t as dire as figuring out who killed Isla, and then me, that doesn’t mean this won’t escalate depending on what’s really going on here.
If my sister can figure out who murdered us, surely I can learn why Theo thinks he can get away with calling me his mate. I mean, he’s never met me, but I’m sure he’sheardof me. I chuckle to myself. Maybe this will be fun, after all. A princess bringing a king to his knees.
That thought finally has my grin returning.
With my little pep talk taken care of, I pay more attention to my surroundings. Jerome is leading us up a set of stairs. Though, I have no clue if we’re heading to the first or second or even third level by now. Oh well. It doesn’t matter. I’ve got this.
After two left turns on the next floor, Jerome knocks on a large arched door before grabbing the metal knob, this one diamond-shaped with intricate carvings that are too worn to make sense of. The advisor waits a couple of seconds then opens the door and steps aside.
“Your Highness.” Jerome nods, gesturing for me to enter.
I hesitate before squaring my shoulders. This doesn’t change anything. I know what’s in my heart, and I’m not going to let some desperate king rewrite my future. Whatever King Theo thinks this is, he’s about to learn a hard lesson in being wrong.
Because if he believes tying himself to Polaris through me is going to get him anywhere, he’s in for a rude awakening.
CHAPTER FIVE
THEO
This is exactly what Ididn’twant to happen. How can my mate be Princess Estee? More importantly, why? Is this some sick joke or another twisted scheme orchestrated by…
No. I can’t even think his name right now.
Regardless, I’ve had all the time I’m going to get to prepare for this moment. Estee is here, standing in my office like a magnificent force of nature, and I can only hope that whatever I’m about to say will be enough to placate her. Though, based on the raised brow and smirk on her perfect face, I can already tell this isn’t going to go as smoothly as I’d like.
She walks through the threshold, radiating a confidence that pulls me in despite the danger. Her maroon dress flows around her with an air of regality that doesn’t require the diamond tiara upon her long wavy strands for me to know that she is every bit the queen I could have ever dreamed of.