Alex frowned and lowered his gaze to the sheet his father had just handed him. A list of names in black ink filled the page.
"I don't want to get married."
"They are noblewomen of high lineage. Their families are powerful and influential."
"I said I don't want to get married!"
His father gave him a detached look. "You have no alternative, Alex. You can't rule on your own."
"I can, if you give me the chance."
"Don't you see? The aphrodisiac was part of the trap."
"How would you know?"
"I know, because I know how they think. They want to trap you with a pregnancy. An aphrodisiac could leave you vulnerable enough to be taken to bed against your will."
Alex flinched. Neither he nor William had thought of it; they had assumed someone wanted to harm him physically.
"No one would do something like that just to marry me."
His father shook his head as if he were speaking to a petulant child. "They're not doing it to marry you. They're doing it for the crown. In their eyes, you are nothing more than a means to an end."
"That's all the more reason I can't marry any of them!"
"On the contrary, you must. Because marriage is the only protection you have. If you choose a consort, the nobles will stop belittling you, and the Council will change its opinion of you."
"Just because I'd be married?"
His father looked him in the eye, and Alex understood. It wasn't the marriage itself that would keep him safe, but the woman he would marry.
"You want me to marry Ballard's daughter, don't you?"
"It's the best choice. Her father is influential; he will give you the support you need. And he has promised to say nothing more about William's presence."
Anger roared through Alex's veins. "You made a deal with him behind my back!"
"I did what you refuse to do," his father exclaimed. "You had promised to take your duties seriously."
"And isn't that what I'm doing? I work in my study all day. I solve problems, and I've already proved to you and the Council that I'm not incompetent."
"But you are running away from the one duty expected of a king."
"Which one? Having a child?"
"Exactly," his father snarled. "A king may even be utterly incompetent at ruling, but he must give an heir to this kingdom. It's the only thing expected of him."
Alex stepped back. Pain stabbed his chest and clawed at his stomach. Was that all he was? Nothing more than breeding stock?
"I have no intention of getting married." He clenched his fists. "Feel free to tell Ballard he can shove his proposal up his ass."
His father shook his head, disappointment plain on his face. "It won't change anything. It's only a matter of time before you are forced to marry her. I advise you to decide while you still have some room to negotiate."
"But why? Why did you get to marry for love, and I can't do the same?"
"Because you fell in love with a man, damn it!" His father gave him a look filled with anger and a hint of pain. "He can't give you a child! And you need an heir more than anything else!"
"I can find a solution!"
"And what? An illegitimate son? Do you think they would accept it?"
"It would still be an heir!"
"Not in their eyes!" His father slammed a fist on the desk. "In their eyes, they consider a lover less scandalous than an illegitimate child. Marry Ballard's daughter, bring an heir into the world, and take him as your lover. It's your only option."
Was that really so? Was there no other path, no other future, where he placed a crown upon William's head?
"No." He took a deep breath. "I have no intention of doing that. He is not my whore."
"I can make sure you have no choice, Alex."
"Try it. If you take him away from me, Father, I'll disappear where you'll never find me."
"You won't do it."
"Don't push me. I love my family, but I have no intention of living in a cage."
He turned his back on him and headed for the door.
"Alex, for the spirits, why must you—"
Alex left the study and closed the door behind him. His father was wrong and had no right to decide for him. He wasn't a child.
He ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath to calm down. He needed to talk to someone, but William was busy, and Myrina was too young to give him useful advice.
The only ones he could ask were his older sisters, but Alex didn't want anyone else to know about him and Will.
He shook his head. "I need to calm down. One problem at a time."
First, he would have to find out who was drugging him and who had killed the maid, and whether the two events were connected. Then he could focus on the upcoming vote.
He headed for the kitchens. If someone had been tampering with his food, perhaps he would find some clue there.
"Your Highness." The head cook greeted him with a bow. "It's an honor to have you here. What do you need?"
"I need to ask you a few questions about the maid who was found dead."
"Ah, poor Beth! I've already said everything I knew, but if I can be of any help…"
Alex studied her face for a moment, but saw no tension or fear. "Had she worked here long?"
"About six months. She had worked as a maid for several nobles, had excellent references, and was sent to us by the chamberlain. I tested her, and she was quick, so I gave my approval."
"Do you know where she worked before?"
The cook shook her head. "She never wanted to reveal the names of her previous employers, and I never insisted."
Alex raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
The cook gave a faint smile. "Not all nobles are good employers, and you're not always as lucky as we are to work here at the palace."
"What were Beth's duties?"
"Mostly plating the dishes and taking them to the upper floors."
"So she had access to the food."
"Exactly."
Alex frowned. "Is it possible she knew who a certain dish was meant for?"
The cook gave him a puzzled look. "You mean whether a particular dish would be delivered to you or to someone else?"
"Yes."
"Well, once the dishes are plated, whoever takes them upstairs more or less knows who will eat them. They can always be swapped, but those are mistakes we try to avoid, especially if a guest has particular dietary needs."
"So it would be possible to poison a noble's meal with relatively little risk, right?"
The cook's expression darkened. "It's possible, Your Highness, but I assure you that no strange substance enters my kitchens. I keep an eye on anyone who sets foot in here, but I don't know what happens to the food once it leaves the kitchens. Still, we use silverware for precisely this reason."
"But there are substances that don't react to silver."
"Has… something happened?"
"Nothing you need to worry about." Alex thought for a moment. "That woman… do you think she might have tried to tamper with one of the nobles' meals?"
"I don't know, Your Highness, she never did anything that might raise suspicion. Beth never talked about herself. She worked hard but never grew close to any of us. I thought she was just the quiet type."
"I see. Thank you for your cooperation."
Alex left the kitchens. So someone might have drugged his food, even if he had no certainty that the dead woman was involved.
What he couldn't explain was how they had managed to drug the water in his flask. He always carried it with him, except when he left it in his room, and the only person who had access to his chambers—aside from those he trusted blindly—was his personal maid, Elva.
Could she be responsible? Thinking back, that morning she might have drugged his milk; it would explain why the effects of the aphrodisiac had worsened.
"Maybe I should talk to her…"
He turned, but overhearing two servants made him stop.
"…I saw them arguing with my own eyes, I swear."
Alex cast a glance at the two men: they were busy polishing some ceremonial armor and didn't seem to have noticed him.
"They told me he even knelt—is it true?"
"Oh yes, he looked desperate. Humiliating himself like that for that Xianese mage… Royal advisors have far too much time on their hands."
Alex took a step forward, then hesitated. They were talking about William, but he felt he had no right to interfere. He was certain that William would never keep a secret from him.
"Your Highness!" a man's voice called out to him. "May I speak with you for a few minutes?"