Chapter 88

Sienna’s POV

“Lucius.” The way I greeted him told him all he needed to know. He pulled us out to the gardens, nodding at the guards.

“Talk to me,” he said softly, his brows creased with concern as he led us to a bench in the middle of the plaza garden.

“The King wants me to kill Alaric,” I whispered hoarsely, touching over the vial in my pocket. “With poison.”

Lucius stared at me for a long moment, taking in what I’d said.

“Truthfully, it doesn’t surprise me to hear that. His uncle has always been a treacherous bastard.” Lucius shook his head, disgust in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” I raised a brow, happy to see my suspicions about the King were proving right.

“The man has been lying for years,” Lucius said softly, his eyes scanning the plaza for any threats. “I guess Alaric didn’t get to that part with you yet.”

“No, I was interrupted by the summons,” I sighed, looking up to the clear sky, my eyes scanning over all the constellations. “But I figured as much.”

“I don’t understand why he had to lie.” My voice was pained, and yet, at the same time, I somehow still understood why he did it.

“It wasn’t your secret to know, not at the time,” Lucius whispered, his words tender. “Alaric doesn’t just drop those kinds of things on people — you had enough to worry about.”

I thumbed over the vial buried in my pocket, the poison almost burning a hole in my finger. It still felt wrong to have it, like the King was going to have me searched any second, blaming me for something. Anything he could.

“But he wants Alaric dead,” I whispered, a chill moving through me. “His own nephew.”

“Yes, and he forced him out years ago, too. He’s the reason for all the bad, Sienna, and that’s what Alaric hasn’t been able to tell you yet.” Lucius gave me a sad smile, a bit of relief in his eyes at finally telling me the truth.

“He’s the reason Alaric disappeared?” My throat was dry, swallowing suddenly hard.

“I think Alaric should be the one who tells you that,” Lucius murmured, a sigh falling out of him. “It’s his life, his secret to tell.”

“It’s pretty easy to tell now that the King is a bad man.” It made me sad to think that my parents were so loyal to a crown that lived a lie for so many years.

Or were they really loyal? Alaric had been so close to them, and they had to have known his real identity.

“Lucius…”I whispered, glancing over to him. “Were my parents aware of all of this?”

“They were,” he murmured, a small smile forming on his lips. “They were never really loyal to the crown — it was all a show.”

“Wow,” I muttered, a bitter laugh escaping me. “I was left out of so many things.”

“You can’t see it that way,” Lucius said, leaning his broad shoulder against me on the bench. “You couldn’t have known something like that so young — it wasn’t your problem.”

“I know,” I croaked, knowing he was right, even if I had trouble shaking the level of lies I’d been told. “It’s not my secret to know.”

He gave me a slightly sad smile, understanding my pain but also standing by his point. It really wasn’t my secret to know.

“No one ever intentionally hurt you.” Lucius squeezed my hand, his eyes gentle. “Everyone always had your best interests at heart.”

“Asher — sorry, Alaric — is an idiot.” I shook my head, rolling my eyes into the back of my head. “But I can’t deny my feelings for him.”

“Hard to call him Asher, isn’t it?” Lucius laughed, leaning into me again. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Where is he anyway?” I glanced around the empty plaza, my gaze hanging on the guards at the ballroom door.

Like clockwork, Alaric appeared through the doors, the guards stepping aside to let him through. Something looked very…off with him.

“Alaric?” I frowned, standing to greet him as he came over. He shook his head, his face smudged with dirt.

“I’m…” He started to laugh, collapsing on the bench next to Lucius, who frowned at him. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“I’ll give you two some time,” Lucius said, somewhat standoffish to Alaric’s close proximity. It was sad to see the two of them drifting apart like they were.

“Thank you,” Alaric murmured, running his hands through his oddly tangled hair.

Lucius slipped back inside the ballroom, leaving Alaric and I alone, our thighs brushing against one another along the tight space of the bench.

“What happened to you?” I looked over at him, a flutter of nerves rattling my stomach. The baby, still so fresh, seemed to react, too.

It sure knew its father. And it wouldn’t be long until he sensed them, too.

Tears suddenly lined my eyes, and I pushed back the panic that Alaric would see. He’d just assume it was my stress, nothing else.

“Rogues. Down in the tunnels.” I couldn’t believe he’d actually given me a reason, one that sounded pretty real to me.

“The tunnels?” I hadn’t heard anyone mention those tunnels since I was maybe six years old. “I thought those were completely shut off.”

“Nothing is ever completely shut off.” Alaric chuckled, and I noticed just how much dirt was smudged on his face, the slightest bit of blood present there too.

“Did you stop them?” I realized the question was a little stupid, considering he was here and okay. With their blood splattered on his face.

Alaric raised a brow, and I let out a laugh, a brief moment of reprieve amidst all the tension of the last few months.

When we’d both stopped laughing, I let a beat pass before sighing. “I know your uncle is a bad man.”

Alaric’s eyes cut to mine, his attention solely on me now. “What happened?”

I touched over the vial in my pocket, hesitating before I pulled it out, handing it to Alaric. “He wants to poison you with deadly nightshade.”

“Wow,” Alaric snorted, leaning his head back against the bench to look at the sky. “That’s a new low.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, letting myself lean against him just a little, missing the comfort he’d always given me.

“You don’t need to be sorry, Sienna,” he whispered in my ear, sending a shiver down my back. “You never did anything wrong.”

“I didn’t know.” My voice shook just a little, embarrassing me. But I knew he wouldn’t judge me — he never had. He’d always, from day one, been there supporting me, even if I was so convinced he wasn’t.

“Because I didn’t tell you.” He reached out, squeezing my hand. “For reasons.”

When he touched me, I noticed him pause, and to my horror, his eyes drifted down to my stomach.

“Sienna…”

My eyes widened, following his gaze down there too.

“Are you…”

I can’t quite explain why I said what I said next — maybe it was a defense mechanism, a way to deflect all my pain onto someone else, even though Alaric didn’t deserve it.

“It’s Lucius’.”

Alaric went stone still, his face falling, before he stood up and walked away without another word.