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“That’s not how the line of succession works” Annoyance crept into his tone; it gave his already deep voice an inflexible cord that wrapped around her “How do you not know this?”
The steel thread in his voice snapped her control in half
“Because my father was forty-seven when the bastards ht I’d have to think about for a long fucking time” She tossed back the akvavit like it really was the water of life its name translated to
She welcomed the alcohol blaze as it slid down her throat and settled in her belly It dulled thesounds her father ushing froht the hand wrapped around her wrist, the one that stopped her fro to his side to comfort him in his last uilt for letting him die alone w
as all hers The silence screaes of heat fro alcohol
“Your Royal Highness, please forgiveanother deep bow “I shouldn’t have said what I did”
“I’ overdose” She flipped the shot glass over and set it next to the decanter “I’m Elle Olsen”
He drained the last of his akvavit and placed his glass next to hers “We both know that’s not true”
“It doesn’t matter, because Aauest, but I won’t be part of it”
“Princess, you don’t have a choice” There was that unforgiving tone again, the one that allowed no disagreement
Looked like someone was about to be a very disappointed Mr Hard Body She raised her chin and narrowed her eyes at him “I told you before, I always have a choice”
Dom closed his eyes and took in a deep breath When he opened theain, he pinned her to the floor with a look of icy determination
“Five days fro will take place,” he said “It can only take place with you in attendance If you are not there to accept your royal duties, the crown o to the next person in line for succession That cannot be Alton, because he is married into the royal fah in their bloodletting If you are not at the Kronig, the country will be thrown into chaos and the Fjende would not be guaranteed to have someone they control on the throne They need you to take your place during the Kronig and marry you off to Alton so you can produce an heir that they can control”
That sounded perfectly unpleasant “And after that, what is it? A shiv between the ribs?”
“For the past few years, they’ve let it be known that Princess Eloise is in precarious health—nothing specific, just enough to cover up the ily limited appearances Our theory is that they’ll kill you and bla but never named illness”