I’d certainly be kinder to Grethe, and I might even be able to figure out what to do about Jannick and Mattias before issuing a few edicts to send Kenric and me back to Imelenora. I’d feel better about Centis if Bastian were the heir to the throne, instead of his older brother, Jannick, who happens to be a mean drunk. That’s something I might be able to make happen if Oskar pushes his luck. If his threats ever outweigh my own squeamishness about eating Oskar to dispose of his remains so I can take his place, we may get to find out.

  While I’m issuing edicts as Oskar, I’d do what I can to disinherit Jannick, send Mattias off to the army, set Bastian up as the heir, and provide for Grethe as Queen Mother. I might as well fix a few things while I’m getting myself and Kenric out of Centis. What neither of these kings seems to realize is that I would happily end either one of them in a heartbeat if it’s necessary to protect Kenric or me. I’ve come to care deeply for Kenric. He’s been a balm to every bent, broken, or twisted part of my tortured soul. I couldn’t have asked for someone better if I had placed an order with the gods themselves.

  There is such kindness in that man. He’s loyal and loving. He does his best to give me the same honesty that my First Oath requires me to give him. The massive, mind-blowing orgasms don’t hurt, either. There’s more to a relationship than sex, but having mind-blowing sex makes the rest of it even better. I’d thought that would wear off or at least slow down, but Kenric was right. There’s no such thing as enough between the two of us. The more I get, the more I want. I want every second I can have with Kenric. I know he’s human, and they don’t live as long as we do.

  It doesn’t really matter to me. I will love him furiously and unapologetically for as long as I can. Some of these dukes aren’t any better than Oskar, and I have even less regard for them. It wouldn’t be terribly difficult for them to have an accident of some sort. A stray arrow while hunting, a slip on the stairs, too much wine, or just a plain illness would do the trick. A tiny trickle of magic, and that problem is solved.. My ladies don’t understand why I’m not more concerned about some of the dukes and the earls. I can’t explain it because I won’t tell them about magic.

  It's enough that I’m not afraid of them, but I did make sure that none of them got any of the candy I was tossing from my carriage. According to Fey customs, providing food shows our peaceful intentions. If you try to force me into your bed, I will not go quietly. My version of not quietly generally involves Lantecari, my sword, and decapitating something or someone. That’s why I didn’t hand out any candy inside the palace. I made sure that I was out of candy before we arrived. That way, no one can accuse me of violating guest rights.

  All that candy went to the ordinary people in the streets. I have no quarrel with the common folk of this place. I hope they survive the storm that Ellisar is cooking up, but I know that many of them will not. If this follows the pattern that other human kingdoms have followed, they’ll be attacked soon by at least one other human kingdom, probably a few of them, that will be intent on eradicating Centis. Personally, I don’t care who gets to park their ass on the throne here so long as Kenric and I are left to our own devices.

  Oskar, the king of Centis, likes to chase the newly wedded brides around his court. Only the gods know how many of these nobles’ firstborn children are royal bastards. These humans have their own studbook. They don’t call it that, of course, but that’s what it is.

  They call it "A Listing of the Kingdom of Centis’ Nobles," which lists the current nobility, their lineage, and related details. If the actual depth of Oskar’s indiscretions were made public, the group of scribes that publishes it would likely run screaming, and the book itself would probably burst into flames.

  I’m not from this time, so I know things I shouldn’t. I can’t write them down or speak of them, but I do still know them. DNA testing doesn’t exist yet, but a few cases of simple family tree kits would likely rewrite their studbook. As blatant as Oskar is, he is not the first king of Centis to behave in this fashion. His court is too practiced at covering for his behavior, and too many of his nobles indulge themselves in similar behavior. His advisors are too adept at managing him. I’ve heard all about his antics from Melina and the other ladies.

  Every single one of those women was chosen to be my ladies-in-waiting because they have a grudge against Oskar. If I hadn’t hated Oskar before, their stories alone would do it. Smelling the despair, the rage, and the shame rolling off these women as they tell what he’s done to them, would certainly do it. He’s been an absolute ass to them and their families. I have my issues with Ellisar, but at least Ellisar doesn’t try to overpower me and force himself on me physically. He’s done plenty, but he’s never done that to anyone.

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  Larissa is effectively divorced from her husband because he objected to Oskar’s attempts to bed his new bride. Oskar banished him from Centis but refuses to allow Larissa to join him in exile. He’s also refused to rescind the exile. This is how he punishes women who successfully reject him. Mila and Pia both had offers, but Oskar disapproved of either the dowry or the difference in their status relative to their prospective husbands. Neither is well endowed, either with funds or physical charm, so Oskar has prevented them from ever finding a husband here.

  Now that they are confirmed spinsters, their families are not kind to them. They are constantly reminded that they’re nothing more than a drain on the family coffers, simply because they exist, and that existence requires food and clothing. I’ve been gone from home for centuries, but my parents never made me feel unwelcome when I returned. Fearful of my feral state, yes, but that’s reflexive and not deliberate, unwelcome, never. My parents nearly beggared themselves to buy my armor. My armor was a massive drain on the family coffers.

  Even then, my parents didn’t begrudge me a single penny of it. They didn’t even tell me they had done it until the armor was ready for me. I can’t imagine what goes on inside their heads to make their families act like this. Then there’s Lilli. Lilli will never marry because she is no longer a virgin. Her family traded her to Oskar in exchange for favor for her brother. This is well known in the court, so she’s basically an outcast.

  In the local slang, she’s “tainted,” and most people won’t even associate with her. As if that’s somehow contagious and their precious virginity might explode if Lilli gets too close.

  I’ve let it be known that I’ve accepted Lilli as a charity. There’s more to it than that, but it gets Lilli out of the house and away from her family. None of my other ladies treats Lilli any differently. She wasn’t sure she wanted to return to court, and I’ve seen the stares and heard the unkind statements. Given all that she’s endured at the hands of her family, I don’t know why Lilli hasn’t stabbed them all in their sleep. Nothing about this has been reasonable. It’s one thing to have your king turn on you, but to get this from your family.

  Her family is better than Mila’s or Pia's, but not by much. They blame her for not marrying when they’re the ones who have made it impossible for her to do so, given the ridiculous rules of this place. If they wanted her to marry, they could have found someone outside Centis who wouldn’t have heard the gossip about the broken rules. Rules that only apply to women. Maria was once friendly with Queen Grethe, so Oskar forced Grethe to watch while he raped Maria just to show Grethe how powerless she is, even though she’s the Queen. Maria is too traumatized to allow a male near her. She flinches every time Kenric coughs or sneezes.

  Emily’s sister leaped off the cliffs into the ocean after Oskar forced her. If I should have to resort to murdering Oskar, I have no doubts that these women would help me hide that fact. He’s horrible enough that it won’t trouble me much, either. The rules were clearly written by men so that they could keep their foot on the necks of every female in this place. Duchess Ina told me that the tea shop would refuse to serve her unless one of Duke Jallema’s liegemen accompanied her. She swears that her own sons would put her out of the house, penniless and destitute, if anything ever happened to Duke Jellema.

  I have heard of this happening to other nobles’ wives. The rules of this place are very one-sided. Young men are expected to be somewhat active because any illegitimate child can be made heir. The wedding ceremony includes proof that the bride is a virgin. If she’s not, she can be rejected immediately, and her reputation is ruined. No other male would have her. No other female would even acknowledge her existence. They are left shunned and ostracized. Many turn to a religious vocation, though it seems to me their gods have abandoned them. Those who don’t either turn to debauchery or suicide.

  All the rules here favor the males. If Kenric wanted to take my Fey silk gowns and sell them all so he could spend the money at a brothel, I’d have no recourse under these laws. I’m not even allowed to buy food without his permission. Now I see why he wanted to be sure that Oskar would have to return me to Ellisar’s court if anything happened to him. I hate this place. I never wanted to come here. Once we got here, I wanted to leave almost immediately.

  I’ve already made plans to have the Sergeant adopt me so that we can go without needing a male’s permission. We didn’t leave, though, so here we are. The ice cave has been renovated. It’s warm and comfortable now. The wedding is a few days away. The majority of the preparations have been made. I get another bit of a reprieve because Kenric is taking me to an inn in the mountains for something these humans call a honeymoon. This custom confuses me.

  We’re supposed to go somewhere picturesque, even though we’re going to remain in our room because Kenric has sworn that I won’t see the outside of the room for at least a week, possibly longer. Why go somewhere with amazing scenery to lounge about in bed with a male? We could go to his keep and do this. As far as exotic locations go, I am Fey. A human keep would be quite out of my experience. I want to see this place as soon as I am able so that I can start planning the modifications.

  Yet again, I find myself waiting. There is nothing to be done about it, so I school myself to be patient. It must be done. There is no getting out of it unless I wish to leave Kenric. For Kenric, I would wait until the end of time itself.

  What do you think of Grethe, Oskar's wife? Let me know in the comments...