“That’s ridiculous!” ?l? says. “Fifty percent of your pay. How could he suggest that for his own son?” She looks at the letter in Dyder’s hands, baffled that his father—her soon-to-be father-in-law—could possibly react to his son’s wedding in such a cold manner.

  “I already save everything I’m paid; I don’t think it will make a difference.” Dyder responds, miffed at his father's reaction, but he does not regret his choice.

  “I don’t care about the math; I care about the fact that your own father wants your pay docked. I’m going to have to live under the same roof as him in the Crown; he probably hates me now too.”

  Dyder sighs, placing the letter on the desk. “He doesn’t hate you; he just struggles to separate the military and his private life—he’s to buy the book.” He has spent his whole life dealing with his father’s traditional approach to raising his sons, even if it had cost him friends and a relationship in the past.

  “I can’t believe he would argue with the Gekaryna vela’Herst over this.” She places a hand on Dyder’s broad shoulder, rereading the letter on the desk before him. “‘I am displeased with her making an offer like that to you—and as I’m sure you will hear—I made this quite clear to her’. Why would he do that? does he think she’s trying to buy you from me?”

  “No; I can’t imagine him ever thinking like that. I think his issue is that I’m getting help to pay for my wedding by a Herst woman.” He pauses for a moment, thinking about what he had just said. “In all honesty, I would be angry if I were in his place. I’ve been thinking about her offer to help for a bit on the way here; I think the only person who knows Gekaryna... vela’Herst better than I do is Sor?n, but if I didn’t know her as well as I do, I wouldn’t have accepted the offer.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, he knows he has made a mistake.

  “You what?” ?l? leans in, looking into his eyes from beside him.

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  Dyder turns to face her. “You know what they say about Herst women. Can you blame me?” He does his best to redirect what he had said, trying to get ?l? to focus on the stigma around the women of the Herst family instead of his comparison between himself and Sor?n.

  “Well, I had hoped you would place me before superstition.” Her tone turns somber.

  “I did—if I didn’t, we wouldn’t be here right now reading this letter.” He responds, attempting to quell the storm that has already started.

  “Only because you’re the self-proclaimed second-best knower of Gekaryna vela’Herst.” She should have moved and tried to join the court with Mina, but she did not want to give off the impression of believing he was disloyal—but this is worse? isn’t it? “How do you justify saying you know her better than someone like my sister? what does it take to place yourself next to—”

  Dyder turns to her and takes her face in both of his hands; the eyes of a poor woman haunted by the past stare back, pleading for reassurance once again. “Ilsenila, you’re letting your ghosts out.” he says gently. “Nothing like that has happened or will. I love you, and that's never going to change. Alright? you do not need to worry about me leaving or hurting you—ever.” They had been over this before, many, many times before, in letters, in person, but whether written or spoken, these words only ever comforted her at the moment.

  “Sorry...” she mutters, her lips squished between Dyder’s hands. The embrace does more to calm her than the words.

  “There’s no need to apologize.” He lets her go.

  She looks at him for a moment, disappointed, before centering herself and continuing. “Do you think your father will try to get the wedding called off?” She has heard rumors of angry fathers, who disapproved of either the bride or groom, walking into weddings and knocking the candles to the ground or cutting the rope.

  “Oh, Gods no; he would never go that far. As much as he isn’t happy about Gekaryna vela’Herst helping me pay the dowry, he needs the access to the iron on your father’s land.” His father is a logical man; even if he seems to be acting on emotions at the moment, he knows enough to blame ?nnywella instead of ?l?.

  ?l? lets out a relieved sigh.

  There is a sharp knock at the door. Bal?, on the other side, informs them that High Priestess Weise has arrived and they should head to the dining room.