“Many, even those who live here, saw what happened in Paelsia as a direct insult to our neighbors. With the engagement of you to Aron, the king is stating that he accepts Aron and finds him to be a noble and worthy match for his precious daughter. The rumors that Aron acted out of protection over the girl he loves is solidified. Crisis averted.”

“It’s so unfair.” That this was solely a political choice sounded so cold, so analytical. Ideally, to Cleo at least, marriage should be about love, not royal agendas.

“Our father is the king. Everything he does, says, chooses to have done is in service to his kingdom. To strengthen where it might become weak.”

Cleo drew in a ragged breath. “But I don’t want to marry Aron.”

“I know.”

“So what should I do?”

Emilia smiled. “Perhaps you should elope with Nic, like you told me he suggested.”

Cleo almost laughed at that. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You do know that boy is madly in love with you, right?”

Cleo frowned and pulled back to give her sister a quizzical look. “He isn’t. I’d know something like that.”

Emilia shrugged. “Some truths aren’t so easily seen.”

Nic was most certainly not in love with her. They were good friends—nothing more than that. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Theon move past the open door to Emilia’s room, making his presence known. He’d followed her from the banquet and up the winding staircase to her sister’s chambers. She felt an odd rush of pleasure that he refused to let her evade him.

She took her gaze away from him standing silently at the doorway and returned her attention to her sister. Her breath caught. Blood trickled from Emilia’s nose.

At Cleo’s look of horror, Emilia grabbed a cream-colored handkerchief already stained crimson and wiped the blood away as if this was not unexpected.

The sight had made Cleo’s own blood run cold. “Emilia—”

“I know you’re upset about the betrothal,” Emilia interrupted softly, not acknowledging the disturbing sight. “So I need to tell you something, Cleo, about my broken engagement. Maybe it will help you.”

Cleo hesitated, surprised. She never thought she’d learn the truth about this. “Tell me.”

“I was happy to be engaged at the time. I felt it was my duty. Lord Darius was not horrible. I liked him; I really did. I was prepared to marry him. Then again, Father had waited until I was eighteen to pick someone for me. There was no rush as there is now.”

Eighteen seemed like a small eternity away. If only Cleo could have been given so much time to come to terms with all of this. “What happened?”

“I fell in love with someone else.”

“I knew it!” Cleo clutched her sister’s hand. “Who was it?”

Emilia moistened her pale lips with the tip of her tongue and seemed hesitant to speak. “A guard.”

Cleo’s eyes nearly bugged right out of her head. It was the last reply she’d expected. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I’ve never felt such love as I felt for him. It overwhelmed me. He was so handsome and exciting, and he made me feel more alive than I’d ever felt before. I knew it was wrong, that a match like this would never be allowed, but when our hearts go on such a journey, all we can do is try to hold on tight. I told Father I couldn’t marry Lord Darius. I begged him not to make me. I told him that if he did, I’d—that I’d kill myself.”

A shiver went through Cleo as she remembered her sister’s deep depression at the time of her engagement to Lord Darius. “Please don’t say something like that.”

“It was true at the time. And Father believed that I’d do it. He ended the engagement immediately, holding the life of the future queen of Auranos above an arranged royal wedding. Now I feel bad for scaring him, but at the time I couldn’t think straight.”

“Where is he now?” Cleo whispered. “This guard?”

Emilia’s eyes filled with tears, which splashed onto her pale cheeks. “Gone.”

The single word held so much pain that it was palpable. Her sister had her favorite book clenched in her hand, a devotional to the goddess Cleiona.

“I take my strength from reading about her strength,” Emilia said quietly, gazing down at the gold-embossed cover. “She did what had to be done to protect Auranos, risking her own life to keep this kingdom safe from outside harm. My faith is all I have to get me through this dark time. I know your faith leans in more practical directions.”

Despite being named for the goddess, Cleo wasn’t invested in religion, nor was she alone in that. Many in the kingdom had drifted away from what was previously considered an important part of Auranian life. Years ago, the king had relaxed the rule that there be a day dedicated to prayer. All days were equal here, and his subjects could use their time however they pleased.

Cleo shrugged. “I guess I have a hard time believing in things I can’t see.”

“I wish you’d give it a chance and learn more than you already know. Cleiona was so brave and strong. That’s why Mother insisted that you be named for her. She’d lost the baby previous to you, and she was told she wouldn’t be able to have another. You were a miracle. All she did was pray for your small and precious life when you came into being. She wanted so badly for you to survive. She insisted that you be named for the goddess, hopefully to give you the strength to survive. It was her last request.”