Then again, true mates were rare, and plenty of people loved their mates without that connection. My parents weren’t true mates, and they had been head over heels for each other. I needed to pull my head out of the clouds and hear what Nyfain was saying, actually hear what he kept telling me and let it sink in.
If the demon king came, I needed to barter for as many lives as I could, using the thing that I had always shrugged off, my beauty. I might not change the stars and keep the heart of my prince, but I could damn well keep this kingdom alive. Some of it, at least.
I blew out a breath and blinked away unshed tears. Time to strap on my iron tits and get the job done. It was the hardworking lower class that had built this kingdom, and it would be the hardworking lower class that would save it. I’d make sure of it.
“Everything okay?” Hadriel called forward as we got going.
I gave a thumbs-up and pretended not to feel my heart twisting. Pretended not to feel the hollow opening in my middle. This was the problem with all those stories about happily-ever-afters and dreamy men—reality seemed much bleaker when you realized you wouldn’t be playing a part in one of those stories. That they were called fantasies for a reason.
At least the orgasms were real for me, though. I’d take it.
“You good?” Nyfain asked, and I could feel the regret in the bond. The somberness of his tone.
“Perfectly. I just needed a little reality bitch slap, and now I am ready to go.”
He didn’t comment as we pushed past the tree line and into a village that blew my mind.
Seventeen
Suddenly the whole social class issue made a lot more sense. Large houses rose before us, two stories and surrounded by large plots of mostly cultivated land. Lovely flowers bloomed beside cobblestone streets and lamps with candles nestled inside hung from light fixtures. Clearly someone walked around at night, lighting those and replacing them. Who paid for it?
More roads intersected up ahead, a maze of a neighborhood.
Hadriel trotted up beside us, looking at Nyfain, clearly wondering how to proceed.
“I’ll need to see their town council and discuss my presence,” Nyfain said, his tone resolute.
I swung a foot over the stallion and jumped to the ground before he could grab me. I motioned for Dabnye to jump down after me. “By the sound of it, her mother doesn’t have too long. We’ll walk from here.”
Nyfain turned on his horse so he could look down at me. “You are accompanying me. There are certain protocols each village has devised since the curse…”
“No offense, your royal highness, but stick it up your hole. As we’ve just gone over, I’m not a noble for you to command. I’m just a common girl.” I shrugged and grabbed Dabnye, jerking her to the side. “Let’s get out of this neighborhood. It’s giving me hives.”
“Sir…” Hadriel looked between Nyfain and me.
“Go with her. Make sure she…” He rolled his shoulders. “On second thought, come with me. You can hold the horses. You couldn’t help her anyway.”
“There’s the spirit, sir. Insult my masculinity whilst forcing me to spend prolonged time in your presence, which will likely make me shit myself before the day is through. Fantastic. I will look forward to my eventual demoralization.”
“Less talking, Hadriel,” Nyfain growled. “It’s giving me a headache.”
“Yes, sir.” Hadriel showed me his teeth with wide eyes and a help me vibe.
I didn’t waste any time. I plucked Dabnye’s sleeve. “Let’s hurry. I’ll need to gather some supplies, but I want to see your mother first.”
We jogged around the outskirts of the nice neighborhood. Slowly the houses diminished in size. The yards didn’t look so nice. The shutters weren’t so picturesque. Across a dirt lane pocked with ruts and holes, the dwellings weren’t much more than shacks.
“Goddess help me, that was a steep decline,” I muttered, turning down a small lane that would barely fit a horse, let alone a wagon.
“You’re probably from somewhere fine. We don’t have much in this part of town.”
“Was this the most influential village in the kingdom before the curse?” A child stared out a window, her face dirty and hair disheveled. At least they were still producing kids.
“Second most, I think? I haven’t ever seen the others. I can’t imagine it being nicer than this. I mean…up near the village center.”
“You have a center, huh? My village is the poorest one, I think, and we just have a square. We don’t have much, but the poorest of us have more than this. This is…” I gritted my teeth as anger ate through me. It was unacceptable, that’s what it was. This village wasn’t a unit. They hadn’t come together to look after each other. They had cut the weakest members off and turned their backs on them, not even giving them medicine for the sick.