Chapter 50: Kisses Before the Killing

Chapter 50. Kisses Before the Killing

King Aldric looked as though someone had placed two equally unpleasant documents on his desk and demanded he sign one.

Garr stood before the throne, shoulders squared, his enormous sword resting against his back. He’d proposed a hunt to settle the rumors surrounding my sanity.

A hunt.

Because apparently, the best way to determine whether a cursed magus was mentally stable was to release him into a field full of monsters and see what happened.

Brilliant.

The king’s gaze shifted toward me. I recognized the concern in his expression. Aldric had known the original Rey before the curse, and despite everything that had happened since the war, he still seemed reluctant to treat me as a threat.

Garr, meanwhile, looked positively eager.

Darius stepped forward. "I agree, Your Majesty."

Of course he did.

"The rumors have become too widespread," he continued smoothly. "We should give Rey an opportunity to prove that he’s fine."

An opportunity.

How generous.

I glanced at him.

He offered me that polished Holy Knight smile.

I returned it.

Neither of us meant a second of it.

Beside me, my wives had gone quiet.

Ariel’s hand found my sleeve. Lily’s wings stopped fluttering. Seris watched Garr with the expression of someone deciding where to bury a body. Nia’s ears tilted back, while Liora studied the king with a thoughtful frown.

Aldric exhaled. "What about you, Rey? Do you agree?"

I lifted my glass, finished the last of my wine, and handed it to a passing servant. "I agree, Your Majesty."

Ariel’s fingers tightened.

I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I don’t appreciate the rumors about myself either. If a hunt will help put them to rest, I’m happy to participate."

There. A perfectly reasonable answer.

I deserved a medal for how reasonable I sounded.

Aldric studied me for another moment before nodding. "Very well. I give my permission."

Garr straightened.

"The hunting ground behind the palace will be used," the king continued. "You have one hour to prepare."

I bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

I was about to turn away when Garr spoke.

"If you go mad during the hunt, Rey, we’ll have no choice but to kill you."

He delivered the threat with such solemn conviction that I almost expected someone to play a heroic trumpet.

"We have to protect the kingdom and His Majesty," he added.

I looked at him. Then smiled. "How reassuring."

Garr frowned.

I didn’t elaborate.

He’d figure out the sarcasm eventually.

Perhaps.

He turned and left with Darius and several officials, his sword swaying behind him.

I watched them go.

They might attack me.

In fact, I’d be disappointed if they didn’t try something.

But there was one rather important detail my former comrades seemed to have overlooked.

We were still on palace grounds.

And the royal hunting ground wasn’t even a kilometer across.

The original Rey’s SSS-rank area spells could cover that entire space.

Easily.

If I unleashed one at full strength, I wouldn’t just kill the monsters.

I’d probably destroy the terrain, the viewing platforms, and a considerable portion of the king’s landscaping.

A terrible way to thank a man for his hospitality.

Which meant I had a perfectly legitimate reason to hold back.

Your Majesty, I couldn’t possibly use my strongest spells. Your lovely palace is right there.

Beautiful.

Darius, Raven, and Garr specialized primarily in concentrated attacks. They possessed area techniques, certainly, but their effective ranges were considerably smaller than Rey’s.

I could limit my power without appearing weak.

I could fight carefully without looking suspicious.

The problem?

I’d have to be smart about it.

"Rey."

Seris reached me first.

Her crimson gown swayed around her legs as she stopped directly in front of me.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

I looked into her eyes. "Yeah. Don’t worry."

She didn’t look reassured.

Fair.

If I were married to a man whose former comrades kept finding creative ways to arrange his death, I’d probably be concerned, too.

Ariel stepped closer. "They might try to hurt you."

"They might."

"Rey."

I smiled and brushed my thumb over her knuckles. "I’ve made a lot of preparations for this."

Nia’s ears twitched. "How many preparations?"

I considered that. "Enough to make my study look like a crime scene."

Lily blinked. "Again?"

"Research requires sacrifice."

Liora sighed.

Seris pinched the bridge of her nose.

And Ariel laughed.

That sound. Soft and warm and entirely inappropriate for a conversation about my possible assassination.

I loved it.

I loved all five of them.

Which was precisely why I intended to walk out of that hunting ground in one piece.

Once the others had left me alone, my wives apparently reached a unanimous decision.

Ariel brought me a fresh drink.

Lily appeared with a plate of pastries.

Nia acquired something savory from a nearby table and insisted I try it.

Liora reminded me to eat slowly.

Seris stood beside me, occasionally scanning the room while pretending she wasn’t also stealing pieces of food from Lily’s plate.

I stared at them. "Am I being prepared for a hunt or fattened for slaughter?"

"Both," Nia said sweetly.

Lily held a pastry toward my mouth. "Try this one."

"I have hands."

"And?"

A compelling argument.

I leaned forward and took a bite.

Lily beamed.

A little cream remained near the corner of my mouth.

Before I could reach for a napkin, Ariel gently wiped it away.

"There," she murmured.

I looked at her.

She blushed.

Ariel Nerelle, the woman who could face a battlefield without flinching, still turned pink when I looked at her for a second too long.

I leaned closer. "Thank you, my dear."

Her blush deepened.

Nia made an exaggerated gagging noise. Then promptly slipped her arm through mine. "Since we’re distributing affection, I’d like to remind everyone that I’m also here."

"Impossible to forget."

She rested her head briefly against my shoulder, her tail swishing with satisfaction.

Seris watched us.

I held out my other hand.

She raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Come here."

"I’m standing right here."

"Closer."

She rolled her eyes.

Then stepped into my reach.

I caught her hand and kissed her knuckles.

Her proud expression cracked.

Just a little.

Liora, who had witnessed the entire exchange, looked at me over the rim of her glass. "Are you finished?"

"Not remotely."

I reached for her.

She sighed as though I were the most exhausting man in the kingdom.

Then allowed me to draw her close.

"Rey," she murmured, "people are watching."

I glanced around.

Indeed.

People were watching.

Quite a few of them.

Some with curiosity.

Some with envy.

Some with the fascinated horror of nobles witnessing a supposedly insane magus being openly adored by five princesses.

And then there was Elia.

She stood across the hall beside Darius.

Watching.

I caught her gaze.

Her expression shifted before she looked away.

I knew that look.

Or rather, I recognized what it might mean.

Regret.

Jealousy.

Perhaps even feelings she hadn’t entirely buried.

How ironic.

The warmth I gave my wives now was the same warmth the original Rey had once given her.

And she’d walked away from it.

I turned back to Ariel, who was offering me another bite.

Well.

Her loss.

My gain.

Quite literally, in this case.

The pastry was excellent.

An hour passed.

The royal hunting ground stood behind the palace, surrounded by an enormous defensive barrier.

I stopped before its entrance and looked up.

That was an impressive amount of magical reinforcement.

The barrier stretched above the grounds like a translucent dome, its surface shimmering whenever something struck it from within.

Something struck it again.

A heavy impact.

A distant roar.

Several nobles flinched.

The place was full.

The hunting ground had once hosted competitions and royal hunts under the previous king. Aldric had barely used it during his reign. He’d been rather occupied with the Dark Lord and his armies.

Understandable.

Hard to organize a recreational monster hunt when the entire kingdom is busy trying not to die.

Now the grounds had been reopened.

And judging by the movement beyond the trees, the monsters inside had enjoyed a remarkably productive breeding season.

Lovely.

Viewing platforms had been prepared outside the barrier. Nobles gathered beneath decorated canopies, and members of the royal family took their places near the king.

Servants carried refreshments.

Officials checked the formations.

Guards stood at attention.

A perfectly respectable public event.

With just a hint of attempted murder.

Liora stepped beside me. "Are you certain you want to do this?"

I looked at her. "Yes."

Her fingers tightened around mine.

Nia approached from the other side. "Be careful, Rey."

"I will."

Ariel’s worried gaze met mine.

Lily held her hands together.

Seris stood with her arms crossed, looking as though she’d personally challenge the entire hunting ground if I gave her permission.

I smiled at them.

A genuine smile this time. "Don’t worry. I’m coming back."

Then I looked toward the barrier.

Garr was preparing to prove that I’d gone mad.

Darius was undoubtedly preparing to look concerned.

And I?

I was getting rather tired of being polite.

The hunt hadn’t even started.

Yet I was already having fun.