The Duke's Bed Warmer

Chapter 90: Arcasedia

Alina sat on the edge of the bed and slowly opened the book. The first page had a handwritten note:

Don’t skip the last section.

She stared at the note for a second, then opened the first section. The section described Arcasedia’s geography: its borders, rivers and mountains she had never seen. Then came the history section with details of dynasties rising and falling. She read on.

The next pages shifted to Arcasedian customs. It said that Arcasedia’s royalty folded their napkins in a unique triangular style, with one corner tucked inward.

Alina froze. Her fingers hovered over the page. Suddenly, an old memory resurfaced. Her mother used to fold napkins exactly that way.

She closed her eyes and shook her head as if to dislodge that thought.

It must be a coincidence.

She turned the page. It contained a lullaby about a child who used to sleep by the river. Coincidentally, it was the same lullaby her mother used to sing to her every night.

She turned the pages and moved to the last section, which had details about the royal lineage of Arcasedia. The page was filled with the names of kings, queens and heirs from different eras. She skimmed over them, barely reading anything, until she read the last entry.

Her breath caught when she read the last name.

The last princess: Isadora, daughter of King Aedric IV. Disowned for running away to marry a commoner.

The room seemed to tilt around her.

Isadora? Mother?

"No...that’s not possible."

The words felt unconvincing even to her. She set the book aside and slapped herself, trying to knock this atrocious thought out of her mind.

"My mother...can’t be a princess."

It sounded absurd and impossible. But the story of Princess Isadora matched the story Elspeth had told her about her mother. She remembered how her mother’s locket had been recognized by the king’s guard.

Did mother really chose father over her kingdom?

She couldn’t believe it. Her mind raced, refusing to calm down. Every answer only seemed to raise another question.

If mother was a princess...does that make me a princess as well?

Suddenly, a loud knock at the door shattered her thoughts. She flinched and stared at the book. Then, immediately, she hid it under the blanket.

"Come in."

The door opened and Dorian stepped inside before she could refuse. His gaze swept over her, the room, then immediately drifted to the slight bump under the blanket.

"Miss Ashworth."

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you about the book."

So he was the one who left the book on my pillow? Of course.

Alina stood up.

"You put it on my pillow?"

"Yes."

She huffed sharply.

"How long have you known?"

"More than six months. My intelligence officer identified you, and when I saw your locket I was sure...you’re the daughter of the last princess of Arcasedia."

She took a deep breath, trying to stop tears from falling.

"What do you want from me, Prince Dorian?"

"Arcasedia is unstable. The current king, your uncle, is old. The court is divided. But you...the last surviving heir of the House of Ashrael...can change everything."

Alina raised her brows.

"Change? How?"

"If you return to Arcasedia as the legitimate heir, you could unite the factions. You could forge an alliance with Astoria and end two hundred years of hostility between them."

She laughed bitterly at his audacity.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then someone else will find you and they won’t offer you a choice."

She glared at him.

"You’re not offering me a choice either. You’re offering me a cage. You’re trying to bribe me with a throne I never asked for."

"It’s your birthright, Alina!"

"I don’t want it," she shouted. "I want..." she trailed off.

What did she want? To survive and to be free?

"You want Austin," Dorian finished for her. "You want a man who has kept you as property for months. A man who is engaged to another woman and can’t promise you anything except a place in his bed and a contract binds you to him."

"Stop..."

"I know his type. I’ve seen a dozen dukes like him. They keep women close enough that they won’t leave but far enough that they know their place."

"Get out."

"Alina.."

"Get out of my room. Now."

Dorian turned and walked to the door but stopped when he reached the door.

"The carriage will be ready for you whenever you change your mind," he said and left.

Alina stood trembling in the middle of the room, her hands clenched at her sides, trying her best to not scream.

She picked up the book and marched straight to Austin’s study. She entered without knocking. Austin was back from his meeting and was reading a report.

He looked at her and the moment his eyes landed on the book, expression changed. He looked scared.

"Where did you get that?" he asked, standing up immediately.

"It was on my bed when I returned to my room," she replied. "Dorian had put it there."

"Dorian came to your room?" his voice sharpened with anger.

"Yes...but that’s not the point," she snapped. "The point is he gave me a book that says my mother was an Arcasedian princess."

She let out a small, broken laugh.

"It can’t be true, right? I mean... how can my mother be a princess? Dorian is lying, right? My mother did come from the east but that doesn’t mean she was a princess."

Austin didn’t reply. He didn’t even look at her. He stared at the floor, lost in his own thoughts.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

"Dorian is moving faster than I anticipated," he whispered, before he could stop himself.

Alina’s eyes widened with surprise.

"Anticipated?"

He looked up, guilt written across his face like he’d been caught committing a crime.

"Alina...I..."

"Did you know?"

"I was just..."

"Oh...so that’s why you asked about the book the second I walked in," she smiled bitterly. "How long, Austin? How long have you known about my mother?"

It was the first time she had said his name, fully aware of what it meant. The moment that was meant to be special was ruined now.

He had no answer.

"How long, Austin?" she asked again.

"Since before you arrived."