Page 85 of Microburst

Maybe the one person who could traumatize me most because of who he was related to was the one person who could heal the damage that person had done? How fucking wild was that?

So is your life and everything your own parents have done to you.

22

Sagan

“Why do you look so sad when you’ve had so many wins lately?” Maple asked me gently when she found me sitting up on top of the tallest roof of Wauneka Castle that few could get up to.

I raised an eyebrow at her being up there but didn’t glance at her.

She chuffed and carefully made her way over to me. “I’ve been training hard, thank you very much. And I’m still a De la Rosa. You’re not the first to even have this as their hiding spot, dear niece.”

“Fair enough,” I chuckled and offered her my snacks.

“Oooh, what are we having now?”

“It’s a baklava fusion dessert the sirens make that Myriam imported,” I told her. “They layer like a cheesecake filling and dried fruit along with the normal recipe. It’s unreal.” I glanced at her as she selected a piece and took a bite.

“Gods above, this is divine,” she moaned. “I really wish I’d traveled more.”

“I want you to,” I finally admitted. “As my emissary.” I nodded when she froze. “When things calm down a bit. I want you to not just be Princess Maple but have the actual role of the Queen’s Emissary like in the old days and go visit courts for meand continue what I started as an elder of the family. Do what IthoughtI was doing for this family.”

She was quiet for several minutes, sneaking two more pieces. “That’s an honor I never dreamed of anyone trusting me with, Sagan. I cannot put into words how touched I am.”

“I’m not the fool Father and Grandfather were. You’reamazing, Maple, and much smarter than anyone ever gave you the chance to be. I know you love me and would never betray me. Never.” I glanced at her again. “If nothing else, I want you to live beyond being Princess Maple and go find out who you are. Out there. There’s a whole world you need to see.”

And she’d always wanted to. I knew she had. Every time I came home, Maple was the first to ask me about seeing this country or visiting royal families—anything about traveling more than my studies.

Though she wanted to know about that too because she loved me.

She let out a slow breath. “When things are more settled here, I would love that.”

“I think things are better with Yolanda and the help we have,” I told her, hurrying on when she opened her mouth. “No one says you always have to be gone. Go to Protesia for a weekend or Bodach as Fraser did. While he’s here and Darren is. Okay?”

“I came to check on you and you’re worried about me,” she whispered, shaking her head.

“We all have to take care of each other and you guys were just as destroyed by what we found as I was,” I finally admitted, looking out at the night. “We all lost more than we’ve acknowledged.”

She let out a long breath. “I still can’t digest it. I believe it, but part of me can’t process it. Like I wonder if Amelia just went mad, but then pieces fit. Then I think maybe it was magic by theelders to try and make you go insane so they win? I have so,somany questions.”

I snorted. “Like why they bothered to hurry to my graduation and were upset we fought? Why bother when they thought me a monster and didn’t want me to take over?”

She swore under her breath. “I hadn’t put that together yet.”

“It’s all I keep thinking about,” I admitted.

“What’s your theory?”

I gave a half shrug. “That someone overheard me pushing back that I wasn’t going to do the next program they wanted me to. That it was time for me to come home and finally learn about Thovudin so I could be a proper heir instead of always away. That I was tired of the narrative and how they didn’t protect me from what was said against me.

“That I was tired of Elira trying to take my place and it was time to show the media I wasn’t useless—everything they allowed to be said about me.” I chuckled darkly and shook my head. “They really were setting me up. My own parents. People really don’t think big enough on the conspiracies.” I swallowed loudly.

“What?” she asked gently.

“And that’s why Benson wasn’t with them,” I whispered. “Because they were maybe finally going to tell me the truth and I was never going to become queen. So to keep studying or… He always went with Father when he traveled abroad. Always. It’s part of what never fit for me. I know in his mind too.”

“I’ve been drowning in so much of it that I don’t think I’ve even started locking in on what questions to ask besides how I missed so much,” she admitted. “I knew they weren’t good parents. I knew Rhys wasn’t a good father or mate. He was always going to be king first, but I thought he was better than my father. I truly did.”