Page 21 of Their Wicked Cage

The palace is a majestic thing to gaze upon, far more of a work of art with its countless spires (one of which Achlys has chosen to perch on) and turrets stretching toward the sky like hollyhock than a place where I could imagine a toddler Riven terrorizing the others living in the castle with his grating smirk. The palace itself is made of a light-colored stone, meticulously carved into pointed arches with tall, narrow windows resembling⁠—

I press my lips together to hold in my laugh.

“I do find it refreshing how your face gives away your every thought,” Riven says, drawing to a stop and leaning against the railing. “Though you might need to work on that while you reside at court.”

I glance up at him, amused. “If that’s true, then tell me what I’m thinking.”

“You’re in awe of the palace’s beauty.”

I roll my eyes. “Anyone with taste would be. Surely, you can guess better than that.”

This seems to please him because he smiles softly. Then, seemingly catching himself, he erases the look from his face.

I’ve seen plenty of smirks from this male in the last few hours.

But never that smile.

It kindles something warm within me that I very much choose to ignore.

“But that’s not all you were thinking,” he carries on. “I think you thought of another way to insult me.”

His blue eyes narrow in suspicion. They’re the same shade as the lake below us and just deep enough to drown in. I give my mind a firm slap and write off all these absurd thoughts about Riven for what they are—bizarre and stemming from a centuries-long sexual dry spell.

I bat my eyelashes at him. “I would never do such a thing, grandsire.”

“If we’re going to be able to trust one another, let’s not lie.”

Funny sentiment coming from the male who’s notorious for his selfish and cunning ways.

“Well, if it’s honesty you’re seeking…” I turn back to the elaborate palace with its distinctly fae curvature and say, “I find it amusing that the windows and spires are similar in shape and elegance to fae ears.” I point to them. “See? Arched, pointy, delicately carved.”

The tips of his ears, poking out from beneath his tousled hair, turn a little pink.

“And why is that amusing to you?” he asks, as if he wants to understand my sense of humor for some ungodly reason.

“Because there isn’t a creature in Norica who hasn’t heard stories of faekind being vain and self-absorbed,” I say simply. “And the thought of some architect or stonemason carving those windows or those spires from a sketch containing the likeness of one—or all—of your ancestor’s ears is quite a humorous image to me.”

He leans in conspiratorially, his warm breath brushing against my cheek as he whispers, “What if I told you the palace has been redone countless times over the last few centuries, and the most current likeness was a sketch of my ears? Would that mean you just insulted your king?”

I’m about to remind him he won’t be my king until the bargain has been satisfied, but I don’t want to add further insult to, well, insult.

He could easily make my life miserable here.

Instead of speaking, I bear the weight of his glare for one long moment before he⁠—

Laughs.

I can’t tell if he’s laughing at me or to show me he was joking because the rational part of my brain is far too hung up on the sound of his laughter—rich and haughty, somehow grating and endearing all at once.

“Relax, little witch,” he says, still chuckling. “I’m just fucking with you. You’re probably right that they used at least one of my ancestors’ likenesses to build this damn palace.”

Then he spins on his heel and continues striding across the bridge.

The rounded tips of my ears heat as I rush after him. “This power imbalance between us is unfair, and it makes me… uncomfortable.”

He stops abruptly. “What do you mean?”

“You’re able to speak freely toward me, but it doesn’t feel like I’m awarded the same opportunity. If I say something that truly riles you while we’re forced to work together, you could make my life miserable,” I say, fidgeting under his intense gaze. “I’ve only felt as if I was locked in a power imbalance once before, and it didn’t end well.”