Chapter 10: An Odd Sense of Guilt

When Sigrid arrives, her expression is strained.

“Is something wrong?” I get to my feet.

She shakes her head. “It’s nothing. I was attending to the queen.”

“Why do you smell of blood?”

Sigrid hesitates. “She had a small accident.”

My wolf sits up in concern, and I slam it back down. “What happened? What’s wrong with her now?”

Sigrid gives me an aggrieved look. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

It’s obvious from her expression that she’s not happy with me. After my parents died, it was Sigrid who looked after me, so her disapproval stings.

I clear my throat and say, “Bella says that Ravenna is looking for—”

“Corrine,” Sigrid says abruptly. “That’s her name. You can take everything else away from her, but don’t take her identity.”

The tightness in her voice makes me pause. I can be rude to anybody, but in front of Sigrid, I don’t want to raise my voice.

“I don’t care about her name, Sigrid.”

“You should,” she retorts.

“I never took you for a bleeding heart, Sigrid. She is the enemy—”

“She’s an orphan who was abused by the princess. Don’t add to her suffering when she has done nothing to deserve it.”

Sigrid must really like her, I realize, if she’s defending her so vocally to me.

“Fine. Corrine.” My wolf rumbles in approval when the name leaves my lips. It likes it. “Bella said that Corrine is looking for some seeds.”

“Bella told you or she complained to you?” Sigrid asks tensely. “She is refusing to accept Corrine. She’s very impolite to her.”

“I’m sure the queen isn’t blameless—”

“She listens to Bella’s insults and doesn’t utter a word to defend herself.

She acts as if she deserves it!”

Sigrid’s explosion stuns me for a second. “You’re telling me she lets Bella talk to her like that?”

“Yes.”

I know how sharp Bella’s tongue is. “Tell Miss Asher to control her temper, then. She said Corrine asked for some seeds. What is she trying to do?”

“She’s not trying to do anything.” The older woman before me sighs. “The plant she was referring to is grown in the human world in their coldest regions. It’s a type of vegetable. You know the farmlands here are wasting away. She is hoping to see if those plants can sprout here, and if so, she wants to purchase seeds and give them to the farmers to grow and harvest. Currently, we import vegetables from the Human Kingdom. If we start growing them, Corrine says it will help the economy.”

“We don’t need help with the economy.”

“You don’t, but the farmers do,” Sigrid points out. “One of them has a bad back and was heating up some water in a kettle for a compress. Corrine mentioned that an electric blanket she saw in the human world might help with his pain. She has no bad intentions, Your Majesty. She is just trying to help.”

“Why didn’t she go to Bella with all these suggestions?”

“She did,” Sigrid snaps. “Bella told her to stay in her own lane. So, Corrine asked me if she could plant a few things in the palace garden, just to see if they could grow.”

I take a minute to ponder this. “And you think these ideas are good?” I finally ask.

Sigrid nods. “The truth is, Sire, we need to start pursuing some level of advancement. Before your father’s death, he was planning to bring some development to the North. Aside from basic electricity and some heavy farm machinery, we haven’t introduced much, not even vehicles or household equipment. The queen’s recommendations are helpful. I believe you should let her do as she sees fit. She’s quite intelligent. She has a good grasp of budgeting and of the human world. If we provide her with more resources, I believe she can work on developing the North while you focus on protecting the North.”

I raise my brows. “You got all this in a week?”

“All she does is work.” Sigrid gives me a long look. “She is constantly trying to make herself useful.”

I nod. “Fine. I’ll have a word with Bella. If she refuses to cooperate, find somebody else to assist Corrine.” I fall silent for a moment. “What about her clothes? She was outside a little while ago and looked cold. Why haven’t you gotten her a thicker jacket or a warm coat?”

Sigrid looks uncomfortable. “The budget you gave for the queen’s clothes, she wanted to use to purchase the seeds.”

I frown. “Why is she using her personal budget? She should have another account for outside use.”

“Bella isn’t giving it to her,” Sigrid replies, looking reluctant. “I did talk to her, but she says she’ll get to it when she gets to it. She only just recently gave Corrine the books to go over. Bella doesn’t think she can understand them and is constantly criticizing her. I believe she is trying to make things difficult for your mate.”

“So, why hasn’t Corrine said anything to me?”

Sigrid stares at me. “You’ll have to ask her that.”

A rush of anger runs through me. Bella’s obvious disregard for my decision is pissing me off.

“Rothan.”

Sigrid blinks at me. “Your Majesty?”

“Have Rothan become her advisor. Tell Bella to take a step back for a couple of weeks. Tell her I want her to cool her heels till she remembers who the ruler of this kingdom is.”

“I understand.”

“And Corrine’s clothes. Where did she get that jacket she was wearing?”

“It belonged to one of the maids.”

A snarl forms on my lips. “Are you telling me that my mate, the queen, is wearing a maid’s second-hand clothes?”

Sigrid looks annoyed. “You told me not to bother calling a designer for her.”

I do remember saying that at some point. This last week has been a blur. “Call designers to the castle. Get dresses and coats made for her, and make sure they’re warm.” I pause, and as an afterthought, I add, “The fire should be going continuously in her room. She’s always shivering.”

Sigrid smiles slightly. “Of course.”

“What about her food intake? You told me she was having a hard time eating?”

Her expression darkens. “Whatever was done to her, Sire, her insides have been destroyed to quite an extent. She can’t keep food down, and she’s barely eating as it is. The healer is working on her, but she needs to have small meals regularly throughout the day. She refuses to have them, though, because apparently, you told her not to eat all the time. Not to waste everyone’s time.”

Anger flashes through me. “Well, if the damn healer is telling her to—”

“She does what you say. If you were to tell her to stand naked in the garden outside, I believe she would do so.”

I scowl. “She must have some sense of self-preservation.”

“I think she is just trying to survive in a new environment where all she faces is rejection from every side.” Sigrid sighs at the end of that sentence. “I wish you’d be kinder to her, Locke. She’s a lovely young woman. Your mating bond is so new. Instead of setting the foundations of your bond, you are taking a sledgehammer to it.”

She turns around to leave, and, experiencing an odd sense of guilt, I don’t stop her.

Feeling confined in my office, I head over to the window once again and look out at the bench.

I’m not surprised that Bella is reluctant to give over control of the castle. She’s been managing the budget for years. However, I have no intention of letting the queen out of her royal duties.

I can deal with Bella and the initial resistance, but I don’t have time to worry about Corrine. My mate has one purpose, and that is to bear me heirs. Her existence in the North as Ravenna is important to finally stabilize the relationship between the Eastern and Northern Kingdoms.

Once we have more of a foothold in the Eastern Kingdom, I will finally be able to start looking into my parents’ murders.

It has been years now, but the wounds of their passing are still fresh.

My eyes settle on the bench that my mate was sitting on. I should probably get that thing fixed.

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