Queen Zineth, King Baswein’s wife, died a few minutes after Prince Liam was born. King Baswein never remarried, and the Kingdom of Nodor had no queen. Of course, the other kingdoms had queens, but Mina only knew their names. She pondered what Violet said but could not make sense of her words. Who could be the evil queen? Or the man who would lose his legs? She wondered about the baby and the man with the scar on his right palm.
“Who are you talking about?” asked Mina, wanting to know who Violet saw in her vision.
Violet furrowed her brows and fisted her small palm. “I do not know. I don’t always see their faces,” Violet replied, her eyes on the water. “Deep in the forest lives a mermaid. She will know the way, for only magic can bring back what magic took.”
There had been a time when mermaids lived close to human cities, many of them using their voices to heal broken hearts or help people find their soulmates. Mermaids’ voices were magical and were often called Voices of Crystals. Because of men’s greed, mermaids were captured and forced to cry. Their tears turned into flawless pearls, their hair was woven into the most expensive silk, and their blood was rumored to prologue one’s life. After years of being hunted as if they were nothing more than mere animals, the mermaids retreated deep inside the Endless Sea. There, they built an enormous underwater city called Atlantia. Since then, no one had seen or heard the beautiful song of the mermaids.
Mina wondered why Violet saw a mermaid living in a forest. She added sweet-smelling oils to the water before bringing Belle to the bathroom. It was the first time Belle saw a bathtub, and it took Mina a while to convince Belle to get inside and let Mina wash her. Once both girls were cleaned, Mina wrapped them in thick fluffy towels, led them to the room, and looked for clean clothes in the satchel Xander brought with him. The boys took turns using the bathroom while Mina brushed the girls’ hair.
When the children were in bed, Shin held Violet’s hand, and Belle was tucked safely between Xander and Landon, Mina felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Thanks to Jayden, the bastard children that she considered her own were finally home where they belonged. Mina was also grateful to Aksel, if not for him, the children would still be in the sewers.
After telling the children stories and them falling asleep, Mina headed to the room she shared with Jayden. She entered and sat on an armchair close to the bed. The clock on the mantel chimed half past ten.
“How are the little ones?” Jayden asked, putting the book he was reading on the nightstand. He was sitting on the bed, his back leaned against the headboard, wearing only a pair of white cotton pants, and Mina tried not to ogle him. But if she let herself be honest, Jayden was strikingly handsome, with broad shoulders, muscular arms and chest, and an aristocratic face. Despite the fact that the piercing from the bridge of his nose was considered ugly and shameful, Mina thought it only added to Jayden’s charm.
Mina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “They are asleep. Thank you for bringing them here. I tried helping them as best as I could, but being born without a family name makes it almost impossible to find decent families or schools to accept them.”
“You think I don’t know?” Jayden pointed at his nose, “All bastard-born children suffer a fate more terrible than death. From the moment we receive this piercing, we are seen as the worst that could happen in Athea. We are hit, spat at, called names, forced to the hardest of labors, and when we ask for the money we so hard earned, most of the time we receive a beating.”
Everything Jayden said was true. Mina had seen many times in port, in the market, or even in the slums how bastards were treated. Shin had received more bruises than money after working in the market. “I wish there was something we could do for those without a family name,” Mina said.
“As long as the high society dictates the laws, people like me will always be seen as pariahs. I might be the one that defeated the Necromancer, but when it comes to Athea, people will still see me as a bastard. Even if I help all the bastards for the bastards in Athea, it won’t erase all the wrongs done by people like your uncle. You too are part of the same class that sees people like me as something that should be hidden. You might have visited the sewers and might think that is the worst that can happen to the bastard, but you have lived safely in your uncle’s house and have no clue bastards are sold into slavery to other kingdoms and continents, forced to do the hardest work! Children as small as Belle work in mines, and those like Shin and Xander are sent to fight wars!” Jayden growled, anger flashing in his eyes. Mina wanted to tell Jayden that she was aware of what was happening with bastards-born, but Jayden went on, “I still remember the first time we met and how disgusted you were by me or when I came to your uncle’s house, the murderous look you had on your face. It does not matter if I enter the Royal Palace or a house from the slums; the moment people notice my piercing, they despise me!” Jayden finished talking, and Mina blinked away some tears.
Mina looked at the fireplace. A bucket full of coal was next to it, and Mina would not be surprised if bastard children worked in the coal mine.
“I was never disgusted by you,” her voice trembled. When Jayden helped her the first time they met, after the concert of Lady Yarrisa, she felt very grateful. She didn’t notice he was a bastard. “While I was born as a duchess, I was never blind or deaf. You might think I am clueless, but my father was the first to teach me about the bastards. He and my mother were trying to change laws and traditions, but they died before they could do anything!” she said, her hand gripping her skirt so hard her knuckles turned white.
Jayden rose from the bed and went to her. He sat on his haunches and gently opened her fists, and took her hands into his. “I should not have spoken like that to you. It is not your fault for what is happening in Athea.” Mina nodded, her eyes still fixed on the fireplace. “I have a lot of resentment in my heart because of my father and my childhood, and I am taking it out on you. For that, I am sorry. I am glad your parents tried to do something.” Jayden was quiet for a moment, and Mina turned her head and looked at him. He was observing her quietly. “I hate my father for mating with my mother before the Trials of the Land and leaving her soon after. But if he had done things how he was supposed to, I would have never met you,” said Jayden.
“Or Rosalyn,” Mina added.
Jayden clenched his teeth. “I wish I had never met her. But I would not be here with you if not for her and her lies.”
Mina tilted her head to the side. “You regret meeting the woman you love?”
“Loved! Because after what she did to me, I would have to be stupid to still have feelings for her,” Jayden said, his eyes fixed on hers.
Mina remembered the other night when Jayden spoke in his sleep. Perhaps Jayden was telling the truth, and he no longer loved Rosalyn. But what of his dream? “And the kittens?” Mina asked, wanting to talk about something else entirely.
“They are in the kitchen. I put a blanket for them in a cornet to sleep on and left the door open so they can go outside when they need.”
“What if they go into the garden and from there in the street?” Mina asked, not wanting to lose the kittens Jayden had brought home for her.
“The wolves will make sure they stay inside the garden until they get used to us.” Mina hoped the wolves wouldn’t harm the kittens. She wanted to ask Jayden not to let the wolves close to them, but he kept talking, “Einar might have a grudge against the kitten that peed on him, but he will get over it. Ocxoa sees it as territory marking.” Jayden laughed, his blue eyes filled with amusement. Mina smiled, and their eyes locked. They stared at each other for seconds, minutes, or maybe hours. Mina wasn’t sure. When Jayden stood, she did the same. “You should give names to the kittens,” he murmured as his eyes fell on her lips.
“In the morning. Maybe the children could help,” Mina said as Jayden cupped her cheek, and Mina put her palms around his wrist and leaned into his touch. He put his other hand on her waist. “Won’t you get into trouble with Lord Ferry for not looking for the pickpocket thieves today?”
Jayden shook his head. “Herron, Shaun, and Andres remained in Athea while Arald and Einar came with me to the orchards. Shaun and Xander showed us the way. It was there that I found the kittens, and I thought you would like them. Seeing you so happy when you saw them bought me immense joy, little lamb,” Jayden said, and he leaned his head, his lips brushing against hers. “I was hoping we would bathe together, even if the bathtub is not fitted to two persons.”