Kingdom of Betrayal

"Lord Simon. Thank you for gracing me with your presence"

"Of course, what do you need?"

I gesture for him to take a seat before taking the one opposite him and putting my hands on the table "I need your advice" I pause "But I'm gonna need it to stay between us"

Simon glances behind me at Hayden and when he sees Hayden making no move to leave, he nods "I'm at your service, Your Grace"

I nod in approval "Well in your opinion, what do you think I should do in order to prevent a war between Lincoln and I?"

He clears his throat before leaning forward "In my humble opinion, I think yourself and Lincoln should wed"

I blink about a thousand times and I can hear Hayden scoff behind me but I ignore it "Pardon me?"

Simon barely bats an eye to our reaction "Prince Lincoln is throne hungry and he won't rest until he's sitting on it." He leans back in his seat "By wedding Lincoln he'll wear the crown and when he dies, your son will take over"

I frown "How can I trust that he won't scheme behind my back?"

Simon shrugs "You can't trust anyone but yourself. But this could possibly prevent a war"

Right.

I sigh and nod "Thank you for your time, Lord Simon"

"Anytime, my queen" he bows before leaving

Hayden don't waste any time "You can't marry Lincoln"

I stand up to face him "What other choice do I have?"

He scoffs "Lincoln is a scheming cunt" I give him a disapproving glare and he grumbles "Sorry"

I sigh "I'm aware what type of person he is, but if this is the way to prevent an unnecessary war then so be it"

Hayden's eyes darken and his jaw clenches "So you're going to wed him?"

"I might" I say softly

He shakes his head "Always the people pleaser"

Ouch.

"You yourself said that you would hand over the throne instead of causing bloodshed, and I happen to agree with that. And this is a way to prevent people from getting killed"

He scoffs again "Yeah but I didn't mean you should get married again." He takes a step closer to me "I don't think I can watch you be with another man. Again"

I stare up at him but he doesn't give me a chance to say anything because he crashes his lips to mine.