Chapter 37: Outcast

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“This is it Ren,” Amy said, “Lynn has accepted the prince’s proposal. She’s achieved her goal. We can’t do anything more. She accepted him. That’s her choice. Now we need to accept her choice.”

“No,” I said, “We need to get her out of Ys. We need to get her on a ship somewhere away from Wulfric. Agartha maybe.”

“Lady Ren.”

“Vincent might be able to help with that. Can you send a message to House Myrddhin?”

“Ren.”

“Or Scythia even. I could ask Fiona.”

“Ren!”

I looked at Amy. She was crying. When had she started crying?

“Ren. This has to stop. You need to choose between Lynn and everyone else.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I need you to choose between Lynn and everyone else. There is no room in your life for anyone else, if you keep Lynn there.”

“I thought you didn’t want me to cut her out of my life.”

“I didn’t. I wanted you to stay friends with her. I wanted you to learn how to balance your friendship with your relationships with us- your lovers. But you can’t. You’re not addicted to those cigarettes half as much as you’re addicted to Lynn.”

“I can’t do that Amy.”

“I love you Ren. But I’m losing to the ghost of a woman who isn’t even dead!”

I heard a metal clang. We both turned and saw Mildred staring at us. She had dropped a spoon. She was carrying a wilted cut red rose. It was the rose that Amy had given me. 

“Crap.” I said.  

* * *

Gossip travels fast in Castle Octavian. It took less than an hour before everyone knew. And less than two hours before I found myself dragged to the council hall of House Octavian. The hall was a lecture auditorium with a depressed center stage. The seating rose up on the sides forming a bowl. I stood in the center at the bottom of the bowl. 

“You know the scandal of having a relationship with a commoner.” My uncle said from his elevated seat.

“Everyone does it.” I shook my head and turned away.

“And everyone who gets caught pays the price,” my father said. “And so does their family, and so does their house.”

“How could you do this to Countess Fiona?” My Aunt Theresa said. She looked hurt to my eyes.

I didn’t answer. I wanted to name my father’s mistress, Lady Mallory Octavian. She was his second cousin. And she was my age. But I didn’t know anything she had done wrong. I didn’t consider sleeping with my father wrong, only a sign of poor taste in men. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her. 

I glared. “It’s so stupid, a bunch of blue-blooded hypocrites.”

My father waved a hand as though brushing me away, “You’re one of them, daughter. Those blue bloods. It gives me no pleasure to do this, but you must choose between your mistress and your house. You will not be welcome back in Castle Octavian until you come to your senses and end that relationship.

I knew what I had to do. I had promised Amy that I would abdicate. I opened my mouth. I knew I would lose Fiona, but I assumed I would lose her in any case. But then a thought hit me. If they denied me access to Castle Octavian, I couldn’t help Lynn. I couldn’t protect her. But I had promised Amy. 

I lowered my voice to a near whisper, "Then I suspect that somebody should escort me off the premises. Manfred, it's your duty to arrange that."


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