Twenty:
Princess Sirena
Gale sat in the seat that my fiancé had formally sat in, reading to me. How strange it was only moments ago we’d been having a nice moment. Now I knew the truth about how this engagement had been kept in place. “I don’t understand,” I said, “this engagement has been in place since I was born, hasn’t it?”
Gale nodded. “Yes. I know you think it was me that arranged it, but it was actually father that initially arranged it. He thought marriage between the two of you would mean that there would be peace between our two countries and keep us safe. For a while it worked, but once you became a teenager, Imperator Eric grew more forceful. He wanted us to send you here when you were thirteen. I think he was hoping that Zale would seduce you, and you’d have to g
