I hadn’t meant to share so much, but it was true. And it hurt. For a minute, there was nothing but the sound of the wheels spinning, spinning, spinning. Just when I thought Etan was letting me in, he decided to ignore my pain.

Finally, he coughed.

“That, madam, is a fear I understand.”

I dared to look over at him, but his face was squarely focused outside the window, so I couldn’t read it.

“Four years ago, I lost Tenen. Last year, Micha. Two weeks before we were forced to visit Coroa, I lost Vincent and Giles.”

“Family?”

“Friends,” he corrected me gently, turning to look at me. “Friends so close I called them family. And now I am the last of us to live . . . I can’t imagine why. I feel like I should have died a long time ago.” He shook his head. “Everyone I care about dies. It’s one of the reasons I still can’t understand Silas. I was almost angry at him when I heard about your wedding.”

“I beg your pardon?”

He shook his head. “It’s not because he sank so low as to marry a Coroan,” he said mockingly, though I could tell that, for once, there was no venom behind the word. “After everything our family has been through, I can’t think of anything more reckless than to drag someone else into it. I couldn’t believe he married anyone. You will never catch me as a groom.”

“Then I will say a prayer of thanks that you are sparing some girl such a fate.”

He chuckled, amused.

“Not everyone you love dies,” I countered softly. “Your parents are still here.”

He gave me a sad smile. “But they’re the last ones left. You’re new to this; you have no idea how many people we’ve lost. And if you think I’m not worried that my parents are walking straight into their coffins today, you are sadly mistaken.”

I swallowed. “Surely he wouldn’t murder us at a wedding.”

Etan shrugged. “I think the king wants us to witness his greatest triumph first, but that doesn’t make me comfortable. If we can leave immediately after the ceremony, that’s what I’d prefer. Of course, I am at my father’s command.”

“Perhaps I could say I’m under the weather and need to retreat home, and, seeing as you are my escort for everything . . .”

He perked up. “That may be the best idea you’ve had to date.”

“I have plenty of good ideas.” I sat up, crossing my arms.

“Ah, yes. Jilting a king, running off in the middle of the night. You’re brilliant,” he teased.

“You willingly run into border disputes and alienate your family . . . I hardly think you have the room to criticize my judgment.”

“And yet I will.” He smiled, quite pleased with himself.

I shook my head, looking back out the window. Always so sure of himself, always so quick with his words. Etan was positively insufferable.