Adam had reacted exactly as she had thought he would. Raging until late into the night and concerned that whatever binding affected the Lycan King would affect her too. As much as she wanted to reassure Adam, she couldn't, because she just didn't know all the answers yet.
Their discussion had turned to her father and the choices that he had made as king and Ann's heart sank.
She had always blamed Narcissa for sinking her claws into him, but she couldn't help wondering if he had bound himself to Eromaug as well. Perhaps it wasn't just Narcissa's dark magick, but his own will that made him turn against his true mate and watch her wither and die at Narcissa's hands while doing nothing to stop it.
If anything, Adam left for the border patrol pleased to have something to fight as an outlet for his rage, and he left at first light, striding toward the border with his captains falling into step behind him.
Ann stood on the palace steps, watching him mount and give clipped orders to the riders that accompanied him. She felt sorry for anyone that made even the smallest mistake today because she knew that his wolf simply wouldn't tolerate it.
He didn't look back as they rode out, and Ann sighed deeply as the gates closed behind them.
She pushed away the ache in her chest as she turned back and headed into the palace. That was one emotional upheaval over and done with for today, now, it was time to face the next one.
She hadn't told Adam that she intended ongoing to speak to her father, because truthfully, she hadn't even decided herself before he left. But in that split second Ann knew that the longer she left it, the more that it would gnaw at her.
She had questions about the throne and the crown that couldn't be answered unless her father was honest with her.
The wing that her father had been assigned to was quiet and as Ann crossed the cold marble floor she wondered just how long it had been since she was last here. She had vivid memories of her fights with Ada in these walls, but the memories didn't bother her as much as they used to. Not now that she knew there was nothing she could have done differently to change how her relationship with Ada had soured over the years.
Ann came to a stop in front of a door she hadn't stepped through since the day she'd claimed the throne, and one that she never expected to walk through again if she was honest.
She took a deep breath and knocked once, before entering.
Leopold looked up from his desk in surprise when she entered, clearly not used to having guests at all and when his eyes landed on her face, she could see the brief flash of disbelief and joy that was quickly pushed down as he cleared his throat and stood hastily to greet her.
"My daughter…" He said, his voice cracking slightly before he cleared his throat again and pulled his composure back into place, "Ann…How are you?"
She noticed how his eyes flicked to her belly and then back up at her face and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about it. She knew Adam would most likely be furious with her for risking coming here, but he tended to be furious about anything that she did that carried the smallest risk these days. He had just gotten slightly better at not exploding…well, not in front of her at least.
"Leopold," she said flatly. "I'm not here on a social visit if that's what you were thinking so there's no need for social niceties. I need answers, nothing more."
His brows lifted slightly, but he nodded without comment and gestured toward the chair opposite, still half-stunned she'd come at all.
"Of course, Ann. Sit. I'll answer whatever I can."
Ann didn't sit, she didn't want this to feel familiar, or give him the impression that she would allow him to waltz back into her life with a few words.
She planted her hands on the back of the chair instead, standing tall and radiating confidence.
"There's no easy way to ask this, so I'll just dive straight in," she said abruptly, "When I inherited the crown from you, something changed in me. I can feel it, waiting under my skin. I haven't used it yet, but I know what it is. The same ability that you wielded, the power to force the truth out of someone, whether they want to speak it or not."
Leopold nodded as he steepled his hands in front of him, a position that Ann was familiar with him adopting when he was deeply invested in a subject. She knew iit by sight because it was a position that he had never adopted for her when she spoke in the past. She knew it for it's absence.
"What I want to know is if that gift truly is the same one that you carried, and I want to know if our line was cursed, bound to a daemon in order to wield this power."
Leopold's expression shifted to shock first, then understanding and he gave a slow nod.
"Yes. It is indeed the same ability. It's passed to the heirs of the crown through the crown's title itself." He answered, before a slight frown settled on his brow, "But why would you think it was bound to a daemon?"
"IT doesn't matter the reasoning behind it, Leopold, what matters is the answer to the question. Don't avoid it, just speak the truth please. I need to know what I'm facing…what my children will be facing in the future."
Leopold held his hands up in front of him defensively and sighed heavily.
"I was merely interested, Ann, that's all, but to answer your question, no. Our bloodline, and the crown is not bound to any Daemon. It was a gift from Selene herself, woven into our bloodline generations ago."
Ann's heart almost stopped in her chest.
"Well holy fucking shitballs," Maeve breathed, "Wait..can i even say that? Will she hear me? If she's in our blood she'll hear me right..WAIT if she's in our blood are we Selene? AM I A GODDES?!"
"Shut up Maeve," Ann hissed as she tried to wrap her head around this.
"Wait. So you're telling me that our bloodline is directly related to Selene? As in the Selene, the Moon Goddess?!"
Leopold smiled softly, and she could see the nostalgia and regret written all over his face as he answered.
"We are not directly related by blood, no. However, she does favour our line as champions of the truth. That's where our name comes from, Veritas, it's latin for truth. It was a reward for service centuries ago. If i remember correctly, our ancestors fought valiantly in the first Daemon wars that ravaged our world and they turned to Selene for help, swearing allegiance to her and bringing her details of the daemon's next moves at great personal cost and sacrifice as she sought to prevent the destruction of her earth born children."
"Yes, I remember the legends…I never actually thought they were true though." Ann murmured.
"The royal command will, as you say, force a person to reveal the truth so that no one will ever die in our line from lies or subterfuge as we have a means to reveal deception if we choose to invoke it."
Ann's jaw tightened suddenly and her face hardened as she tried her best to suppress the sneer that threatened to break out on her face.
"Truth. Honesty." she snorted despite her best efforts, "Such a pity that you didn't live up to either of those namesakes."
He didn't argue, his expression fell to one of resignation.
"I know. You're right. I failed in my duty. I abandoned your mother, my true mate, and took Narcissa in her place. I never intended any of what happened…I cant blame her magick either because the man that I am is weak and I fell for her charms first. My wolf knew what she was, and warned me, but over the years he became silent, which we now know was due to Narcissa's suppression..to make me easier to handle. In the end, he deserted me because I was weak and he returned to Selene, to be with your mother, at her side, where I should've stood all along..."
Ann's grip was threatening to dig grooves into the chair's wood as she scowled at her father.
"All those years you let me grow up thinking you'd just turned cold. You left me to believe that was all I was worth. A pretty face, to perform for your guests and inherit the crown…."
"I was cold," Leopold admitted. His tone stayed level, though his hands clenched on the desk too. "And I'm sorry for what it cost you. I can't undo it," he said. "But I can tell you this: you're not cursed. You won't fall into the same madness as the Lycan King. His corruption comes from whatever Daemon that he chose to serve. The council will not acknowledge it, but it was discussed years ago and not recorded. You're not his mirror, you're Selene's vessel."
The words reassured her, but it did nothing to ease her anger.
"Thank you, Leopold. I didn't come here for comfort," Ann said, her tone cold once more, "I came for the truth and you've given me it. I believe that we're finished here."
Leopold inclined his head, accepting the dismissal.
"Thank you for visiting again Ann, whatever the reason that brought you to my door again, I'm grateful."
"Don't get used to it," She snapped, "I can't promise that it will happen again."
With that, Ann turned and left, her steps quick as she rushed back to her suite, her heart still hammering wildly in her chest.
"Don't even think about softening on him," Maeve warned before her face split into a wolfish grin, "Your Goddess demands it."
Ann rolled her eyes and suppressed her smile. It wasn't the first time that she was grateful for Maeve's company, and it wouldn't be the last.