“A blessing,” Matteo said. “Because if the world did have a perception of us before now, it would not be a good one.”
“And you want to change that.” He thought of everything Violet had said to him regarding the internet. “Why don’t you have Wi-Fi on your plane?”
Matteo blinked. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Violet seemed to find it odd that you didn’t. I told her you weren’t concerned with such things. But it appears that you are.”
“Well, I’ve never needed it in the air.”
“Your future bride would want it. Otherwise I think she will find traveling with you onerous.”
“I didn’t realize you would be so concerned for her comfort.”
“Well, you put her comfort in my charge.”
“And I leave it to you now.” Matteo stood from behind the desk. “I understand that it’s not ideal, but I know that you’ll also trust me when I tell you this is necessary.”
“I know,” Javier said. “You never do anything that isn’t.”
“I’m not our father,” Matteo said, and not for the first time Javier wondered if he was telling him or telling himself.
He was well familiar with that internal refrain. He knew his brother walked a hard road, but a different one than Javier did.
Javier had been part of his father’s army.
Under Javier’s oversight, missions had been carried out that had caused harm. He had believed, fully and completely, that he was in the right.
Until one day he’d seen the truth. Seen what love and loyalty had blinded him to.
And he had learned.
That a man could be a villain and not even know.
That with the right lie, a man could commit endless atrocities and call it justice.
“I know,” Javier repeated. “You have spent all these past years defying him. I hardly thought that a little bit of power was going to corrupt you entirely.”
“But I must be on guard against it. I understand that you may think it medieval for me to force the girl into marriage...”
Javier shrugged. “I have no thoughts on it one way or the other.” And it was true. He knew that Violet was unhappy with the situation, but her happiness was not his concern.
Swaths of unhappiness had been cut through his country for decades, and he and his brother were working as hard as they could to undo it. If Matteo thought that making Violet his queen would help with the situation, then it was collateral damage Javier was willing to accept.
“You say that,” Matteo said. “But I have a feeling that you always have thoughts.”
“Are they relevant, My King?”
“I told you, I am not our father. But for the fact that I’m a few years older than you, you would be King. Or, if I were dead.”
“Stay alive,” Javier said. “I have no desire to bear the burden of the crown.”
“And yet, the burden is heavy enough that I daresay you can feel the weight of it. It is not like you are immune to the responsibilities we face.”
“What is the point of sharing blood with our father if we don’t do everything, to the point of spilling it, to correct his wrongs?”
“No point at all,” Matteo said, nodding. “I must go check on my mouse’s progress.”
“You call her that to her face?”