Yet he still wanted her to hear it from him directly. He wanted to place every truth at her feet himself so they would never find themselves in a situation where she questioned his devotion to her or doubted where his loyalties lay.

His hand remained over her stomach the entire time he spoke, absentmindedly stroking slow circles there.

Circe silently contemplated her next words but after a while she realized that there was no better way of saying what was in her mind.

"Avarine Caelorth is the one that started these lies to ruin me," she said.

Ragnar went still behind her and she didn’t blame him. After all, Lady Taryn was supposed to be one of his closest allies.

Complete silence followed.

Circe could practically feel the surprise that ran through him.

When he finally spoke again, there was genuine disbelief in his voice.

"Are you sure?" He asked

Circe nodded. "That is why she is doing this."

Ragnar said nothing immediately after that. The Avarine he knew was not the woman Circe had uncovered over the past several days. To him, Avarine had always been polite. Mild-mannered. Respectful during the few interactions they had shared throughout the years. She wasn’t malicious or cruel.

Certainly not someone capable of deliberately attempting to damage another woman’s reputation out of jealousy.

But Ragnar also knew Circe did not make accusations carelessly.

Especially not accusations like this.

She felt him exhale slowly behind her as he processed the information.

When Ragnar finally drifted to sleep beside her, Circe remained awake.

Her own thoughts refused to settle. Because now she understood everything completely.

The looks Avarine had given her when she invited the women over for tea. The bitterness concealed beneath every smile and carefully chosen word.

It had been personal from the very beginning.

Avarine did not simply resent Circe for becoming queen. She resented her for marrying Ragnar.

Now that Circe knew the culprit, it was not difficult to deduce the motive behind everything else.

It also meant the situation would not simply disappear on its own. Matters like this rarely ever did. Jealousy left unchecked only festered into something uglier. More dangerous.

So as she lay there silently beside her sleeping husband, pretending to be asleep, her thoughts were already turning toward how she would confront Avarine Caelorth.

And more importantly, how she would ensure this matter was brought to an end before it spiraled into something far worse.

***

The summons arrived at the Caelorth residence shortly before noon.

Avarine had not expected it.

She stood at the foot of her bed when the servant delivered the sealed message bearing the royal crest. For one brief foolish moment, her pulse had quickened with hope.

Then she broke the seal and realized the invitation was not from Ragnar.

"Lady Avarine Caelorth, the queen requests your presence." The note read. Nothing more.

No further explanation.

By the time Avarine arrived at the palace later that afternoon, unease had already begun settling heavily in her stomach.

She was escorted not to one of the formal receiving halls but to a smaller private area deep within the queen’s wing. The room was elegant in the way most rooms in the palace were, decorated with expensive furniture, and dark polished wood, with tall windows overlooking the palace grounds.

Circe stood peering out of one of those windows when Avarine entered but she did not immediately turn to acknowledge her presence.

"Leave us." Circe ordered without turning back.

The guards stationed by the doors obeyed instantly. Heavy doors shut behind them a moment later, leaving the two women alone.

Only then did Circe turn to face her.

Avarine immediately dropped into a graceful bow. "Your Majesty."

"Sit."

The command was stern and authoritative, the type that is given to a misbehaving child.

Avarine crossed the distance and lowered herself onto one of the cushioned chairs opposite the queen.

Circe remained standing for a while longer before finally taking the seat across from her.

Her expression remained cold, making no effort to dispel Avarine’s evident tension.

"I assume you know why I called you here," Circe said.

Avarine shook her head. "I cannot say that I do."

But unlike her, Circe had no plans of needlessly prolonging this conversation.

"I know you were responsible for the rumors surrounding both my pregnancy and my character."

Avarine recoiled before she could stop herself, though she quickly masked it beneath a look of startled confusion.

"Your Majesty, I would never—"

"You would," Circe interrupted calmly. "And you did."

The tension was palpable, and in that instant, the two of them were locked in a silent clash of wills.

Avarine held her gaze for several seconds before letting out a soft breath. "I think someone has misinformed you."

"No," Circe said evenly. "I think you underestimated me." Circe folded her hands loosely in her lap as she continued.

"You shared private information regarding my pregnancy before it was publicly announced. You implied my child may not belong to my husband. You spread rumors regarding my conduct in Amris. Would you like me to continue?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Her eyes remained fixed steadily on her face.

Avarine’s composure was holding on by a thread. "You cannot prove any of that."

"Perhaps," Circe agreed. "But fortunately for me, I do not require proof to recognize malice when I see it."

A flicker of irritation crossed Avarine’s face before she could fully conceal it.

Circe noticed immediately, just as she had the first few times. She could see the fake mask the woman wore slowly unraveling. "I am aware you have some affections for my husband," she said calmly. "But they are nothing more than silly juvenile feelings. They will pass and you will be grateful it did."

Avarine’s expression hardened instantly. Those words, coming from Circe’s mouth, nearly sent her over the edge. It stoked the flames of her hatred, hearing her so casually ridicule the love she had nurtured for years.

"But that is not reason enough to justify your actions," Circe continued. "And it will not excuse you from the consequences if you continue this behavior."

Time stood still as Avarine simply stared at her. Then, slowly, the carefully crafted mask slipped from her face entirely as she abandoned all pretence.

The change was subtle at first. A faint narrowing of her eyes. The slight tightening at the corner of her mouth.

Then the hostility surfaced fully. Beneath that mask of lies she always wore, was the ugliest that hid within. Before now, she had never fully let her mask drop in the presence of others and it hardly mattered to her that Circe saw when there was no reason to keep up the act.

"I have loved Ragnar for years," she said, bitterness and spiteful. "Since I was a girl. He was mine, and wicked as you are, you came and took him from me. You stole the only man I have ever loved."

But it was as though her words barely affected Circe at all. And why would they, when to her, Avarine was nothing more than a foolish woman clinging desperately to childish fantasies that had never once reflected reality?

"Ragnar was never yours," Circe replied. "Otherwise, you would be his wife now instead of me."

The words struck their target perfectly.

She could barely think through the rage coursing through her. She rose abruptly from her chair and slowly stalked toward Circe, attempting to loom over her through sheer intimidation. But Circe stood as well until they faced each other at eye level. She was unruffled by any of the woman’s antics.

"You think you’ve won something?" Avarine snapped. "My poor king, trapped in a worthless marriage."

She leaned forward slightly, her expression twisting with cruel satisfaction as she glared at Circe with contempt. "He must have to get piss drunk just to stomach lying beside you each night, you frigid bitch—"

The sound of the slap echoed sharply through the room. Avarine’s head snapped violently to the side from the impact. She lifted a trembling hand to her burning cheek, shock flooding her features as though she could scarcely comprehend what had just happened.

Circe stood over her now, utterly unmoved by it all.

"You will not speak to your queen that way again," she said firmly. "And you would do well to stay away from both me and my husband."

Avarine stared up at her, breathing hard, fury and humiliation twisting savagely in her chest.

Circe thought she might say something else or scream. Perhaps throw another insult in retaliation. Hatred blazed in Avarine’s eyes, but in the end, she forced herself to remain silent.

Without another word, she turned around sharply and stormed toward the doors.

The guards outside immediately straightened as the doors were violently thrown open. Avarine never looked back as she disappeared down the hall.

The anger Circe had kept tightly leashed throughout the conversation still lingered beneath her skin, though it no longer burned as fiercely as before.

Because now she knew.

Avarine’s heart had soured, transforming into something twisted and evil after years of unrequited love, a shadow of what once might have been. And unfortunately for her, Circe was no longer willing to tolerate any of it.