Aurelia froze, her breath catching at Lady Levina's words.
They did not know who Vaelric's mother was.
For a moment, she could only stare at the young woman before her ....the king's sister, her sister-in-law .... and search her eyes for some hint that this was a jest. But Levina's face was solemn, untouched by mirth.
"What… what do you mean by that?" Aurelia asked finally, her voice soft but laced with disbelief. "How can Valerian not know who his son's mother is?"
Since her arrival in Valkoron three days ago, that very question had lingered at the edges of her thoughts. She had sent Gwen to make discreet inquiries among the servants, the guards, even the maids who had served the palace for years. Yet every time, Gwen had returned with the same words: No one knows, my lady.
It had felt absurd then. Impossible. The Storm Lord, a man so deliberate in every decision he made .... not knowing who birthed his only child?
