Assassin's Gambit: The Hearts and Thrones Series Read Free Page A

but my mind is made up. We will not decimate Riorca.”
    “Yes, sir.” Instead of leaving, Cassian sat quietly in his chair.
    Lucien eyed him narrowly. “You are dismissed, Legatus.”
    “Sir, about last night’s state dinner . . .” He hesitated.
    “Didn’t like my speech?”
    “Your oration was superlative and the food exquisite. But you deprived us of the court’s brightest jewel, the imperial princess.”
    Lucien’s mouth tightened. “Celeste chose not to attend.”
    “At your urging, no doubt.”
    “She is thirteen years old, Legatus, and she finds state dinners tedious.” Indeed, he could hardly blame his sister for not wanting to spend an evening being slobbered over by older men looking to insert themselves into the line of succession. In Cassian’s case, it was particularly disgusting, because he was already married. He would divorce his wife in a heartbeat if he thought he could remarry more advantageously. And while politically motivated divorces and marriages were common in Kjall, Lucien considered the practice repugnant.
    “Perhaps she found them dull when she was a child, but she’s a young woman now. Young women love to be the center of attention. Perhaps she would like to attend the upcoming dinner for the Asclepian delegates? I should be glad to escort her.”
    Lucien stared at him stonily. “No.”
    “If you should change your mind—” began Cassian.
    “You are dismissed, Legatus.”
    •   •   •
    Vitala paced nervously in her suite. The door guard—a new one, thank the gods; there must have been a shift change—had informed her the emperor would see her later that morning. Soon, the moment would come, the moment she’d spent eleven years preparing for. Could she seduce and kill Emperor Lucien?
    Seduction was the easy part, but she’d never targeted an emperor before.
    We know very little about his love life,
Bayard had told her.
Only that he must have one.
    What if he liked only blondes or redheads? Gods, what if he preferred men?
    She’d suggested to Bayard that she lose her first Caturanga game with Lucien. She’d seduced a Kjallan officer once with a similar technique. She played the part of a foolish bufflehead searching for a misplaced glove, which turned out to be under her chair. A little flattery and flirtation, a touch here and there, and he was hers. But soldiers were easy; an emperor was something else. Lucien was probably approached by beautiful, sexually receptive women on a daily basis. She had to make herself stand out.
    You must win the initial game,
Bayard had said.
He may lose interest if he thinks you have nothing to teach him. And we don’t know how long it will take you to lure him into bed. This man is powerful. He has his choice of women. And he may be particular.
    Thanks for the encouragement,
she had retorted.
    We suspect he likes strong women.
    How can you tell, if you know nothing about his love life?
she asked.
    Because the closest relationship he’s ever had with a woman was with his cousin Rhianne,
said Bayard.
    The one who ran off to Mosar?
    She was rebellious as a child, and Lucien was her partner in crime. Word is he misses her. We think the more you remind him of Rhianne, the more interested in you he’ll be.
    Fine. She would win the first game. But how to proceed from there?
    Someone knocked at her door. “Miss Vitala? His Imperial Majesty will see you now.”

2
    L ucien Florian Nigellus. Vitala had never met him, yet he’d occupied her thoughts and shaped her studies for years. His biographical information painted a picture of an isolated man. Both his elder brothers were dead; his father had been forcibly deposed and imprisoned on the island of Mosar. He had no heirs and had not yet married. His only close relatives were an aunt, a female cousin, and a younger sister, none of whom were eligible for the throne.
He’s crippled and alone,
Bayard had said.
Kill him, and you will spark a succession battle that will tear the