31

Was he giving up on me, too?

“But I can’t,” I choked out.

“It is the most strategic move,” Lex said. “He has the manpower to bring Onyx Rah to its feet, and at the moment, he has Amadeus. Don’t get me wrong, I want the man dead—we all do. I’d throw Polonius over the falls in a heartbeat.”

At the mention of murdering Polonius, Bastien cleared his throat.

“But,” Lex segued, “if Polonius thinks he’s going to marry you, we have a chance to build our armies.”

“Lex has a point,” King Helix added. “If we have Polonius’s compliance, we might be able to get Amadeus away from him as soon as he lets down his guard.”

I could see Queen Nadine’s wheels turning. “Do you have a way to postpone this wedding, Aria?”

“Yes,” I said. “I believe I do.”

As we were speaking, I’d devised a plan that I hoped would work. I knew what Polonius wanted, and it wasn’t just me, but Onyx Rah for the crimson pitaya and the potential to rule the world by withholding it from everyone. I realized that I knew what was most