Her mother shook her head. “The majority of people don’t find love in the course of their employment. But I don’t think you’re silly.”

Sapphire arched a dubious brow.

“Oh, okay,” Sasha conceded. “Maybe a little silly.”

Grinning, Sapphire rang for a mästare to bring wine. Then she sat on the tiled lip of the fountain and settled in to experience much-needed excitement through the words of her mother.

* * * * *

In just a few moments, her husband would leave the exotic haven of their private rooms for the bed of his concubine.

Desperate to reach him before he left, Brenna, Queen of Sari, spoke bluntly. “You have to make love to me, Gunther, if you want me to conceive. I cannot do it alone.”

As the king began to pace in front of her, his frustration was clear. He was such a beautiful man, tall with golden hair and skin. In all of her life, she had never met a man who could equal him. With every breath she took, she loved him more than the last.

“The precedence is clear and unbreakable. I cannot be artificially inseminated,” she reminded ruthlessly. “All royal heirs must be conceived naturally.”

Running a hand through his hair, Gunther shot her a scathing glance. He strode past where she sat on the velvet-draped divan. “I know the rules!”

His reluctance to bed her cut deep. As she thought of his concubine, her nails dug into her palms. Sapphire was the karimai—most prized of all the mätresses.