The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

Chapter 22
“Why not?” I pitched forward again.
“Because you usurp the throne, Poppy. No other Queen
could rule with you in Atlantia. The wolven will treat you as
the Queen even if you do not sit on that throne. Some
Atlantians will treat you the same. Others would follow who
wears the crown, whether that is my mother or someone
else. It would create a division, one we haven’t seen since
the deities themselves ruled. I can’t do that to Atlantia,” he
said.
“I don’t want that to happen.” My heart started
thumping heavily as I gripped the edge of the table. “But
this is your home.”
“You told me that I was your home. That works both
ways,” he reminded me. “You are mine. What matters is
that we’re together and happy.”
His words warmed me, but he would be leaving because
I chose not to take the Crown. I pressed against the back of
the chair, suddenly understanding what he was saying. “If I
wasn’t a descendant of a god, and Malik wasn’t ready to
rule, what would you have done if I said I didn’t want to
rule?”
“Then we wouldn’t,” he answered. There had been no
hesitation.
“But then what happens to the Crown? Do your parents
continue to rule?”
“They would until the Crown was challenged.”
“And what happens if the Crown is challenged?”