I barely slept the next night. Eikko had left around eight so that he could sleep through the night on the flight back to Kent and be up early for the morning. After having the luxury of sleeping with him the night before, it seemed impossible to do by myself. Instead I found myself sitting in my study, reading through the packets of information Kaden had found for me on constitutional monarchies. Part of me wished that I had explained myself more thoroughly on the Report when I announced it, especially after hearing the advisers voice their complaints. But I wasn't that concerned about any complaints they had; they were really just worried that they would be losing their jobs.

I also wasn't ready to give up on being queen either. There had to be a way for me to stay in power and to split everything with a prime minister. After all, this was all supposed to make my people more accessible to me. I could do that by revamping the town hall meetings. I really just needed to find a way of giving the people a voice. And did I want to have a Parliament or Congress? Did a Prime Minister necessitate a parliamentary body? Eadlyn, you've officially bitten off more than you can chew, I thought bitterly. Why on earth did I announce this decision on live television? Why didn't I think first? Maybe if I had, I would be able to pretend that I never made this decision and no one would know and I could keep things just the way they were. Then I could work on this quietly from the inside without the country breathing down my neck, demanding answers. The one thing that was absolutely true in all of it was that our current way of ruling wasn't working. Maybe from within the palace it looked fine but on the outside, I now knew it was a very different story.

Mom and Dad dissolved the castes, thinking that would solve everything. In reality, the castes weren't the problem. Being a Two wasn't enough to save you from getting thrown in jail for being pregnant without being married. Being a Six didn't mean that you had to be poor but it certainly kept you from being able to afford what would help save money, like contraception or land to grow your own food. The castes helped bring people together for a moment but there always had to be someone on the bottom. Now that there wasn't a system determining that, everyone was fighting to not be at the bottom of the social and economic ladder.

It all boiled down to the fact that there were still rules put in place by a power-hungry tyrant named Gregory Illéa. A power-hungry tyrant who thought that the easiest way to maintain order was to manipulate people, a notion perpetuated by every Illéan sovereign after Gregory until my dad. There was still a great deal of inequality simply between genders. Mom and Dad only thought about amending the laws of inheritance after I was born; they didn't consider making everything equal for men and women. No wonder people hated me so much. There I was, fulfilling a job that shouldn't have been mine in the first place - courtesy of my lack in Y chromosome - while my citizens lacked that same opportunity. The castes were a step in the right direction, but there was still a lot to do to transform Illéa into a global power-house to rival other leading nations.

At least Dad would be there to help. And Kaden. At the same time though, this was going to be my project. Mom and Dad reformed society, I would reform humanity. This would be my legacy. I didn't want to burden them by having to help me when they were supposed to be relaxing. I wanted to show everyone that I could undertake this massive project and not hold my father's hand through it. I maybe had only been queen for several days and I had no idea what the future held. If I wanted to make changes, I needed to do it right away, especially with Marid breathing down my neck.

Marid. I had no idea what I would be doing with him. He was just another item on a rapidly growing list of things I needed to get done as soon as possible. He would retaliate; he wasn't going to let me get away with what I had done. My hope was that my engagement would abate the rumors surrounding our forbidden affair – even if the people were upset over my choosing a man who wasn't a suitor, but that could just add fuel to the fire surrounding my engagement. My other hope was that I valued my people and their concerns and had a deep desire to bridge the gap between the monarchy and everyone else.

The phone on my desk rang and I had never answered the phone faster, looking for any excuse to give my mind a break. "Queen Eadlyn," I answered curtly.

"Is it customary for the Queen of Illéa to answer her own office phone? Here I was expecting to have to go through half a dozen secretaries."

I let out a long breath, running a hand down my face. "Eikko, you have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice right now."

"Funny, I was hoping I wouldn't hear you. You should be sleeping, love."

My whole body seemed to melt into my chair at the endearment. "I'm stressed. Can't sleep."

"I'm starting to get the impression that you never sleep," he said.

"Did you at least sleep on the flight?"

"Somewhat. The bed was comfortable. I daresay that bed was more comfortable than any bed I've ever owned and it's on a plane! If you were a brat, I wouldn't be able to blame you for it if this is how you grew up," he joked. "Want to talk about it?"

I appreciated the fact that he didn't ask me what was stressing me. After all, he knew everything that was stressing me. I had to resist the urge to say no. I didn't want to unload on him when he was technically supposed to be home worrying about his own life but he did ask and if he was going to be my prince consort - and ultimately, my husband - I had to learn to share the stress with him, just like Mom and Dad did. Besides, I couldn't voice any of my doubts to Lady Brice or Dad. Eikko was my only option and my best option. "I'm second guessing myself with this constitutional monarchy. I just don't know what I'm going to do or how I'm going to do this…how I'm going to pull this off."

"Well, you will do it. It will be hard and you're going to continue to second guess whether or not you're doing the right thing but with all great changes comes great discomfort. Unfortunately, you're the one taking the brunt of that discomfort," he said lightly.

I smiled. Somehow he knew exactly not what would soothe me but what I needed to hear. "Thanks Eikko," I said softly. "I'm sorry to unload on you when you're heading home. At least, I'm assuming you're calling to say that you've landed."

"Yeah, I'm on my way to my parents' house now. I really didn't think I'd get an answer from you."

"Well I'm glad you called anyway," I said sincerely.

"I'm glad I called too."

I slouched down in my chair, exhaustion suddenly claiming me. "How does a pool sound?"

"A pool?" he repeated.

"I've always wanted one but Dad said no. Now that I have control over the palace's renovation funds, I am considering putting one in. I know just the place for it. I need something fun to work on outside of everyday diplomacy, just to break up my day."

"Wow. A pool," he mused. "You command it and they build it, huh?" Nothing about the way he said it sounded accusatory at all. He was simply in awe.

"Something like that." I paused before saying, "I wish I could go home with you. Meet your parents, spend time in your community…see where you grew up. I really wish I was there it's just…"

He finished for me. "You have to run the country. You'll meet them."

"My parents will want to meet them," I added. "Preferably before the wedding."

He chuckled and I could see him shaking his head to himself. "Never thought I'd have to tell my parents that the king and queen would want to meet them. I never really thought that I would be marrying the queen."

I rolled my eyes. "You thought about it."

"I thought about marrying the princess," he said. We both were quiet, just enjoying the sound of each other's voice on the other side of the line. Finally he yawned and said, "I'm almost home."

"I'm not sure how much we'll be able to talk these next few days," I said honestly. "There's just so much to do. I promise I'll try to call at least once a night."

"Eadlyn, don't stress about it. I already miss you like crazy but I understand if you're busy. I shouldn't be your top priority right now."

I bit my lip. "I want you to be my top priority."

"I know I'm Eadlyn's top priority. I can respect that I'm not Queen Eadlyn's top priority." He sighed again. "I love you, Your Majesty."

"I love you too." He took one last deep breath before hanging up the phone. Just like that, I was no longer wide-awake. Closing the folders on my desk, I left the study and wandered back down to my room. I wished more than anything that I could have at least had a picture of Eikko to look at while falling asleep. My eyes flashed open and I ran over to my closet, ripping open the drawer of my favorite keepsakes. The picture of us from my coronation was there, tucked safely inside. I gently leaned it against the lamp beside my bed, laying on my side so that his smile was the last thing I saw before sleep closed my eyes.

Lady Brice poured me a cup of coffee and placed it in front of me. "There's still plenty of support for Marid out there. You're a smart girl, you must know that while you're engaged, getting engaged to a suitor who wasn't officially in your Selection confuses people. The people are happy for you but they have no attachment to Erik; they don't know him. We need to get you two in the studio these next couple days and do some interviews with Gavril so that they can get acquainted with him."

I frowned, knowing that I had committed a major fraud against her. "Um, Eikko actually won't be back for another few days."

She blinked at me and then nodded, brushing her hair back from her face. "That's okay. We'll sort something out. We'll figure it out." She snapped her fingers and started pacing as she thought things through. Now that I knew they were related, I didn't know how I could ever miss the fact that she was my father's half-sister. They shared so many mannerisms and even slightly resembled each other. They had the same blonde hair and strong facial features, the same excited light and determination in their eyes as they worked through a tough problem.

The head architects and designers of the palace came in then, answering my call from earlier that morning. They all had blueprints in their arms and various notebooks and bags of pens and pencils. "Your Majesty," the head architect greeted, bowing deeply.

"Thank you for coming Mr. Robs. Have a seat and we can discuss what I'm looking for." His men sat around my desk as I told them my ideas for the pool, all of them taking notes vigorously and one of them even starting a working design for it. After our meeting was over they moved over to another part of the study and continued working with the notes I had given them. This would be the first major renovation since my parents renovated the third floor before Ahren and I were born. They completely redid their wing to make more of a familial atmosphere, connecting all of our rooms with a common family room.

General Leger came in then with some other advisers, wanting to discuss Marid. "He's still at it," General Leger reported to me, helping himself to some of the coffee on my desk. "This morning he announced that your engagement to Erik was forced on you by the palace in order to stop the rumors of him proposing."

He wasn't wrong but he also wasn't completely right. "That only makes him look like the bad guy," I reasoned.

"Yes, but it also paints the palace in a bad light. It doesn't matter if his name is dragged through the mud in order to bring down the palace. You are more important, anything scandalous concerning you will always trump his wrongdoings in the rumor mills," Sir Rasmus said.

I rubbed my face with both hands. "What do we do? We need to shut him up."

"I'm still for killing him," General Leger said darkly but not dark enough to be actually serious.

"That'd just do more harm than good. It would make it look like we're censoring him and if we're trying to improve relations with Illéa's citizenry, killing such a popular spokesman for speaking out against us will do nothing to help that. Has he said anything yet about the constitutional monarchy?" I asked Lady Brice.

She shook her head. "But he will. He'll surely find some way to make this sound like a red herring for getting more control over the people or something like that. That's why the sooner we get an official statement out, the better. Right now, any response, positive or negative, is only speculation."

"We need to speak with Gavril's team then and start drafting a statement. We need to give the people something," General Leger said. "Right now, all they know is that their whole system of government could be changing. That's scary if you think about it. And with them already being restless…"

"Not good," I sighed. "Okay. First step toward that would be setting up the full team of people who will work on this constitution. Lady Brice, General Leger, both of you are obviously going to be there. Neena, I'll need you as well."

"Your parents, Your Majesty?" Neena asked, writing down the names furiously.

"Of course. They agreed to it yesterday," I told them. "Erik, of course. I'd also like Kaden to be part of it."

Lady Brice pursed her lips as she listened to the list. "Are you sure about this list, Your Majesty? I understand that these are the people you trust most but it is comprised of mostly family and friends. It could look suspicious."

"We can invite some mayors and governors, as well. I'll get a completely drafted list of people I would like to help. Camille and Queen Nicoletta could even help," I added. "I want this team full of women so that the people can know what to expect in the future." Neena and Lady Brice smiled at that. "Just, not Mayor Warren from Calgary."

We were so wrapped up in our discussion that I didn't notice Mom had come in until she was standing right in front of me. "Mer, what are you doing in here?" General Leger asked her, narrowing his eyes at her.

She ignored him and addressed me. "Eadlyn, I have a proposition for…what are the palace architects doing in here?" she suddenly asked, noticing the group huddled in the corner of the study.

"Drafting blueprints for the pool," I answered nonchalantly.

"What pool?"

"The pool I'm getting installed."

She frowned. "Did your father say you could do this?"

"Dad doesn't have exclusive control over our recreational money anymore. You guys never used it on vacations to the beach; I'm using it to bring the beach to us." She winced and I felt guilty. It wasn't her decision to not take us to the beach and I knew it was wrong of me to hold that against them, especially now that I knew the reason behind their refusal. She had to have known Dad had told me about it though. They didn't keep any secrets from each other. Briefly I wondered when Mom learned about his scars and Lady Brice.

"Where is it going? You're not putting it in the gardens, are you?" There was a bit of worry in her voice because the gardens were her special place. Well, her and Dad's. If the two of them were ever missing within the palace, it was most likely that they could be found on this one bench in a secluded corner of the gardens.

"No. We're redesigning the south wing conservatory. It's hardly used and we can design it so that it can be used in the summer by opening the glass ceiling. Similar to the football stadium in Kent," I explained.

She blinked at me, the football reference going directly over her head. "Fine, just leave some money for us for retirement." General Leger choked back a laugh. "Something funny, Aspen?"

"No, no," he said. "Just, Mer, do you even know what retirement is?"

"I know that I can still wring your neck when I'm retired," she snapped at him but her eyes were mischievous.

I set my pen down in front of me with a loud tap, grabbing their attention once again. "Mom, what brought you in here?"

"Oh, right! I have a proposition for you. I know you're really busy with all of these reforms and getting the government settled so why don't I just plan your wedding for you?"

I tried hard to bite back my smile but in the end it came out as more of a grimace. "You're not planning my wedding for me," I said in a firm voice.

"That's actually a really decent offer, miss," Neena said quietly.

I ignored her for the moment and focused on Mom. "You are not planning my wedding," I repeated. "Yes, its busy right now but I'll find time."

"Okay," she said with a shrug.

"Wait, you're giving up that easily?"

She sighed. "I'm not going to force you to do something that you don't want to do."

My mouth dropped open. "What would you call the Selection?"

"You're right, but look at how well that turned out!"

"I chose a guy that wasn't even competing. It worked great."

"Leave it to you to find a way around the rules even when you're forced to play by them," she said with a small shake of her head. "But I see your point."

"I see that you're trying to use reverse psychology on me and it's making my head hurt. Don't you have other things to do today, like keep Dad occupied?"

She smiled wickedly. "Oh, honey, we can't stay in our bedroom all day."

I smacked my hands over my ears as Neena, General Leger, and Lady Brice all laughed. "Okay, okay! Please leave before you embarrass me even more!"

"Admit it, you're glad I didn't die," Mom said sarcastically as she walked out, making me roll my eyes.

"If this is how she'll be for the next twenty years or so while she's retired and I'm here working, I might have to send her back across the country to Carolina," I said to General Leger.

He smiled and took a seat across from me. "She'll calm down once she gets grandkids."

I looked to the heavens. "Great."

"Oh!" Lady Brice suddenly exclaimed, snapping her fingers again. "I've got the solution to our Erik problem!"

We all raised our eyebrows at her. "Care to share?"

"You could go to Kent!" she said enthusiastically.

General Leger threw his hands up in the air and then placed them on his hips, pacing away from her. "She's the queen of Illéa. Engaged or not, she can't just run off to Kent for a few days for the sake of boosting some ratings. Do you have any idea how much coordination it would take to get her a security team and a camera crew?"

"We could just send one photographer," Lady Brice said. "Best not to overwhelm the people with a full camera crew."

I started to agree but General Leger cut in again. "I don't think so. She is busy enough with her duties here. You just said, the country is in a somewhat precarious state right now. We can't just let her take a few days off."

As Lady Brice started her rebuttal, I wracked my brain for other options. It was a genius idea. What better way to get to know someone than see him in his home? And she was right; only a couple photographers should be there. General Leger was also right though. How could I give up a full few days of work now with my to-do list being a mile long? There wasn't even a way of prioritizing what needed to be done; it was all equally important and demanding.

"Okay, stop," I said, holding up my hand to them. I stood up so that they would have no choice but to listen to me. "I can go for half a day. That way I'm really only gone for one day. We can make it a surprise so that what we lack in time spent with Eikko, we make up for in sappy photographs and quotes." Lady Brice and General Leger engaged in a silent argument, trying to see who could stare the other down more. "General Leger can come," I added as more persuasion for him.

He let out a long breath. "But who's going to be in charge here?" he asked me.

"Lady Brice," I said decisively, knowing that she would happily shoulder the kingdom for the day. "And Dad, if she needs help."

"I won't," she said, lifting her chin with confidence.

General Leger sighed again, drumming his fingers against my desk. "Do either of you understand the amount of security we'll have to arrange for this? Sharpshooters, spies, armed guards…not to mention the armored vehicles we'll need for transportation and the emergency responders there on site." He fixed his green eyes on me. "You're the queen. It's not like you can just go out for a stroll down the road."

"Lady Brice, Neena, could you both give us some space please?" I asked them in a cool voice.

My girls backed away and retreated to the far corner of the study, no doubt discussing what I would be wearing for this trip. I walked around my desk and stood in front of General Leger, pulling myself up to my full height (which was sadly still several inches shorter than him).

"General Leger, I understand that this is a dangerous trip we're planning. I understand what I'm risking by daring to travel across the country and spending a full day in a non-secure location. But I am not my parents and I am not my grandparents. I have no intention of holing myself up in this palace. My people have spent long enough stuck under the thumb of this monarchy and it's ignorance of their daily struggles. I am commanding you to put together a security team to escort Neena and myself to Kent tomorrow. This is not the last time I will be venturing beyond these walls so I suggest that you get used to this commandment. I am aware of the stress this puts on your job to ultimately keep me alive and functioning as queen but it only adds stress to my job if I spend my days tucked away in this study, guessing at what my people need. This is my edict. Can I trust you to obey or do I need to search for a new commanding general?" I spoke slowly in a low voice, making sure he understood the gravity of what I was telling him.

He swallowed and bowed his head. "As you wish, my queen," he said in a level voice. He exited the study swiftly, Lady Brice and Neena watching with wide eyes.

I took my seat behind my desk again. "So, Neena, we have an important matter to discuss about this trip," I informed her.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" she asked, sitting down across from me.

"What am I going to wear?"

Neena brushed some last-minute powder across my nose and forehead as we waited for the go ahead for the plane's door to open. "Kent has always been a large supporter for your father's regime, given the favor he showed Lady Marlee during the Selection and her official pardon once he was king," Lady Brice said to me over the phone. "However, Mayor Goldsworth has been hesitant recently to implement the new tariffs with the high density of immigrants in Kent. He's worried that he'll lose favor with those citizens if he makes them pay more to import anything from their country of origin," she explained.

"So, this is also a business trip?" I asked.

"You have an appearance at a benefit concert tonight with the Kent Philharmonic Orchestra for orphaned immigrant children," she answered in a short voice. "Your dress will be waiting for you at your hotel with Neena."

I rolled my eyes and glanced at the time. "So how long do I have with Eikko?"

"Don't worry; you have six hours," she said as if that was all the time in the world. "It's a two hour drive round trip to his community. It shouldn't take more than a couple hours to get you dressed for the concert this evening."

"Anything else?"

"Just remember that Mayor Goldsworth is powerful in the central provinces. If you get him on board for a project like drafting the constitution or even if you can get him to attend the summit for it, that could dramatically improve your odds of recruiting Midston, Sota and Allens."

I sighed, smoothing my hands against my dress. "I have a proposal for you," I told her, realizing that I had accidentally cut her off.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Eikko comes with me tonight," I said. "You want the public to get used to him? Let them see him at an event at my side. It will reinforce his place by me."

"That's a great idea. We'll contact a tailor in Curran with his measurements to get him a suit for the evening that will match your dress." There was some shuffling on her side of the line and she said, "Okay, Eadlyn, they're ready for you."

General Leger stepped out of the plane first and stood at the bottom of the steps, shadowing me as I approached the black sedan waiting for us on the tarmac. I heard him introduce himself to the local security detail for Mayor Goldsworth while I took my time waving to the press lined up by the fence. The bright plains sun burned my eyes but as this was my first domestic trip since becoming queen – and an engaged queen at that – I understood that I needed to look professional, thus restricting me from wearing sunglasses. My smile became more forced as I approached Mayor Goldsworth, remembering how Dad always complained about how horrible his handshake was.

"Your Majesty," he greeted, bowing to me. I nodded cordially to him and extended my hand, figuring I just needed to get it over with.

His clammy hand wrapped around mine like a vice. I really hoped he didn't see me wince. Quickly I said, "Thank you for having me in Kent, Mayor." I tried to pull my hand away but he kept holding on.

"It is an honor, Queen Eadlyn. May I be the first to offer my congratulations to you on your recent engagement," he said warmly. He was really a fine looking gentleman with wavy golden hair and rugged skin. Apparently while there were castes, he was a farmer but following the dissolution of the castes he became a powerful spokesperson for those trying to climb the socioeconomic ladder.

He was still holding my hand though. "Thank you, Mayor Goldsworth. I look forward to further discussing our future as leaders in this same nation. I am also excited for this evening. My mother has always said that you have one of the best orchestras here in Kent." Finally he released my hand. I folded my hands behind my back, stretching my fingers to hopefully regain feeling quickly. General Leger wasn't fooled though. He coughed back a laugh as he escorted me to the car waiting.

"That is quite the compliment coming from your mother. I heard she is quite the accomplished musician herself."

"If you say that to her, she will undoubtedly deny it and say that she plays only a few different instruments," I joked. "Because apparently being able to play multiple instruments is the pinnacle of mediocrity. I can't even speak the native language of my fiancé."

Mayor Goldsworth laughed out loud. I was jealous of the mayors. They never had to follow any rules of decorum. The mayor of Allens was known for cheating on his wife and the mayor of Paloma had his own brand of tequila. Mayor Goldsworth spent his childhood working and playing in cornfields; I spent mine in tea rooms. "You are very brave for simply attempting to learn Finnish," he said easily. "It was a pleasure to greet you here, albeit somewhat brief. We should catch up tonight at the concert. Any beer you like, I will order it for you."

I smiled politely and stopped beside my car. "Thank you, Mayor Goldsworth but I am more of a champagne girl myself."

"I'll keep that in mind," he promised.

I climbed into the backseat and arranged my skirt carefully to avoid it being wrinkled when I exited the car an hour from then. General Leger sat next to me in the car, passing me a packet to read through. "This is the most recent contract drawn up between your father and Mayor Goldsworth," he explained.

I thumbed through it, my eyes growing wider as the page numbers hit triple digits. "Any chance you have the summary of events here, General?"

He chuckled and said, "Yes, but only because I thought you'd ask me that very question. Short version is this: Kent is the top corn producer in the country, as well as dairy products, cheese in particular. Most of their crop is reserved and distributed throughout Illéa – almost seventy-percent – while the other thirty percent is traded with other nations, primarily New Asia and North Africa. Now, because of the tariffs from those two countries and the taxes placed on the importation fees, farmers here aren't getting what they feel is deserved. Things are better now than they were twenty years ago when King Clarkson was reigning. As King Maxon has been able to negotiate better trade deals with New Asia, he's been able to renegotiate these contracts here in Kent."

He reached over and skipped to a chart breaking down the annual production of corn and dairy products from Kent and how it is divided, along with the financial value of each division. "Who knew my father spent so much time talking about milk and cheese?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well the tension also comes from the increasing amount of immigrants residing in Kent, particularly the refugees from New Asia and North Africa," General Leger continued.

There had been wars being fought periodically in North Africa for the last century but Illéa was never involved, their primary war always being with New Asia. The wars in North Africa were all civil wars anyway and Gregory, Porter and Clarkson were all reluctant to engage in civil wars. Dad agreed but not because he didn't want to help the country; he claimed that involvement in civil wars just got messy with picking sides. For now, he said all we could do to assist was continue shipping them what they needed for food so their citizens wouldn't starve. Dad made sure to emphasize that the only reason to intervene would be if their president was in danger of being usurped. As a neutral country, citizens of North Africa came to us for sanctuary if they could afford it.

"Kent was always one of the best places to find a job in Illéa. With the main industry being agriculture, people always need farm hands. However, as more immigrants started their own farms they realized that their revenue from their production wasn't necessarily equal. Then the castes were dissolved and those immigrants – whose qualifications fit nothing aside from manual labor – had nothing to do but farm. Now all there is left for them to do in Kent is farm."

"So they're the primary voices in the tax complaints for agriculture?" I guessed. "Well, this is messy."

"It'd be wrong of me not to inform you that many advisers are excited about the prospect of Sir Erik being a first-generation Illéan from Kent for this very reason," he said.

I chewed on my lip and flipped over to stats on immigration and annual incomes nationally and how they compared to the local incomes in Kent. "Of course they are. If anyone has a strength, they will find it and beat it until it's dead at their feet," I mumbled, skimming through quickly. General Leger coughed, grabbing my attention to see his frown. "Okay, a little morbid, sorry. But you can't deny it."

"No, I can't, unfortunately. I watched them do it to your mother when she first became queen, using her as a chess piece to connect to the lower castes before they were dissolved. Then again when they needed to boost approval ratings and suddenly all they wanted to do was film nursery specials and talk about you two. Advisers come and go but they never really change."

"Well, hopefully once our advisers are appointed by the people and not by the sovereign, we won't have that issue. Not that Dad was wrong…" It had been a worry plaguing my mind for the last forty-eight hours since announcing my plans for a constitutional monarchy. As if my telling him to retire wasn't bad enough, now I was essentially reframing the government based off of his shortcomings as a king.

General Leger waved a hand at me. "You're your own queen. You have no duty to uphold any values he did. And he gets that. He based his reign off the mistakes of those who came before him, you're doing the same. It'd be wrong if you didn't."

"Thanks," I said softly. "I'm sorry about yesterday."

"If you knew how many lectures I've received from your mother, you'd know that you barely touched her level of vicious. Never underestimate a redhead," he said as his phone started ringing in his pocket. "Hello?...Yes, we just left…Just briefing her on the latest trading and tax contracts…of course...He what?!...Of course, of course. Here she is." He passed me the phone. "Lady Brice."

I frowned, my stomach tensing with what I knew was going to be bad news. "Can't even manage the palace for half a day without me?" I asked, trying to make my tone light.

Lady Brice wasn't amused though. "Marid's started talking. And it's not pretty."