I usually had supper brought to my apartnts. That allowed to avoid everyone I wanted to avoid – Maitlan, Brin, her parents and anyone who called ‘Your Highness,’ which was basically everyone. I’m sure people were starting to see as a recluse. That and sexing all my guards, I guess. Lovely thoughts.
When I bade the four guards farewell, and at last entered my apartnts, Brin was there, smiling away. “Cayce! I had supper brought up for us!”
“Ah, ok.” I gave her a look.
Morry stood up from the table, near the fireplace, behind her. “Princess, I thought perhaps we could entertain a discussion about the ladies.”
I blinked at him rather than shout sothing angry. But he didn’t know. Through my teeth, “How wonderful.”
“Why don’t I help you with your armor? Get you into so real clothing for supper?”
“Thank you, but I’m perfectly fine this way.”
Brin slipped her arm into mine and steered toward my rooms, speaking in a low voice, “Hey, I know you’ve been through terrible events, and I am here to help you move on from them. It’s ti to return to being a normal princess.”
I jerked my arm from her, trying my best to smile and failing, “Please stop. Just stop, ok? Brin, you don’t understand.”
She turned and faced , her arms loose around my waist, “Alright, ok, we’ll go slowly. But you have to know that I love you and I don’t want you to be alone.” She pulled close, whispering into my ear with just a hint of mischievousness, “After all, you’re in danger of becoming a spinster!”
“I’m not even fifteen! Plenty of ti to have sex with all the troops!”
“Cayce!”
“Oh, so you’ve heard the rumors.”
“Sapphire would approve,” Brin said as we walked back to the table, nodding. A victory for , I was still wearing my armor.
“Probably, she did like to flirt with danger.” We sat down. Brin, , Morry. “Where’s Tread?”
“On his way. You have him so very busy these days, being a chamberlain.”
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on . Report any occurrences.
“I’m thinking of making him the duke.”
Brin’s turn to spit wine. “What! What?”
Just then, the door opened and Tread entered. I rose, held my ale up, “Lord Tread, the man of the hour. Please,” I gestured at the table.
“Lord?”
“Ah, my mistake. I should say ‘Your Grace.’”
Tread simply looked bewildered and slightly shy as he sat down.
“You are not making Tread the duke of this castle! My parents are next-”
“Uhm,” Tread smiled sheepishly, “duke sounds nice. Duke Tread.”
“Brin, I haven’t decided what to do with this castle. It’s growing on . I don’t see why we couldn’t just stay here.”
“Well,” Morry said, “the troops. Half of your army is from Dernamouth. They wouldn’t be happy settling down here, with their hos occupied by the Ketzles.”
“That’s true, I guess. But didn’t they bring their families with them in the, uh, baggage train?”
“Many, but not all.”
I took a sip of the wine and looked at the glass in surprise, “This wine, unsweetened, is actually not bad.”
“The climate’s better here for wine than at Dernamouth, because it’s colder here.”
“Oh. That makes sense.”
“Going to make for a cold winter. Cayce,” Brin started, “I wanted to talk to you about moving the ladies in waiting back in.”
“We already talked about this. The answer is still no.”
“You will need them soon. For your birthday celebration, many suitors are coming.”
“Excuse , what?”
“Since I am mistress of the bedroom and since I am running this castle,” she glanced at Tread, “with help from your forr not-duke bodyguard, I took it upon myself to invite suitors to the festivities.”
“I’m not taking on suitors!”
“You have to. You’re the princess.”
“It’s not about marrying them,” Morry added. “Think about it as building alliances. You need to strengthen the kingdom. It’s in tatters and won’t survive if you can’t unify it.”
“Et tu, Morry?” I put my head in my hands, “I was hoping to unify it through military action.”
“You’ll need bannern for that.”
Brin put her hand on mine, “Cayce, you have to start eting with the nobles. You don’t have to take the suitors seriously. Well, I an, make it look like you’re taking them seriously, but the whole point is to extend friendship, build relationships.”
“Really? I don’t have to marry any of them?”
“Who knows, maybe you’ll find a handso prince to be among them!”
“Most likely,” the big man added, “an ugly old man, clinging to power. Or the runt of the litter, whose only hope is to be married off to improve the family standing.”
I gave him a dirty look, and said to Brin, “You’re still not allowed in my chambers. And no ladies in waiting and no dresses!”
She patted my hand, went back to eating, “This is hard for you, isn’t it?”
“You have no idea.”
“Look, Cayce, you’re outgrowing the armor as it is. You’re going to have to get it remade soon and you might as well greet your suitors in dresses at this ti.”
“I’m not outgrowing it!” But the armor felt tight around the shoulders, and I’d had to hike it up a little to sit down. I sighed. “Ok, ok Brin, I’ll talk to the armorer tomorrow.”
“Dresses won’t kill you, you know. And you look good in them.”
“It’s not the image I want to present.” I smiled at her, “We’ll see. Ok? Best I can do. We’ll see.” And then I wondered how exactly would I contain this crazy growing power without this armor?
User Comments
0 comments from readers