Page 134 of What Fury Brings
Her wounds were healing nicely. Only the one in her side still troubled her some when she bent the wrong way. Otherwise, she was up and back to normal, with restrictions on her training with the troops.
Today, the nobility would vote on the next successor, and tomorrow, Olerra would be wedded. She was most looking forward to tonight, however.
She’d gotten approval from the healer to explore nightly activities, as long as she was careful and stopped should anything cause pain.
She would tell Sanos after the vote, which would happen in the throne room. Olerra’s personal guard escorted her there now. Her prince was at her side, dressed in a fine shirt and pants. The deal was that he could wear Brutish clothing as long as his left bicep was always bare. Sanos was more than happy to oblige.
“Are you nervous?” he asked her.
“An Amarran general is never nervous,” she said.
At the look he gave her, she admitted, “A little.”
He reached over and took her hand. “No matter what happens, it will be all right. The vote is really only a formality at this point, isn’t it?”
“Not necessarily.”
“They’d really still allow your cousin to rule?”
“No, but they could vote on a distant relative of mine.”
“Now you’re just being ridiculous.”
She cracked the knuckles of her free hand. “Spoken like someone who already has his throne secured. How would you feel if everyone took a vote and decided Canus got to rule?”
“Relieved, most likely.”
She rolled her eyes. It wasn’t that her man lacked ambition. More like he’d never had to fight for his role. It was simply given to him. It was a wonder he hadn’t turned into some spoiled brat as a result.
The doors to the throne room opened wide, and Olerra and her entourage stepped through. Sanos kissed her hand before releasing her so she could walk to the dais. She winked at him before she went.
Her aunts sat on twin thrones. Surrounding them were the remaining council members: Enadra, Cyssia, and Usstra. Then there was Menina, a wealthy viscountess who had taken Shaelwyn’s place.
Olerra strode up the steps before kneeling before the women surrounding her, submitting herself to their decision.
The room was fuller than usual. Nobility from all over Amarra had traveled to join in the celebrations for the Goddess’s Gift. They were there to cast their votes, which they would have done before Olerra was admitted into the room. The decision was already made. She only had to wait to hear it.
The queen stood. “Olerra Corasene, we have taken our vote. We were all very impressed with your victory over the king of Brutus and the way you exposed your cousin’s treasonous schemes.” Lemya nodded to Usstra.
“However,” Usstra said, “you are Giftless, a fact that you hid from all of us. For that, we considered several of your third cousins for the role of crown princess.”
Olerra caught her gasp before it was audible. Her body went cold as she realized she was about to be embarrassed publicly. Some cousin was about to be invited to join her on the dais.
After everything, it still wasn’t enough.
Sanos’s face rose behind her closed eyes.
And she felt peace.
All would be well. Olerra didn’t have to hide who she was anymore. She would marry the man she loved soon, and no matter what, she would rule Brutus at his side and make things better for the women living there. It was enough.
Enadra took up her part of the speech. “We posed every eligible woman to the nobility for a majority vote.”
“It was nearly unanimous,” Menina said.
Cyssia smiled. “We bestow the title of crown princess to you.”
“Rise, Olerra,” the queen said.
