Page 27 of Queen
"Oh," Ella said, her face going blank. She really needed to get better at lying. "I'm actually good… I think I've learned everything."
Sterling raised an eyebrow. "You think you've learned everything about thehistory of the Western world?"
Ella grimaced. "It...was a really good study guide?"
He looked past her and walked over to study the stack of books. When he picked up the one on top, she knew she was caught. "’Penal law and the Monarchy,’" Sterling said, reading the title aloud. He gave her a pointed look. "That’s a very specific subset of Western history."
Ella dropped into an empty chair. "Okay, so you got me. I knew you weren't going to give me the answers I needed willingly."
"That depends on the questions."
Ella folded her arms, which her swollen belly made difficult those days. "Whether or not the Empress has the right to pardon someone for his crimes."
There was no surprise on Sterling's face. He had known the question well before she asked. "The Empress can do many things. Whether it's advisable for her to do so is another matter."
"If it was me, would you care what was advisable? Or would you do anything you could to get me out?"
"That's different."
"Why? Because I'm a queen?"
"Because you haven't harmed an innocent soul in your life," he answered. "The fact is, Bishop deserves to be exactly where he is, his last-minute change of heart aside. And your rule is still tentative enough that if you did use your power to free him, the damage would never be undone."
"I don't care about my reputation," Ella muttered.
"That's unfortunate, considering the colony's reputation is your reputation."
Ella frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
"You're a leader, Ella. Not just a figurehead. Yes, you might've been thrust into the role long before you were ready, but that's what a leader does. She rises to the challenge because the people she leads need her to. They need an example. In such chaotic times, when the entire colony's faith has been shaken, and so many of its own revealed to be traitors, do you really think that abuse of power on that scale would be without consequence?"
As Ella listened, she found herself torn between guilt over Bishop's imprisonment and the impact it would have if she followed her instincts to get him out. The last thing he said gave her something to argue. "Isn't ‘abuse of power’ a bit extreme?"
"No," he answered without hesitation. He gave her a smile that softened the hardness in his gaze, if only slightly. "I promised you I would always be honest, both as your mate and your advisor. If you want my opinion, then yes, I think that's exactly what it would be if you were to release him right now when there's still no proof he's truly changed and is no longer a threat to the colony."
Ella sank back in her chair. She knew he was right. It just didn't change the way she felt. "And if I don't want your opinion?"
His smile spread into a smirk. "Well, that's your right as well. It wouldn't be the first time a monarch ignored a royal advisor."
Ella sighed, walking over to sit on his lap. "Why do you have to be so principled?"
"Just a character flaw, I guess," he said dryly, meeting her lips as she leaned in to kiss him. “But considering I have my student on my lap, I wouldn’t say it’s particularly true.”
Ella couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, technically I’m your employer now, so we’rebothat fault.”
He gave her a wry smile, stroking her hair behind her shoulder. “How very true.”
Chapter 16
Axel
The closer Ella's due date drew, the deeper Axel slid into danger of a full-blown meltdown. It didn't help that he'd been on good behavior, keeping his "primal nature" in check, as Sterling put it. Usually, if he wanted to let off some steam, he’d just start a fight with some asshole. Since the usual asshole was in prison, his only option was to get up early in the morning before Ella was awake and go for a run.
It didn't help that his tiger was freaking out as much as he was. Apparently, male tigers had their own nesting instincts. There was so much shit to take care of before the baby came, so much left to do. He didn't want Ella to have to worry about any of it, and Sterling was already dealing with the administrative bullshit that made Axel's eyes cross.
Axel had painted the nursery, at least. It no longer smelled like fresh paint, so he'd put together the crib and brought in a few pieces of furniture. It was actually starting to come together, so at least one part of their lives wasn't pure chaos.
For once, Axel had actually taken his mother's advice and prepared an overnight bag so they wouldn’t be scrambling the day Ella went into labor. Granted, he'd had to call her back to ask what exactly to put in said overnight bag, but he felt marginally more prepared for it.
