Page 15 of The Dragon King's Bride
There is a general murmur of agreement. Only the ones who I noticed weren’t taking this seriously earlier are shaking their heads. They’re in the minority, so I choose to ignore them for now. I continue speaking.
“So, I think we should start with the obvious. Does anyone have any idea how this spy could’ve gotten in?”
Reeves, one of my advisors that wasn’t taking this seriously, raises his hand. I nod my head at him, allowing him to speak. “Isn’t it obvious, sire? They’ve snuck in alongside the audience. If we test all of them with a truth stone, I’m sure we’ll find our target amongst them.”
Wilcox shakes his head. “It wouldn’t be wise to assume that. We know very little about the abilities of the Fae, aside from their control over nature. Disguising themselves could be one of their abilities. In that case, they could have been here for a while now. They could be anyone.”
I nod my head at the man. “I agree. The Fae are not to be underestimated. But Reeves has a point as well. One of the audience members is the most likely. I say we should test everyone in the castle, but we should start with the audience.”
Percival, another one of my advisors, nods glumly. “That will take quite some time, there are over a thousand people currently staying here. But I agree there’s no better option. We need to be thorough.”
I drum my fingers against the table. There’s something I want to know, but I’m not sure I should ask. “Is it possible that whoever this is the same person that killed my father?”
There’s some uncomfortable shifting at these words. The subject of my father’s death is still rather taboo. Nobody wants to think about how the enemy was able to invade and kill the king without anybody being aware.
In the end, Wilcox shakes his head at me. “I doubt it, sire. The culprits were seen fleeing from the castle soon after the incident. If they have the power to disguise themselves, it’s always possible, but I don’t think it’s likely.”
There is another general murmur of agreement, and I’m not sure how I should feel. On one hand, I’m happy that the culprits are no longer a danger to us. Yet on the other, I would have liked the chance to slay the killer with my own two hands. I clear my throat again.
“How extensive is the damage to our yard? I couldn’t see the full picture from the window, does anyone know how far the magic has reached?”
“Quite far, Your Highness,” Cameron answers, speaking for the first time. Though as the advisor in charge of the grounds, he’s the most likely to know. “It reaches out across the entire property. There’s even traces of Fae magic in the trees of Darkwood Forest. I’m not sure you can classify what’s been done as ‘damage’ though. Aside from some extra work in the garden, the problem is easily resolved. It may even be a good thing, as all the nearby crops are nearly finished growing as well. We’ll have a double harvest this year.”
I choose to ignore the last bit of this statement. I don’t want to consider the presence of a fairy to be in any way a good thing. Plus, it’s not like the palace even needs a double harvest. The lower-class area fiefs are the ones that will need the extra food.
“Spread the extra harvest amongst the peasants, then,” I eventually decide. A slew of angry murmurings follows my statement. I hold up my hand to cut them off. “This latest assassination attempt proves their discontent towards me astheir future leader. Though food won’t be enough to make up for the loss of a loved one, it will at least soften the blow.”
Reston, my oldest advisor, clears his throat to speak. “The peasants are always upset over the results of the competition, Your Highness. If we give into them now, there will be no end to their demands.”
Another general murmur of agreement follows this statement. I swallow down the pit of anger that forms within me at his words. Maybe it’s because I’ve just lost a loved one myself, but I have a lot of empathy for the pain the common people are suffering through. They deserve some compensation for their loss, no matter their station.
“We’re not giving in to anything, Reston,” I disagree. “We’re not overturning the laws of the competition, we’re showing them the lives of their loved ones have merit. I overheard one of their conversations while I was in that forest. They tried to assassinate me because they saw no other way to make the loss of their loved one meaningful. Don’t you see? Everyone feels the sting of loss the same. If we’re not going to honor their deaths like we do with the nobles, it will seem like we don’t care about them. If they believe that, then it’s only a matter of time until we have an uprising on our hands.”
Almost everyone is swayed by my heartfelt speech. I can tell by the gleam of compassion in most of their eyes. There are still a few naysayers, but that’s to be expected. Change won’t happen with a single speech.
Reston snorts. “Do you really believe a little bit of food will be enough to quell an uprising? That’s a little naïve, Your Highness.”
I shake my head. “I don’t believe anything of the sort. But limiting the number of deaths this winter due to starvation will at least demonstrate that we’re not ignoring their plight. More steps will be necessary, but I think this will be a good first one.”
This time, it is Reeves that speaks out. “Speaking of other steps, Your Highness, do they perhaps include a certain serf girl?”
Percival seems astonished by the suggestion. “Have you planned that far ahead, Your Highness?” He seems genuinely impressed by my foresight. So do the other advisors, come to think of it. There is a general murmur of praise for my intellect as they consider the reasons behind gifting Ava the Amulet of Tarragon. They’re completely wrong, but it suits my purposes to have them believe it. It’s far more likely that Ava will be accepted if it’s believed it will prevent a future uprising.
Wilcox interrupts the praise to fix me with a steady look. “Regardless of your reasoning, Your Highness, I believe you should stay in your room until we find the hidden Fae in our midst. Until this kingdom has an heir, we can’t risk your safety. You should stay away from your amulet-bearer for the time being.”
Everyone seems to agree with Wilcox. Even I have to admit that he makes a good point. Besides, now that I’ve ensured that no one will try to sabotage Ava during the last round of the competition, she should be able to handle the rest on her own. The remaining girls will be an obstacle, but I’m certain she can overcome them.
I clear my throat one final time. “Very well. Now that we’ve got everything sorted, I officially call this meeting to a close. Get started with those interrogations as soon as possible. As you all know, there’s nothing I hate more than being stuck in my room.”
Chapter nine
Ava
I’m so busted, it’s not even funny. Yesterday, I spent the day pacing the length of my room over and over again, trying to find a solution to my current predicament. I couldn’t come up with anything. There’s no choice. Today, I’m going to have to purposely send myself home.
Through some general murmurings over breakfast, I learned from the remaining girls about the audience members being interrogated with a truth stone. Since many of said audience members are their family, there’s no doubt the rumors are true. I don’t know how long it’s going to take them to get through all the audience members, but I do know that we’re next on the list once they do. After all, they’re obviously interrogating everyone by order of arrival. I have to get out of here before that happens. I’m the culprit, after all.
I know now that I never should have let myself sleep with Kaiser. His reaction when he saw the overgrowth said it all. I knew from the moment I started glowing due to arousal that my Fae powers were linked to my sexual desire. Yet, I still went ahead and slept with him anyway. I only have myself to blame.
