“I’m surprised you had time to make it to our meeting,” Lucas went on. “I’m pleased your self-appointed duties to the women of Parlaisa still come second to your duties to the Crown.”
I could feel his judgment, but it wouldn’t be the first time...or the last.
I started to say something smart when I heard one of the guards announce behind us, “Prime Minister Lawrence.”
We turned together as the prime minister was escorted in by the royal guard, her aide at her side.
“Good morning, Your Majesty,” she said as she neared and stopped before us, offering her own salute before rattling off a few more pleasantries with my brother. “Thank you for your willingness to meet with me on such short notice.”
“Our pleasure,” Lucas replied. “To what do we owe this honor?”
I resisted rolling my eyes. Politics and formalities weren’t my forte. And if being a royal had taught me anything, it was what bullshit it all was.
They played their familiar dance, discussing a few subjects I could tell were not the reason for Lawrence’s visit, before she said, “As you both are aware, the parliament will be revisiting the subject of equal marriage this summer.”
I knew her well enough to know this was where her real concern lay, which made sense considering our family’s history regarding this particular hot-button issue. I didn’t even have to look to Frederick to feel his tension, as he too surely knew how heated a discussion like that could become, given where Lawrence stood on the subject.
“We discussed your intention with respect to the Crown’s unofficial and soon-to-become official position on this,” she said.
“It is the only position to have on the matter,” I chimed in, which was met with an annoyed look from Lawrence, though I doubted she cared much about my opinion. If anything, I was brought in simply because I was bound to be the one to act as public troublemaker as far as the topic was concerned.
She nodded subtly before smiling once more and saying, “Yes, well, unofficially, I understand your position given your mother, Queen Tara’s, rest her soul, stance on this. As you both know, I have no personal issue with the matter, but simply feel that it’s best for the people to decide.”
“The Crown is not interested in going against the people,” Lucas declared, a sort of authority about his words that made it clear why he was truly best fit to inherit the throne, his birthright.
“Yes, you have always been clear about that, which is why I feel compelled to share this news that has reached me. TheNew Presshas forewarned me about the results on the latest polls regarding equal marriage.” She turned to her aide. “What are the stats?”
“Sixty-seven percent against,” he replied.
“That’s a majority against the position you have expressed interest on publicly proclaiming in support of the Equal Marriage bill up for vote in parliament this coming December, as per our previous discussions on the matter. That said, given the rarity of the Crown making the decision to enter into public matters of this sort, it was my duty to share this information with you personally before it was made public, to perhaps head off any potential conflicts of interest.”
“So we don’t tell you guys you can go shove your vote up your ass?” I asked.
“Prince Owen, I advise you to be cautious with your words,” Lucas said, the intensity of his tone assuring me of the very real threat they offered.
I bit my tongue as Lucas pondered the new information Lawrence had shared. “Sixty-seven percent against? This can’t be right. We’ve been making such huge strides. We’re one of the most progressive European nations when it comes to equal rights. Maybe the wording of the poll was confusing.”
He was right.
We were fairly progressive, particularly because of Mother’s work throughout her life.
However, remnants of our European ancestors’ oppression still had their stronghold on some of our citizens, despite policies to the contrary. Still, we had come a long way from decades earlier when LGBTQ+ citizens had been labeleddegeneratesandpervertsor worse, as had been the case in so many nations at the time.
“It was performed by the most reputable poll in your nation,” Lawrence continued. “That said, I did want to inquire about this before it hit the newsstands and you were pressed upon for an official reply.”
“Yes, thank you for the notice,” Lucas said, and by the expression on his face, I could tell it troubled him, likely as much as it troubled me.
“I think the Crown should stand by what is right,” I interjected, which made Lucas’s gaze waver and earned me another annoyed look from the prime minister.
“I certainly didn’t expect an immediate reply,” Lawrence added, “but to ask that we think on this and debate among ourselves without involving the citizens of Parlaisa straight away.”
“What do you advise, Prime Minister?”
“If I might speak candidly, Your Majesty.”
“You may.”
“Queen Tara found herself quite at odds with the country upon her advocacy when this first arose, and it took years to recover from the damage done to the Crown, as well as the threats to the safety of her family, as I’m sure you’re aware. I would urge the royal family to maintain her position of being apolitical, especially on an issue where the monarchy would not be representing the majority position of their subjects.”
