“We’renotmakingthatkind of alliance, and I thought you didn’t want the throne. I thought you wanted to be a social media influencer or whatever it is you do.”
She paused then said, “I thought you didn’t want the throne, either.”
“I don’t,” he said.
“But you don’t want certain other people getting it.”
“No.”
“And that’s why we need to make an alliance.”
“This explains nothing about last night.”
Marie-Therese leaned toward him and whispered, “Other people have been talking to the electors, not just you.”
Maxence did not roll his eyes. It took a lot of effort, but he did not. He felt one eyebrow creep down toward his eyelid, however. “I’ve counted the votes. My faction will win.”
“I don’t think you’re counting correctly.”
“They’ve assured me.”
“Some of them are assuring a lot of other people of their votes, too.”
“I’m confident in my assessment.”
“Max,I’m telling you that you shouldn’t be.”
“All of them have said they will vote with me.”
“No. A lot of them have said they’ll voteforyou, notwithyou.”
“They all know I’m going to take Holy Orders and be a priest.”
Marie-Therese tilted her head to the side and squinted at him, a sardonic smile on her scarlet lips. “Butdo they?”
“Yes,allof them. I have assured every single one of them of it.”
“That’s not what people are saying. They thinkyou’retalking to them becauseyou’restanding for election, but you’re being coy about it.”
“But I’m not.”
“And that’s going to be a catastrophic shock to them, and they’re going to want to go down the line of succession in an orderly fashion after you, which means Alexandre, and then Christine,and then my father.”
“But we don’t have to go in order,” Maxence said. “You gave me that idea.”
“My father’s been picking off the weak members of your coalition. At this point, I don’t think you have a majority. I think you’re short by five votes, and that’s because my father thinks he’supby the same.”
Heat prickled Max’s face. “Surely, not.”
“He’s been more methodical than you, and he’s had more time because you’ve been worrying about the tourism office’s advertising budget and the cost of olive oil from Italy.”
“Meetings like those are important parts of running the country.”
“Which is a job you don’t have yet.”
“But someone had to do it.”
“But now you have a problem. Some of your voters have been lured away.”
