Jahlee kicks my foot under the table, her brown eyes comically wide as she silently conveys a message to me. She makes sure to also mouth the wordsyou should say somethingin a way that is obvious to anyone looking in our direction. I fist my hands as I exhale roughly, turning back to face the shifters on either side of the table, varying levels of amusement dancing in their eyes.
“I’ll introduce everyone, then.” I shoot a glare at my sister when she snorts. The chair directly to my right is empty, but following that is Lady Miranda. Next to her is the newest Master of Coin, Sir Garreth. He had come at Lady Miranda’s recommendation and is a noble male who has no history of ever working or siding with Tua or his rebels. And he passed Jahlee’s thorough interrogation, though what that actually entails, I have no clue. At the end of this row is Kane, his role essentially the same as it was before, the voice between Crown and shifters. He will stick to speaking with those of a higher economic class, while Jahlee and Haloa will be the true eyes and ears of the working class of our kingdom. Across from him sits the new Master of Ships, a gruff female who refuses to go by anything other than Noe. Her time spent in the sun on the docks and on ships has aged her beyond her years, but her face is familiar—one I recognize from childhood—and her ability to shut Kane up with a single withering look makes her an invaluable asset. I introduce the last two members of my trusted advisors, Alonand Malik, both positions that oversee my guards and armies. While our kingdom has not seen adversity with any other since The War Of Five Kingdoms, my father made sure that there was a sizable army kept at the ready. It was one of the few things he didn’t bother keeping secret.
I lean back in my chair when I’m finished, brushing my fingers along my jaw as Lady Miranda dives into her proposal to tweak some of the laws.
My thoughts can’t help but to wander to my father, the late king a subject Iloatheacknowledging but one that seems to constantly be present now. To know that he did something to my mother that not only affected her but me and Jahlee as well, leaves an ache in my chest that pulses right next to the empty spot left by Bahira.
“Those of a certain class are not going to like that change.”
I look to Kane, my lips drawing down in a frown. “What change?”
The eyes of the entire table fall on me, making an itch take root beneath my skin.
“Daydreaming again, King Kai?” Kane taunts, his fucking grin making my magic thrum in my blood. “I bet I can figure out who is occupying your thoughts—”
“Hey, Kane, remember when your dad betrayed our king and his kingdom? Remember when he was more than willing to sacrifice you to whatever end and a certain female had to rescue your pathetic ass from the dungeons after she had just fought off two of his minions?” Jahlee cuts in smoothly. Kane growls as golden rings form around his irises, his fingers straining against the tabletop.
“Enough,” I snap, making half the occupants at the table jump. My chest rises with a deep breath before I gesture to my right. “Lady Miranda, please continue.” The Master of Laws doesn’t skip a beat and repeats her idea for bringing more jobsand aid to those who have been affected by the blight and who don’t come from wealth. Kane’s comment about the nobles not liking the proposed plan comes from Miranda’s idea to tax the richest at a higher percentage than they are now.
“We need allies more than ever, and alienating the ones who have the largest influence is not going to win you any favors,” Kane says.
“If numbers are what you seek, it is important to remember that the vast majority of the people who make up this kingdom are those who have to scrape by doing whatever manual labor they can while trying to get help for their children from their neighbors who are in the exact same position. The blight does not just affect the rich.”
“Of course it doesn’t, but while the numbers may favor your idea, the truth is the economic stability of this kingdom rests solely on the nobles who own its business. Who spend their wealth at the shops and currently give their money to the Crown willingly.”
I lean forward, forcing my annoyance at this conversation to not bleed through in my voice. “Are you saying they will resist and ignore if they are told to pay more?”
My cousin shrugs, drawing a disgruntled noise from Noe. “Maybe. There has been a lot of change, and while I agree that we needed to show we would treat traitors of all status equally, youdidthrow an exorbitant amount of our kingdom’s wealthiest into the dirty cells below us. Their family members will not soon forget that.”
Lady Miranda exhales loudly as her back meets her chair roughly, Jahlee mirroring the movement to my left.
“What do the kingdom’s reserves look like at the moment?” I ask, ignoring the way my cheeks want to heat at the embarrassment that floods me. I hadn’t cared to know before, hadn’tneededto with Tua at the helm. Now I feel as if I’m anoutsider to my own throne, daring to play catch up in a game where I fucking gave myself the disadvantage.
“There is enough to sustain the kingdom for a few years on just that alone, but…” Sir Garreth swallows, drawing a hand over his shaved head. “We would have to adjust our spending if there were to be a protest of some kind from those who, as Sir Kane pointed out, provide the majority of our funds.”
I nod, my muscles tense as I think over my response. “We keep things as they are right now—allocating funds for those who ask for them—while encouraging the idea to the nobles that taxing them at a higher rate is beneficial.”
“And how do you propose we do that?”
My eyes narrow at my cousin’s question, my patience already strung too thin to pretend to be diplomatic. “Use your talents in your role to make it happen.”
He clenches his jaw but speaks no further protests. The conversation moves on to other topics, including a new collection of rebels that were found and brought into the dungeons.
“They set fire to a few shops on the main street in Molsi. Some of the residents were able to apprehend three of the five males spotted at the time of the attack, but the prisoners have beenreluctantto give any information up,” Sir Alon, a male whose width rivals my own but who stands a full foot shorter, informs me.
“I will make a stop to their cells this evening and see if I can persuade them to speak.” I ignore the way Jahlee’s gaze burns into the side of my head, moving the rest of the meeting along. It ends unceremoniously, everyone filtering out with instructions on what moves to make next, except for Jahlee and Lady Miranda. I give the latter my attention first.
“I don’t mean to overstep, and if I am, please tell me, but I wonder if you might have considered getting an assistant of sortsto help you,” she says, interlacing her fingers in front of her. Her posture is regal in a way that speaks to her schooling and training, a female who is perhaps just as tired of standing on the sidelines as I have been.
“Do you think I could benefit from one?” I ask genuinely, crossing my arms over my chest.
She nods, leveling her brown eyes at me. “I have no doubt that as we continue to rebuild after the stain your uncle left on this kingdom, there will be more and more things that divide your attention. Having someone at your side who can help you filter through the information and tasks expected of you might ease the burden.”
“How would this be different from what Tua did?”
“She wouldn’t take the responsibilities on herself, only organize and list them out for you in whatever method you tell her to.”
My brow arches as I tilt my head to the side. “She?”
