“My favorite queen,” he said in response, cold, detached, careful. “Dinner is not for another hour.”
Undeterred, she held out her hand for him to take and offered a short bob of her head. “I would like a word with you.”
Tyrn spared me a glance. “Of course.” To me, he said, “You’ll be all right? You know how to present yourself tonight?”
I wrestled a smile into place. “This is for me, isn’t it? Or rather for my future husband? I should be able to manage.”
His eyes narrowed at my sarcastic tone, and I could tell he wasn’t sure if I was baiting him or being sincere. Truthfully, I couldn’t tell either.
I hated the idea of shopping for a husband for the next two weeks. I hated even more that while it had not been officially announced that that was what I was doing, I was confident the rest of the realm had been able to rightfully assume that was what was happening.
The only saving grace was getting to spend time with Taelon. And getting to know the royals whom I would soon work with.
And Katrinka.
She was set to return to the castle today. To move back in permanently with us.
Nerves, so strong and shaky, immediately threatened to knock me out entirely. I hadn’t let myself dwell on Katrinka’s return. I couldn’t sort through my feelings to even know how to process being united again with my sister, whom I had thought was dead for so many years.
Would she hate me for abandoning her? Would she blame me for what happened? Would she be as bloodthirsty for revenge as I was?
There were no answers to my questions. Only time would tell.
And in the meantime, I only grew more nervous. More anxious. More neurotic over our eventual reunion.
The wait to be with her again had been excruciating. I had expected her immediate return to Elysia directly after Conandra had ended. But there had been delay after delay. Barstus had not been ready to release her. She had not been ready to leave. The weather over the winter had been especially bad in the Ice Mountains. Then a late spring snow in the pass between our two kingdoms further pushed her arrival. Followed by spring rains, which apparently made the journey difficult. And then there was that long month where we heard nothing.
Now in summer, without the excuse of inclement weather and a royal edict, she would finally arrive. My heart squeezed with the possibility of having family near me again. At the same time, my stomach plummeted to my toes.
“This is for you,” Tyrn agreed in that flat tone he always used. “So let’s hope you can manage. It is quite imperative for you to find a husband for the realm to take you seriously as future ruler.”
His words grated on my already frayed nerves. “Why? You are not married.” I swiveled my head but did not quite meet Ravanna’s cold glare. “Queen Ravanna is not married. No one questions your authority simply because you have no spouse to share the responsibility with.”
“But we are not children,” Tyrn snapped in response. “You do not understand what’s at stake—"
Ravanna held up a hand, silencing Tyrn’s irritation. “You are right, Tessana. Neither of us is married. And neither of us has suffered for it. But neither of us are the true Seat of Power, are we? Tyrn was only an interim king. And your return has secured that the Seat of Power will never be mine. So we are not the same as you.” I felt the threat in her words but could not pinpoint exactly what she meant by it. “However, your destiny is ultimately queen of this realm, and not even your uncle or I could tell you how to fully navigate that path. Use this... celebration to explore your options. But know your mind above all else. Never make a decision based on what someone else wants for you. Only on what you know is best for you. For the kingdom. For the realm.” She assessed me with a sharp once-over. “Think of the next few days simply as an introduction to society. The husband part can come later.”
Tyrn shot her an unreadable look. Either he was pleased she had put my nerves to rest. Or he was irritated she had belittled his extravagant means of finding a suitable man to watch over me.
Unwieldy and wild woman that I was.
The Crown of One Hundred Kings couldn’t be handed over to a woman so easily. No, men must always ensure their legacy. Either out front and in the open or behind the puppet strings pulling and guiding and directing the way things should go.
Not that I was opposed to a husband eventually. But I was only seventeen. Hardly of marriageable age.
“Be off with you. An escort will walk you to dinner in less than an hour. You’ll need to be there before everyone else so you can greet our guests as they come in,” Tyrn ordered.
I nodded my obedience and turned to leave. My guards waited for me just outside the great hall and, as I approached, began to move toward my bedroom.
“We need to talk about last night,” Ravanna hissed in a voice I just barely make out. “Your guards say a vase was shattered in a hallway, and one of them swore he heard something in the royal suites.”
“That’s impossible,” Tyrn growled.
I slowed my pace without being obvious so I could eavesdrop longer.
“It’s getting worse, Tyrn. Something must be done before—”
“Your Highness?” Curtis, the leader of my detail had turned around farther down the hall, his anxious gaze scanning the corridor efficiently.
