“There are two elders I can think of off the top of my head. One of them is not in court at the moment. His mother’s family is from the north. He is currently brokering a trade deal with them. He should return in a fortnight.”
“And the other one?”
“Samara, sire. She is power hungry. I believe she would actually like to see herself as ruler. Her family, while of upper-class origins, was disgraced many years ago. I think she is trying to restore that name by cozying up to whichever ruler is on the throne.”
“Yeah, she’s not my type.”
“Female, sire?”
“Power hungry.”
The female part worked, too. She was pretty to look at the way theMona Lisawas pretty to look at. Sexually, she did nothing for Ivo. As of late, only one man did that, and he was so far out of the realm of possibilities, he might as well have been on the moon.
“Does this bakery of Fredrick’s have any sweets?”
Stas grinned widely. “Oh yes, sire.”
“Good.” Ivo needed something to take his mind off his raging libido. A pint of ice cream would do, too, but he didn’t know if they even had ice cream in Prague. “Lead the way, my friend.”
* * * *
Ivo had a happy, sated smile on his face as he let himself into his rooms. He said good night to Miro, gave a quick nod to the guard outside the door, and then stepped inside before shutting it behind him.
It had actually turned into quite the enjoyable afternoon. He was pretty sure he had learned more from Stas and the people he met while going to and from the bakery than he ever could have from the elders. Most everyone had been happy to meet him after they got over their shock that the royal heir was walking down the street like a commoner.
He was starting to see that the Vítkovský Clan’s home was actually a wonderful place, with just a few bad apples. Ivo still wasn’t sure about the whole king thing, but he did know some things needed to be changed. Although, strangely enough, just a few. He could see now that the clan as a whole ran pretty well.
The raspberry pastries had been good, too.
Ivo got three steps inside the room before he realized something was off. He did a quick scan of the room, his gaze landing on the man sitting in a chair by the roaring fire. He stared at Ivo with a bloom of rage burning in his eyes. Ivo almost groaned as the happy little bubble he had been in burst.
“Vitki, is there something I can do for you?”
