“Nadia–“
“Do you want Papa back or not?” she interrupted.
I curled my fingers into fists. “You know I do.”
“Then we must do what we must do, right?” Nadia retorted.
I heaved a sigh. “I just wish you would allow me to handle this my way. He will agree.”
“You don’t know that. And fine, but if he does not, I will ensure that he does what we want.”
“Give him a chance,” I begged as the door opened behind me again.
Stefan stepped into the chamber, hovering just inside as he arched an eyebrow. “Well,malenka, I did not expect to see you here this morning.”
I twisted back to face my father, my fingers pressing against the clear panel.
“She is eager to bring Dr. Carter on board.”
“We have not yet finished–“ Stefan began.
“I know,” I interrupted. “I already know. I do not need to hear it again.”
Stefan and Nadia shared a glance as he joined her on the opposite side of the silver tube. Their connection irritated me since my own was being dismissed.
“Have you told her about the latest development with Nikolai?” Stefan asked.
The words made me pull my eyes from my father’s frozen features to Nadia’s face. “What?”
Nadia shifted her weight, heaving a sigh. “A councillors loyal to us has revealed his ploy.”
“Which is?”
“Something we can handle,” she assured me.
“Damn it, Nadia, I demand to know what he is planning. How does he mean to steal the crown from me?”
Neither of them spoke, and my lips tugged into a deep frown. “I can find out on my own, you know?”
“There is really no need,” Nadia said. “We can handle it.”
“Nadia–“
“Fine,” she answered, raising her hands in defeat. “Mother has supplied Nikolai with an ancient decree that suggests a female regent must be married before ascending the throne.”
“But that’s absurd! Those laws haven’t been relevant in over a century,” I protested, my hands trembling as I clutched the edge of the cryo tube.
“Absurd or not, the decree is legitimate,” Stefan interjected. “If Nikolai can rally enough support from the councillorss, they can invoke the law. You’ll have two choices: marry immediately or relinquish your claim to the throne.”
“And if I don’t marry?” My voice cracked as panic began to take hold.
“The councillorss would declare the throne vacant,” Nadia said, her tone grim. “Which means Nikolai would be next in line.”
The words struck me like a ton of bricks. The laws about female ascension had long allowed for a princess to become a queen, but marriages in older times had occurred at a much younger age than they did now.
My great-great-grandmother had wed at the tender age of sixteen, making her eligible to rise to the throne at only twenty-four.
My breath hitched as Nadia’s words sank in. The decree—previously hidden from my knowledge—wasn’t just an inconvenience—it was a slap in the face, a reminder of the antiquated rules that still governed my life. My chest tightened, anger bubbling beneath the surface.
