People began shouting and arguing again. I didn’t like this. Not at all. I looked behind me; the guards were on alert, their weapons within reach, scanning the room for threats. I was worried for my safety, sure, but even worse than that, I felt betrayed. I’d been led to believe I had to be there, that I was wanted there. Maybe not by everyone—Amador and Lucas came to mind—but I certainly had not expected to be roundly rejected by all four kingdoms.
Almost like they heard my thoughts about my hostile classmates, another man in a malong scarf stood up. “The Court of Sigbin concurs with the Court of Tikbalang.” There was some clapping.
Elias sat down, defeated.
“This is not good,” I said to him.
“No, no, it is not,” he said.
“Did you know about this?” I asked him.
“There is always strife when the throne is vacated. So, to answer your question, yes, I knew there was some discontent. Someonewill always try their luck and make a claim. But did I expect this level of—” He gestured at the chaos. “No.”
The Tikbalang representative spoke up again. “We assert that the princess of Sirena is, in actuality, not the one true heir.” A hush fell over the room. I noticed that, though they’d all been talking about me, none of them would actually look at me. When I came in, they all stared, and now they acted like I wasn’t even there. He continued, “The princess of Sirena is ineligible to rule, due to her well-documented and easily verified status as hapcanto.” Lots of murmurs of agreement now. “She cannot rule above us as she is half-human.”
Elias stood again. “If I may,” he said. The noise continued.
“The Court of Sirena is recognized,” the MC shouted over the din. She banged the gavel. The voices finally stopped.
Elias cleared his throat. “King Vivencio Basilio Rodriguez was the widely accepted one true king of Biringan as established by the succession laid out in the ancient treaty of the kingdoms.”
He paused. No one dissented. He went on: “The princess is his legitimate and true daughter. Therefore, she is the one true heir. There is no clause in the treaty stating both parents must be encantos.” Now there was some dissent. The voices rose again. Elias raised his hand to quiet them. Shockingly, they listened this time.
“It is established by tradition,” someone shouted. The Court of Sigbin representative stood up to challenge Elias.
“Tradition does not supersede the treaty,” Elias told him.
“According to whom?” the Sigbin rep responded. The two men stared each other down.
Elias straightened his shoulders. “What I hear you saying is that you wish to go to war.”
The councilor from Sigbin smirked. “We at Sigbin have been accused of this twice now. And yet it seems that the Court of Sirena is eager to fan the flames of discontent and ignite conflict rather than do the right thing and stand aside.”
“You speak nonsense,” Elias said. His face was red, almost purple, with fury. I was shocked to see him that way—he’d been so even-tempered all the time, even when I was being a pain. “If you are being honest, then you are not qualified to hold that seat, because everyone is aware of the terms of the treaty. The princess returned home when summoned, as she was obliged to do, because even in the human world she could understand the importance of her role. She did not ignore her responsibility to her ancestral seat. She is here to fulfill her duty. And now you stand there and deny it.”
“If King Vivencio had been so concerned about his descendants, he would not have married a human.”
“Once more, there is no clause prohibiting a legitimate-born child of the king from inheriting, no matter their status...”
The councilor from Sigbin pointedly ignored Elias. “So it seems to me, King Vivencio already broke the treaty with his marriage to a human female and by siring a half-breed and leaving no rightful successor. Thus, we arealreadypoised for war.” He looked around for supporters. “Are we not?”
Some agreed; most stayed silent. Even if they didn’t exactly love me, they didn’t want to go to war. Only those who are convinced they’d benefit ever do.
A gray-haired woman in lime green stood.
“The Court of Lambana gets the floor,” the MC shouted, gavel banging again.
“My fellow encantos,” she said. Elias and the Sigbin councilorboth sat down. This woman must have had a lot of clout—everyone stopped talking and gave her their full attention. “The facts are these: It is true that Biringan tradition suggests no one aside from a full-blood encanto shall sit on the throne.” I deflated at that. I thoughtsomeonewould be on my side.
The old woman went on: “It is also true, however, that the treaty, which was signed by the rulers of all houses, says absolutely nothing about this tradition. And tradition isnotlaw. Don Elias of the Court of Sirena is correct; King Vivencio’s daughter is the one true heir as established in the treaty, and if we wish to avoid war, famine, and widespread suffering—which it seems we all do, barring, perhaps, the Court of Sigbin.” She glared at the clearly irritated councilor. “We must follow the treaty. The princess will demonstrate her viability at the coronation ceremony and be crowned queen.” She sat down, and the MC slammed the gavel once more.
That shut everyone up. There was no more disagreement, even from the discontented Court of Sigbin. I was the one true heir, and I would take the throne. The meeting was adjourned.
I tried to remain poised and calm amidst the animated chatter all around me and feel better after the Court of Lambana’s support, except her confidence actually made me feel a lot worse.
I had to find a way to fake my magic somehow. Otherwise...
12
