“I was thinking right now.”
Elias looked startled, and hesitated before he replied. “That’s your prerogative. However, I must caution you, they may not be agreeable.”
“They don’t have a choice.” I was getting tired of being told how I had to behave and how I had to bend to “the way things are done” when no one else seemed to do the same.
“They’ve become accustomed to doing things their own way, without interference. Let alone from someone so young, even if you are to be our queen.”And a hapcanto, no less,I thought, but didn’t say.
“I understand.” I already suspected as much anyway. I pulledmyself as tall and straight as possible and tilted my chin up. “But they’ll have to become unaccustomed to the old ways of doing things.”
***
The meeting tookplace in the Aquamarine Room. It was a beautiful space, with iridescent blue gemstone walls and a massive rectangular white stone table right in the middle; a vaulted, beamed ceiling with skylights let in sunshine so it bounced off all the surfaces, making everything shimmer and sparkle, as if we were under the ocean.
I had been told my father always met with his council in the Oak Room, which looked exactly how it sounds: masculine, dark, with lots of wood and leather and the lingering notes of fire and cigars. It was a place where the councilors were definitely comfortable. Which was why I decided to call them to order elsewhere. I didn’t want them to be comfortable. I didn’t intend to try to fill my father’s shoes and come up short either.
I stood in a small room off the side of the main one. I was shaking on the inside but determined to project nothing but calm leadership. I took stock of my reflection in a glass window. Nothing gave away how I actually felt. I might not have felt like a queen yet, but I was starting to realize I didn’t need to; I only needed everyone else to believe I was ready to rule.Fake it till you make it,my mom would tell me when I worried that I wasn’t good enough. I had to believe in myself, and then everyone else would, too.
Once Elias let me know the ten councilors—nine men and only one woman—had arrived and were seated at the table, I let ten minutes pass before I finally made my entrance.
When the doors opened and I strolled in, a hush fell over the room. Even if the spell didn’t last a long time, for a few seconds, it still had the effect I wanted. I could tell the councilors were thrown off by the abrupt invitation, the new room, and my appearance.
“Her Royal Highness, the crown princess of Biringan,” Elias announced as I strode in to take my place at the head seat. I’d even had a special chair brought in for me. It was bright white and had a tall, arched back.
The councilors stood and waited until I reached my place, greeted them, and sat down before they followed suit. So far, so good.
All their faces were focused on me. “I...” I cleared my throat. “I asked you here today because I want to discuss the unfortunate incident—”
“Are you referring to the murder?” one of them interjected. He was the oldest one there, or looked it anyway. I could barely see his actual face, though; it was covered by a long, bright silver beard, flecked with gray. Unlike the others, he wasn’t wearing a barong Tagalog but a Western-style double-breasted suit.
“Yes, I am,” I answered. I decided to let the interruption go.
Just as I opened my mouth to continue, he said, “The murderer is in custody. There is nothing else to say.”
I gritted my teeth and forced a smile. “Well, I think that there is.”
“Are you accusing us of imprisoning an innocent person?” the only woman there besides me chimed in, her tone defensive and borderline hostile. She definitely wasn’t going to be an ally, then.
“No, I’m not,” I said, trying to keep my patience. “However, Ido have concerns about the rush to judgment and prosecution.” The councilors all began exchanging knowing looks.
“With all due respect, Princess, we’ve been doing this a long time. Some of us, longer than you’ve been alive,” one of the men said.
I didn’t appreciate the condescending tone. I was thinking of a way to address it, but before I could, yet another councilor joined in the dissent. “The healer had access to the poison that killed the girl. There’s nothing more to say on the matter,” said the man.
“And she was captured at the scene!” the woman added, emphasizing her exasperation by throwing her hands in the air.
Lots of agreeable murmurs spread around the table. The old man—the head councilor—seemed to think he was the leader in the room, not me. He stood and said, “Once more,Princess”—he stressed my title to make it clear I was not a queen—“as Lord Beron said, if there are no further concerns at this time, we must get back to more pressing demands. I’m sure the issue of the healer is quite exciting, but there are many other things needed to keep the kingdom running.”
“Sit. Down.” The words popped out of my mouth unexpectedly, but I didn’t regret them. In fact, I was proud of myself for taking back control of the room. To his credit, the old man didn’t argue. He returned to his seat immediately, chastised. And everyone else got quiet, too. They all stared at me again, still with contempt—but also with thinly veiled fear.
But now my mind was spinning. After seeing how unfriendly they all were toward me, I was hesitant to share much of anything with them. Or to make them hate me more.Fear is not the same as respect,I reminded myself.
A wild thought crossed my mind then. What if the old manhimself was behind the killing? Maybe that had something to do with his animosity toward me. Elias told me none of the councilors were near the palace when the mambabarang struck, though, so it couldn’t be him. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t working with the witch or the insurgents. They seemed determined to have an heir who would listen to them and do what they said. Someoneunlikeme. It was almost like they actuallywanteda war—because then they could install whoever they wanted at the throne.
“I hear you,” I continued. “And yet the healer proclaims her innocence. Is it possible she tells the truth?”
“She’ll say anything to save her skin,” a council member sneered.
I tapped my fingers against the table. “If you’re going to imprison someone, I want to know what proof you have. And more than that, I want to know that, in your quest to punish someone for this crime, you haven’t allowed the actual murderer to walk free with the opportunity to kill again.” That did the trick. They looked ashamed of themselves. “Because if you’re putting my household in danger, then you will be held accountable, to the fullest extent of the law, should anything happen.”
