"Theoretically," Rafe added.
Nods all around. "Yes," Wainwright admitted. "Many of the royals have been opposed to the release of any power or control..."
He trailed off, and I found that interesting, like maybe something else had changed. "Is there any chance for these accords to go ahead?" I pushed.
The king and the leader of the resistance exchanged a look, and at Felipe's nod, Mr. Wainwright leaned forward toward me. "Actually, there is a chance. As I said, Uriel damaged the relationships we were building by attacking under our name, but there has been a silver lining emerging from that rubble."
If this old dude didn't get to the point soon, I was going to start throwing punches. My hands must have twitched, drawing Rafe's attention, and the knowing smile on his face told me he was calling me Violence in his head.
"A lot of the senior royals died in that attack," Mr. Wainwright continued. "Many that were heavily set in their ways. In their place the younger generation is stepping up, and it appears that they are much more open to the vote we are trying to establish."
Felipe nodded, looking pleased. "Especially the Australasias. Those old bastards would never have agreed to anything that removed any power from them, but Alex seems to be much more open to the discussion. With King Munroe of New America on board as well, we have the three strongest monarchies on our side, and that's the first time in a few decades."
I cleared my throat, face scrunching up as I tried to comprehend what they were saying. "Alex?" I repeated. "Alex is being open and reasonable?"
The Australasian prince I knew, was a mini-sociopath like his father. I guess I could give him some credit for showing a little less inclination toward domination, but not a lot.
"So you're going to try and push this ahead now?" Rafe asked, leaning back in his chair. Fucker had the perfect leg spread going on, all relaxed and confident. I wondered if he ever had a moment where he was unsure about himself.
"Now is the best opportunity," Felipe confirmed. "We just wanted to double-check Violet's information and make sure she didn't hear of any other plans from Uriel."
I shook my head. "Just more of the same attacks like he undertook at the Academy. More bombings, more deaths of royals, and—once he'd completely demolished the foundation you all built the monarchies on and once the heirs were dead—he would step up as the supreme leader." True dictator style. Uriel's only problem with the way the monarchies ran the world was that he wasn't in charge. It had nothing to do with making a better life for regular people, no matter how much he pretended it was.
There was another knock on the door, and Felipe glanced down at his palm reader. But before he could say anything, the door opened and Jacinta stepped through. She didn't have to wait for an invitation; that woman was queen here.
"Sorry I'm late," she said breezily. "I had a few pressing issues with the twins." Leaning down she pressed a kiss to her husband's lips, lingering there for a moment. I hadn't seen them being affectionate like that the last time I'd been here, but maybe almost losing him had changed something between them.
Or maybe they had always been like this, and I just hadn't seen it before.
"Where were we?" she asked, taking a seat next to me and glaring at her son for a beat before facing Felipe.
"Our next step is to stop this war between the Society and the monarchies," Felipe said matter-of-factly.
Jacinta chuckled. "On to the easy part, then, I see."
Felipe's look was filled with mirth and a little heat as he smiled at his wife, and I again had the urge to punch Rafe in the throat. Bastard shouldn't be so damaged... Look at his fucking parents! They were like Prince Charming and Cinderella. The badass versions.
"We were going to ask Violet if she had any ideas," Mr. Wainwright interjected, folding his hands primly in front of him, "based on anything she learned from her time with Uriel."
All eyes looked to me, and Jacinta gave my hand a little squeeze in support. She thought I could do this, and I decided that speaking honestly was the only way I'd get through this.
"Something has to change. This is a fact, as I see it. I spent nine days enduring their brainwashing to see the evil in the monarchies, and while the many atrocities committed under royal rule were eye-opening, it didn't make me want to abandon it completely. It made me want to see a better system rise from the rubble."
"What sort of system?" Felipe asked, tilting his head to the side in consideration.
I cleared my throat. "Look, this is way above my pay grade. I don't have any experience with ruling anything and I know there are complexities that go far beyond my understanding, but surely there is a way to have a monarchy with some input from the people. A voting of sorts on at least rights and regulations that allow the average person more freedom and opportunities for the future."
There was a heavy silence, and I wondered if I'd fucked up in trying to allow the people a say as well. Surely that was what both sides wanted? A compromise?
Otherwise we'd be at war forever, neither side giving an inch, surrounded by so much death that there could be no winners.
Chapter 14
Just as the silence got uncomfortable enough that I was searching for an escape, Felipe nodded. "I think we can make it work."
Mr. Wainwright jerked his head around, blinking his eyes. "You've never considered any of the Society proposals before."
The king shrugged. "I'm a changed man. My life was almost stolen from me in senseless violence. It gave me a lot of time to think about my choices, choices for my kingdom, the future for my family... and my people. They are important to me, and maybe I've been lax in bolstering them toward the sort of future they deserve."
