Another worrying thing to think about later.
“You’re still terrified of others knowing you’re a Chimera,” my father said.
I stared at him for a beat. “Because I’ll be hunted to the ends of the earth by the Lords and others who hate my kind.”
“Yes,” my father said slowly, “but you are no longer merely a Floromancer, and your powers, though unique, are not illegal in our world.”
Mom jerked her attention to him. “Don’t you dare,” she seethed.
My father’s shit-eating grin made me nervous. “If you were to accept the crown officially, you would have the entire might of my kingdom behind you.”
My eyes narrowed. “Didn’t your kingdom already accept me when you claimed my property as fae owned and marked Caelan for death?”
“All by the book,” he said. “You’re still my daughter and entitled to my protection regardless of whether you wear the crown.”
“Buuuutttt…” I drawled. I knew there was a ‘but.’ There was always a ‘but’ with this freaking guy.
Dad chuckled. “But, if you were to take the crown, and if your Chimera heritage was revealed to people, we could put the might of my kingdom behind you. Such would act as a major deterrent to those who might seek to harm you.”
I chewed on my lip as I studied him. “How long have you been saving this up?”
Mom laughed. “She’s onto you.”
I glanced at her. “Don’t think I don’t realize you two meddlers are speaking about me, either. I don’t think it’s possible for me to be queen of two places.”
“It’s very possible,” Mom said hurriedly. “But it hasn’t been done yet. And,” she said with a long-suffering look at my father, “if you choose to become a dual heir, you’d also have the formal might of my realm behind you too. I can only interfere so much in the dealings of this realm before my hands are legally tied. Lugh is a special case, though. He is not one of the lower realm people and will be difficult to defeat. We will help wherever we can, but this cannot be our fight.”
“Until I do exactly what you want.”
“Even if you claim the crown, we won’t interfere if it turns into a fight between you two, otherwise you will lose the respect of our people. You must vanquish your enemies with your might and wits.”
Dad didn’t seem worried at all. Cool cool. Okay then. One immortal Floromancer of dubious origins and cursed blood going up against a literal ancient god.
Awesome.
“I kinda liked it better when I thought you were both jerks,” I muttered under my breath.
Dad laughed. “We are still jerks, as you say, but we are also rulers in our own right, and sacrifices must be made.” He put his hand on my shoulder, and I could feel the ancient power vibrating with his body. I wondered what I felt like to him when he touched me—if my magic burned or annoyed him. If it did, he was good at hiding his emotions.
He continued. “When you are a queen, you must put your people first, but you must also be strong enough to hold your territory. Lugh is an ancient, yes, but he is also…” His voice trailed off. “What do you call it? A one-trick horse?”
“Pony,” I said, trying not to grin. “A one-trick pony.”
Dad snapped his fingers. “That’s it. He prefers trickery over straight combat and has become lazy over the years. Lugh will try to beat you with deceit and subterfuge. You must be on the lookout for him trying to stab you in the back.”
I wasn’t surprised. Most fae relied on some form of trickery when they were trying to win. “Neither of you are concerned that he’s made no noise or caused any real trouble?”
Mom and Dad exchanged a look. “He’s causing trouble,” she assured me. “We just haven’t seen the extent yet.”
“Goody.”
“On that note,” Dad said. “Have you thought about your heritage?”
I shot him an exasperated look. “Only every day since you keep cramming it down my throat. But I still don’t fully understand why Thalia can’t take the role.” Before he could go on a tangent, I held up my hand. “Yes, I understand there are limitations due to her powers, but what if we were to share the role?”
Dad shook his head. “I understand you…care for Thalia, but there are other factors at play. Factors Thalia is already aware of. But more importantly, she does not want the crown and never has. If it were up to her, she’d disappear into a small, artsy town and completely forsake her heritage. She never wanted to be caught up in my world. Though she puts on a brave face and has a volatile temper, Thalia very much wants the normalcy the human world can provide.”
Empathy struck me. “If I don’t take the crown, why can’t you give it to her? Why haven’t you given her the choice?”
