He was really quite peeved, wasn’t he? Honestly, I was delighted. I probably shouldn’t be, but his being comfortable enough now to scold me in public just made my day. He was slowly becoming more likemyEdwin, the man I knew explicitly in my first life.
Helena’s eyes darted between us, brows climbing, and I could tell she suspected something about our relationship. She was wrong, at least in this moment. Hopefully she’d be right soon, though.
“In any case,” I continued, wanting out of this wind because my ears were starting to ring, “I assure you, it will go through this time. If for some reason my plans fall through, I’ll sponsor the work myself. Might as well put my ridiculous wealth to use. Mr. Bates, gather up men and materials. We start this project in precisely three weeks.”
The man grinned. “Yes, Your Highness!”
Someone was happy. Then again, he’d been forced to watch the seawalls slowly crumble for five years. He was as worried as the rest of us and frustrated to boot.
We said farewells, loaded back up into the carriage, and our driver aimed us for the palace once more.
Helena surprised me by saying, “Don’t worry about the court mages. I’ll get them sorted.”
“All right.” If she wanted to take on some work and responsibility, I wasn’t about to naysay her.
She cocked a brow at me. “You, apparently, have council members to wrangle. Just what kind of dirt do you have on them?”
“Oh, little things.” A mischievous smile threatened to break out but I suppressed it. Or tried. From their reactions, I rather failed. “Proof of bribes, indiscretions, a small matter of money laundering… You know. The usual.”
Helena’s suspicion mounted. “You know all that. After a month of being in the palace.”
“Your parents broached the subject of adopting me a year ago, and while the agreement itself was rushed, I had been given a year’s heads-up,” I reminded her. “I had plenty of time to do my homework and figure out just what I’d be letting myself in for.”
I mean, not to the point where I should know all this, but the good cover story worked. I had actually done research into the council members in my first life.
“You are almost frighteningly competent.”
“Why thank you.”
“Even I’m not sure if I meant that as a compliment.”
I took it as one anyway. If she thought this was crazy, just wait until she saw me in action a year from now.
My crazy had yet to begin.
Nineteen
Edwin
This man was utterly terrifying.
And I was so turned on, it wasn’t even funny.
Look, I’d be the first to admit I had something for competent men. It was a turn-on I completely owned. Prince James wasn’t just competent, heradiatedcompetence. He was the walking epitome of intelligence and assurance, all bundled in with this little spark of mischief. Every time I saw him in action, I got little butterflies in my gut. Right now? Watching him whittle this arrogant aristocrat down to size before twisting him into a pretzel?
My pants were a little tight, let’s put it that way.
Count Obediah Parrott sat in his own formal living room, hands clutched over his beer belly, sweating like the nervous pig he was. The man was infamous for being corrupt and easily bought. In fact, people joked he lived up to his name—he would parrot anything he was told.
The signs were obvious enough. As a count, he shouldn’t have been able to support the townhouse he owned on very expensivereal estate right off the palace grounds. This nicely appointed room, with its delicate furniture, expensive art on the walls, and fine bone tea set, shouted wealth at the top of its lungs. Expensive jewels adorned every finger and a massive emerald pin held his cravat in place, like he’d dressed to impress.
Frankly, he looked like a gaudy villain in a stage play. For kids.
Prince James, on the other hand, sat on the sofa opposite him and looked downright elegant in comparison. Not lacking—no one with his masculine beauty could be described as such—but he wore a plain day suit of dark hunter green, cream shirt, and waistcoat, with only the royal signet ring on his middle finger. Nothing else adorned him, and he looked more powerful as a result. This man didn’t need to flaunt his wealth to make an impression.
Even if he had, it wouldn’t be a competition. I knew perfectly well Prince James could buy this country outright if he wanted to. I’d seen enough of the ledgers from his business to be quite sure on that point.
Upon entering this room, Prince James hadn’t said a word. He’d simply handed a packet of papers to Count Parrott, then sat back and watched the man come undone as he read through it. All while Prince James calmly sipped tea like he wasn’t driving a man into an early heart attack.
