“That easy?” Amused, I shook my head and went to the next person.
Roland shook my hand but also held it for a moment longer. “Your Highness, if you don’t mind my saying, you look like you just got in.”
“This very morning. I’ve been running about like a chicken without a head since arrival.”
“You didn’t have to meet us today. It could have waited.”
I waved this off. Roland was always the one most conscientious of other people. Likely a carryover from being the eldest of eight children, which made him used to looking out for others. Well, that and he also had four children of his own. We’d teased him sometimes about gaining all the baby fat his wife had lost, as it seemed with every child, he went up in weight. He was worth his weight in gold, though, and had a steady and hardworking presence.
“I couldn’t wait.” I smiled. “I’m too excited to meet everyone. Speaking of, we have three more people.”
Phila gathered up her shawl—she always had one on, even in the height of summer, because she was so incredibly thin, she was always cold—and brought me around to the others. “This is Jo Ann, our newest member. She’s been with us six months now.”
Jo Ann’s body had never grown to the adult height it should have, and people often overlooked her, like her height made her less capable, somehow. She was keenly observant, however, excellent in her work, and someone I had leaned on heavily in the war. Once I won this woman over, she would absolutely have my back through thick and thin.
Standing at waist height to me, she reached up to shake my hand. “Your Highness.”
I shook hands with her, looking straight into those antique gold eyes. “Jo Ann, very nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”
“The same, Your Highness.” She did seem to be taking me carefully in.
“Last but not least”—Phila moved the introductions along, shoving her glasses farther up on her nose—“this is Captain Rowan of your knight squadron, and Edwin, your retainer and our supervisor.”
I shook Captain Rowan’s hand first, taking his measure. His hand was beyond rough and callused, build stocky even under the formal uniform he wore. He looked even more massive all kitted out in armor. He’d always seemed a little ageless to me, somewhere around his mid-thirties or mid-forties—I’d never learned his actual age. Very fair in coloring, his tan skin was a contrast to his light hair.
“Captain Rowan, you and I will sit later today and talk about everything I need done and everywhere I need to go. I want the knights to be fully up to speed with my schedule soon.”
He didn’t do more than blink those brown eyes. “Understood, Your Highness.”
“Excellent. I’ll meet you in the training yard in, say, an hour?”
“That’s fine. See you then.” He promptly turned and took himself out.
Then I finally, finally got to greet Edwin.
Restraint was so incredibly hard. I just wanted to seize him. To latch on in the bear hug of all hugs and never let go. I wanted to tell him how intensely I’d missed him, how insane my path back to him had been, and yet…I couldn’t. The words clogged up in my chest like a lump of sadness, and I had to fight to keep myfeelings off my face. Some time in the future, I might be able to tell him, but right now, I absolutely could not.
All right, me, do not grab his hand and just hold it. You’ll come off as a pervert. Do not. Oh, his hand was cold. Don’t offer to warm it up, either, me. Come on, you know that.
“Edwin,” I finally managed to say. I tried hard to stamp out all the affection I felt and might have failed. Right, time to move this along. “I apologize in advance. I’m going to run your legs off.”
Surprise flitted across his face, and then those blue eyes crinkled up a bit at the corners, the movement not at all concealed behind the thick, square glasses he wore. “Isn’t that what we’re here for?”
“Still, I feel bad.” I sighed, let go of his hand—that last part was very hard—and turned to gesture everyone in closer. “I’m sure we’ll get to know each other better as the days progress, but let me debrief you on the important bits first. You’ve probably already heard rumors that therealreason for me being adopted is to eventually take the throne.”
More than a few people nodded.
Yikes, I hadn’t realized the rumor mill had started this far back. I thought it was just the naysayers rumbling. “Well, that’s not the reason. I have, in fact, altered the adoption agreement to specifically state Icannotbe made king. I do not want the throne. What I am here for is to augment and aid the person who does become our next monarch. So, if you hear any mention of me becoming king, you can say with authority it’s not possible. If you hear anything about me and a political marriage, absolutely report that to me as well, as I also banned it in my adoption contract.”
Several people looked surprised.
Edwin cautiously asked, “Are you absolutely against any proposed marriage?”
“I’m gay,” I answered bluntly. “So, yes. Any proposed marriages would be to women and—pardon me, ladies, I’m sure your gender is wonderful—I’m not at all interested in being locked in with a woman for power or prestige. I’ve made more money in my life than Bymes, God of Harvest—”
At least one person snorted.
“—I have no desire for power because that’s just a headache, let’s be honest, and if I’m going to marry, it’ll be to a nice man willing to put up with my craziness.”
