“And I need to investigate what’s going on,” Balthazar added, his eyes darkening at the thought of this being a larger plot against the throne. I was positive he would have his guards sweeping the palace for clues in no time. The poor courtiers weren’t going to know what hit them.
I groaned, tossing my head back again and looking up at the ceiling. There was no other way forward. I knew I needed a queen.I did. But…I had hoped I might meet someone who was worthy of it, one day. It was one thing to fuck a woman who wants nothing more than to crawl onto my throne and who accepts that my bed comes along with it, but it’s another to actuallymarryone.
“The tradition is bullshit,” I argued hopelessly, looking back up and turning my eyes to each one of them in turn. “It’s an excuse for the ladies of the realm to squabble and fight, then crown one of themselves queen over the others. It has nothing to actually do with me. Or wanting to marry me.”
“Maybe.” Ruri shrugged sadly, but a spark of hope brightened his eyes. “But who knows, you might actually meet someone you like. Someone you could see being your wife and the mother of your children.”
I scoffed, shaking my head at his naivety. “You actually expect me to find someone worthy of Mother’s crown in that bunch of harpies?”
Ruri winced, but it was Emrys who laughed loudly. We all turned to look at him, my eyes clearly communicating that I didn’t see the humor in what I’d just said. He shook his head at me, snickering.
“Your own mother was one of said harpies, if you remember,” he said smugly, making me glare back at him.
“That was different,” I argued. She may have gone through the competition, but my parents were already hoping to marry. Tradition had merely stated that she had to win the competition to be able to marry him. So she did.
“Was it?” Balthazar asked quietly, his eyes meeting mine.
I groaned, my hands reaching up to rub my face in aggravation. “If I do this, I’ll never be able to find a woman who is worthy enough to sit the throne, one who can be a partner to me and actually help me rule. I’ll be stuck with some vapid lady who just wants the crown on her head.”
“You have no way of knowing that,” Emrys argued passionately, hands flailing around. “You’re assuming because you don’t want to do this. Though I don’t see why, I’d love to have all of the most eligible ladies of the realm fighting over me.” He shrugged, and I reached up to slap the back of his head.
“I’m sorry, brother,” Ruri said, leaning forward. “But I truly don’t see another way. We’re too vulnerable right now. And you know some courts will pounce on that immediately, if they haven’t started already.” He finished darkly.
We were surely all thinking it. Any one of my troublesome lords could already be plotting. Like Lord Carnelian of Ruby Court, who had been a pain in my ass since I took the throne. From talking down to me to ignoring orders, he had made it more than clear that he thought my whole family had a position we didn’t deserve. Before he died, my father had warned me to keep an eye on him. While he’d never acted before, Father believed he would take the chance if one ever appeared.
Was this that chance? CouldItake the chance that it wasn’t?
I knew Carnelian wasn’t the only one, either. Neither Lord Neel of Sapphire nor Lord Khader of Emerald could truly be trusted, not when their ambitions were all too clear. I was only thankful that there were lords Icouldtrust among the courts. Maybe one of their candidates would work.
“Fuck.” I groaned loudly, the slightest whine making it into my voice. The sympathetic looks, and one gleeful one trying to feign sympathy, which surrounded me only cemented my misery.
“Fine,” I ground out between clenched teeth. A bleak future began rapidly stretching out in front of me as I agreed, cementing my fate. “We’ll announce the damn Diamond Queen Competition.”
“Perfect!” Emrys’s sister, Arianell, called as she swooped into the room. Like her brother, her white hair and eyes had a distinct sheen to them that made it immediately clear that she was from Opal Court. While not directly in the noble family, they were cousins of the lord and had been in Diamondfor years now. They’d each made a place for themselves among my court, and I was truly thankful for their presence…most days.
“We’ll send out the announcements to the courts tomorrow,” she cheerfully continued, already brimming with excitement. Arianell was in charge of all royal functions, and she loved nothing more than planning a party. The traditional marriage competition was a new challenge for her, and one I knew she was more than ready to embrace.
“We’ll need to arrange each challenge carefully. It will need to exceed the last one held on all counts, of course, but we also need to ensure the challenges weed out any ladies who won’t be a good fit for Az,” Emrys told her, making her roll her eyes in response. “For example, she shouldn’t be a dolt when it comes to politics and all that entails if she’s going to navigate court.”
“Of course.” She sniffed, clearly insulted that her brother believed she even needed to be reminded.
“We need to ensure she can protect herself, along with our king and people,” Balthazar spoke up, his mind on my protection, as always.
“And she should be able to use magic well enough not to embarrass our family,” Ruri added, a small smile pulling at his lips as he looked to me. His love of magic was always endearing, and his studies at the academy had proven to be helpful many times over. There was so much the gems were capable of when mixed, and the experimentation of their alchemy proved to be the thing to truly gain his attention. He’d already come up with new potions that had proven had valuable his knowledge could be.
“She needs to be compassionate to our people.” I sighed heavily, adding my own request to the list. “I don’t want a queen who looks down at the common people.”
There was a moment of silence, everyone looking at each other as they surely all realized what a stretch it would be to find someone like that. Arianell was biting her lip, her finger tapping against her chin.
“I think I have an idea that could work for that.” She nodded decisively before smiling slyly at me. “We also need to ensure you two can get along on a personal level.”
We spent the next hour debating different challenges and coming up with a list of trials that Arianell would have to organize quickly. We needed to get this moving before any enemies could begin enacting their own plans. We were vulnerable enough that one lucky attack could potentially wipe outour entire line. By the end, I was at least more or less happy with what we’d come up with, but still less than impressed with the fact that I had to do this.
Hopefully, the challenges will succeed at weeding out any vapid crown chasers. Leaving a winner who was actually worthy of the honor of being my queen.
Chapter Three
Jacinth
