“Hello, Jen!” He stood, sending papers everywhere off of his bed. “What can I do for you?”
“Do you ever take a day off?” I asked as I bent to help him grab his papers.
“Not really. I’ve been trying to help with the research of the Sárkány lineages, as well as tracking down the Leyak. I’m doing the online research, as much as I can.” He pointed toward the laptop on his bed.
“Well I came to ask a favor. I’d like to see the council chambers, see how the government works.”
“Why don’t you go in with Alexander one day?” He hopped back up on his bed and tossed his brown hair out of his eyes. It was getting a bit too long.
“He’s so busy,” I said lamely.
“He said no?”
I walked around the bed and threw myself down on it beside him. “He said no.”
“He’s still scared of the council.”
“How will he get those old codgers off of it?”
“They have elections every two years. A few more are knocked off every year.”
I turned on my side and watched him sort his papers. “How many members does the council have?”
“Every species has a seat, even the oddballs, like Cthulu and Cerberus … the Minotaur—I think he’s going by Randy these days—those sorts of creatures that are the only representation of their species. They all get a seat as well, so long as they continue to work for us and not against. Occasionally we have to deal with an uprising like the Aljans. They finally signed a peace treaty and have a seat again. Right now, our uprising is the Leyak.”
“So it’s all in a day’s work,” I said.
“That’s one way to look at it. There’s always some drama going on, but we deal with it and keep the secret and life goes on.”
“Well I want to see it.”
“Listen, he’s my king. At the end of the day, I’m his subject as well as his cousin. Normally he and I see eye to eye on most matters, so it doesn’t chafe so much, having my first cousin as my liege. But there are times, like this, that I have to defer to him.”
“I don’t.”
“Bingo. You don’t. You’re not one of his subjects.” He sat his papers inside his laptop and closed it before moving it to his bedside table and laying on his side to look at me. “But aren’t you afraid of losing his favor?”
“As in, the well might run dry, and I’d have to support myself?”
He nodded.
“Come on, Roan, what have I said from the beginning?” I tried not to be offended. He was curious about my motives.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m uncomfortable with the money you guys spend on my room and board, but you keep insisting it’s like drops in a bucket. If I lose that, if worse came to worst I could go stay with Riley, or move back in with Mom. I could get a job in the village and stay with Kelly. I have options, and I haven’t spent much of that nest egg Riley gave me either.” I still had the strongest urge to help, to do something useful, but clearly I’d get no help in the castle. I sighed and rolled onto my back, staring up at the four posters of his bed pointing at the ceiling. “It may be time for me to move on.”
“Aw, come on. Don’t do that. Let me talk to Alexander. We’ll figure something out.”
I smiled at him, grateful. “I’m not some damsel to be coddled. I want to be treated equally.”
“That’s understandable.”
“I only know piano right now, but I’m smart. Let me help.”
“Okay. Give me a couple of days, and we’ll find a way for you to help.”
After that, the conversation drifted, bouncing from childhood dreams to favorite fish. I tried to be flirty, but I’d never been good at it. I’d have to talk to Kelly about how I could show them I was interested in more than friendship, though not as much as a relationship.
