“Yes. He keeps asking me to go to Lochmatten with him.”
“Are you considering it?”
“Of course not!”
“Sorry. But… Whathappenedout there?” Damien pointed out the window. “I was watching you the whole time. That wasn’t a proposal.”
Evelyn sighed. “He showed me what my life would be like in Lochmatten. We were in a library, and then we were dancing outside.”
Damien drummed his fingers on the side table. “What are you not telling me?”
“Nothing,” she said too quickly.
“Stop lying. We’re here right now because you slapped Ritter. Hard. I would be impressed if kings hadn’t gone to war for less. Are you really telling me you did it because he showed you alibrary?”
Evelyn didn’t answer. She was trying not to think about the last scene Haydn put in her head, of them naked in bed together. The scene she would forever deny had been her favorite.
Damien spoke slowly, like she was a child who broke a lamp and hid the pieces. “You need to tell me what made you so mad. What else did he show you?”
“It was…” Evelyn struggled for the right word. “Private.”
Damien looked confused for a moment, and then his eyebrows shot up. “Oh.”
“Do you still need me to tell you everything?” Evelyn asked sarcastically.
“No, Princess, I’m sorry.” Damien sat in a chair across from her. “We should tell the king. One of them, at least.”
“No! Haydn is leaving today, anyway.”
“But this isn’t over. We’re working with Lochmatten.”
“Damien, you’ve seen how protective my father is. He was ready to literally set you on fire when he thought you took me to the city. What would he do to Haydn for this?”
Damien considered her point. “It would cause a greater scandal than you slapping him.”
I probably shouldn’t have done that. But he needs to ask for permission before putting dirty thoughts in my head.
“Haydn said that when people get married in Lochmatten, their magic is shared equally. Like, if they had monarchs, the queen would have all the same abilities as the king.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. They’ve always done a better job with equality.”
“How so?” Evelyn asked.
“The High Council has four men, including Ritter,” Damien explained. “But the Legislative Council has eight women.”
“What? Why haven’t I heard about them?”
“Without a royal family to marry into, the kingdoms don’t usually care much about Lochmatten’s politics.” Damien shrugged. “The Councilwomen are elected by the fae of Lochmatten and do most of the work running the isle. They are also the ones who appoint new members of the High Council.”
“If the Councilwomen do all the work, what do the High Councilors do?”
“It depends. Wendell has always focused on researching magic. I think Heinrich prefers practical magic and experimenting. Moeller oversees the magical training of younger fae. Ritter has the role of diplomat, unfortunately.”
“So… women really have higher standing in Lochmatten compared to our kingdoms?”
“Yes,” Damien said slowly. “But that doesn’t mean you should accept any marriage proposals from High Councilors.”
“I’m not!”
