4
Sagan
I was never so happy to see my best friend, Princess Treena, as I was the next morning. I hadn’t realized how much I’d been holding it all together with sheer stubbornness until tears shone in her eyes. I knew I would break with her later and let her comfort me—be the help I really needed.
But first we had to be princesses.
“Princess Sagan, you honor my family and me with such an invitation to visit,” she said as she slightly curtseyed to me.
I was always in awe of how fluid and regal Treena acted. Every movement was graceful and not simply because she was a wolf. She was about half a foot shorter than me butstunning.
She was the elegant beauty who walked into a room and conversations stopped. People always on about her long raven hair that went down to her butt, her large, hooded watermelon pink eyes that were of her royal bloodline.
Even her flawless skin. Hers was just as pale as mine, but I was always turning red or flushed—especially as a fire dragon—and it was the one thing I struggled to control. The sun seemed to even work against me at times, but she was always like perfect marble.
And she always,alwaysknew what to say. We did have that in common and it was honestly what made us bond so fastin school. Our training was always of help to each other and in the waters we had to swim in.
“I regret the reason and my first time traveling to your wondrous country, but the honor is felt the same.”
I dipped my head to her in response. I wasn’t just the heir anymore while she was, but now I was the leader even before I was crowned queen. “The honor is ours, especially given the tragedy that has befallen our nation. Now is the time we need our friends most and you showing you are one will not be forgotten.”
I ignored a few grumbles from elders and other reactions. They could suck it, Hardin and others demanding to be in attendance to receive a “contentious” guest from a rival nation.
I glanced at her party and had to use all my years of training to hide what I was feeling to not react to something too important before meeting her gaze again. “You and your party must be hungry after the flight. We have lunch ready in the family dining room and we can talk a bit before you’re shown to your rooms.”
Elder Hardin cleared his throat. “I wasn’t made aware of this, Your Highness.”
I didn’t even glance at him. “Why would you be?” I almost snorted when outrage poured off of him. “Did my father clear his lunches with allies with you?” I kept my tone one that made it clear he was being silly.
But also, he should stop and not embarrass us.
“No, of course not, but these are not allies of our government and you certainly shouldn’t be meeting with them alone, especially given the state you’re in,” he pushed.
That got a reaction out of me. I slowly looked at him with his death in my eyes. “I am not the one out of sorts if you thought it appropriate to say that in front of guests.”
“It’s also disturbing that you keep trying to paint yourself in some sort of caring uncle role whenmy niecehas family,” Uncle Darren said firmly. “Princess Sagan was born for this role and has always been flawless. You trying to undermine her in her own court when receiving guests you say aren’t friends is ridiculous.”
“And won’t be forgotten,” I added quietly so Hardin would still hear me.
“They are friends, Hardin,” Darren continued, gesturing between Treena and me. “I’m having lunch with my niece and her friend when she needs support.”
“Good to know, but I would ask you address me with the respect of an elder going forward.”
“I will when you act it and not as someone trying to treat our queen like someone who answers to you,” Darren threw right back. “Also, I’ve been appointed as the princess’s advisor. Her only one, so I don’t actually have to.”
Hardin’s eyes filled with rage as he glanced between us now. “Your Highness, I must object. He has no experience in politics nor—”
I snorted, shocking everyone there. “He has one of the most successful businesses in the nation. You cannot be so ignorant to everything outside of court games and diplomacy to think that there’s nopoliticsin business?” It was hard not to smirk when I clearly won the point. “Plus, I’mluckysuch an accomplished businessman would advise me. There’s no reason to object.”
“Except to keep allies from you,” Treena muttered as she took in the dynamic. She shouldn’t have said it as a visiting princess, but… I agreed and appreciated the backup. She smirked at me. “They’ll object to me as well, yes?”
She was really pushing it.
“They don’t know you will be my second advisor.” I hurried on when the tension in the grand entrance of the castle shot up. “But they also don’t know that my father approved it after meeting you and discussing it with your father. So as I’ve said repeatedly, I will follow through with as many of the wishes of my parents as I can.”
I saw the twinkle of mirth in her eyes. That was why she’d said it like that. She wanted it out in public fast that my father had wanted this to happen before snakes slithered with different stories.
It was smart and exactly why I needed her there. I was too buried to see all the pitfalls right then.
