Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
“They. Will. Have. To,” I said slowly.
“Or—”
“There is no or, Mr. Prime Minister. What is done, is done,” I said as calmly as I could
However, he only gripped his cane. “When I was a boy, Adelaar, I learned that it is better to admit one’s mistake and work to overcome it than disgrace one’s ancestors by continuing.”
“How funny. When I was also a boy, I learned it is better to say nothing at all than to say something that would disgrace one’s descendants, but I guess the education of nobles is still different. You must forgive me for my ignorance,” I replied, reveling in the crack of his façade as rage flashed in his eyes.
“Thank you for stopping by, Mr. Prime Minister,” my mother said, rising from her chair, causing us both to stand as well. “We await the statement from Trinity Row.”
“Your Majesty,” he said, kissing her hand. “Adelaar.” He bowed to me before taking two steps back, then turning to leave.
It was only when he left that I let out the breath I was holding. “Well, that went well. I am sure he will not cause any trouble for us now. What do you think, Mother? Can Odette and I ride off into the sunset yet? What an insufferable human being!”
“I was hoping you would restrain yourself. Instead, you reverted to immaturity!” She turned and hollered at me.
“In what way could I have been mature as he insulted us, Mother. Did you not hear him? He came to—”
“He came to voice a concern that people will have, and no matter how irrational, unjustified, or ignorant it may be, we must respect that, remember? You said it.”
I clenched my jaw. “And what would you have had me say, Mother? ‘Yes, I see your point, Prime Minister. Let us fix this mistake?’ He wishes for the monarchy to conform to his political ideology. That is not our role. As you just said, we are above it.”
“Do not use my words against me,” she snapped, but apparently, she could use mine against me.
“Fine, I will use Father’s. He has always said prime ministers come and go. Ideologies rise and fall. We are constant. That does not change based on what we look like.”
She frowned, her whole face falling. “Gale, tread carefully. It is never wise to be at odds with our government, and it even less wise to poke a wounded dog. Hermenegild, like all illegitimate nobility in this country, is torn between his desire to belong and his desire to burn the nobility to the ground.”
And I was the immature one? Because his father did not love him enough to legitimize him, the rest of the country had to?
“How I detest that look,” she said, her eyes roaming my face.
“What look?”
“The Monterey stubborn-mule look. All of you seem to have it—your grandfather, your father, your brother. The look that says, ‘I will not be moved, and I fight till my very last breath on this.’”
I couldn’t help but smirk a bit. “Now that you have said that, I know for sure I am right.” I lifted my head proudly.
“Mules,” she grumbled, shaking her head, leaving me to walk to the door.
“Love you, Mother.”
“And I, you,” she replied, knocking on the door, and it opened for her.
When she left, I sank back into the chair, rubbing the bridge of my eyes. What a very long day, and we were only halfway through.
“Adelaar?”
No!
When I looked up, there stood Balduin, already waiting with the afternoon and evening reports. From the looks of it, I’d be here until dinner, at the very least. I missed my brother because he was my brother, but I also missed having someone else be responsible for this. Part of me wanted to ignore it all and find Odette, go to a corner of the palace and just stay there in bed, drinking and forgetting the rest of the world existed.
“Shall we begin, sir?” he questioned as if I had another choice.
At least now there was something to look forward to after this.
I could not be with her now, but after I finished, I could go to her and pretend even for a few short hours that we were alone.
“Yes.” I nodded, rising from the couch and moving over to the desk, grabbing the fountain pen. “Has the prime minister left?”
“Mr. Ambrose is showing him out before returning to Ms. Odette.”
“I hope he did not slam the door too hard on his face,” I muttered mostly to myself.
“I do not believe he would do such a thing, sir.”
I glanced at him, not understanding the tone in his voice. But he just gave me a sharp nod before placing today’s briefs down on the table.
“Next this afternoon is the chicken dispute between the farmers of Zotteven and the farmers of Youglin,” he added.