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“No, of course not. They’re an adult event, of course, but that doesn’t mean the proceeds can’t help the kids.”
Maren shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m still not following.”
My smile widened. “Because every penny in profit will go to rebuilding community centers, playgrounds, art programs, after-school activities—anything to help the children who need it. Every single cent goes back out. You have my word.”
She shook her head, her confusion palpable. “I’m afraid I don’t understand, Nyx. Do you mean that you’re going to lobby the Council of Ministers with these shows? Ask them to spend more money on those programs?”
I almost laughed at the idea of lobbying to the pigheaded Council of Ministers who had been set in their ways since my grandfather’s rule. There was no bending the mind of the willfully ignorant. They didn’t see the benefit in giving money to those most in need. There was no profit to be made from that, and as long as there was a Council of Ministers vote, I was outnumbered in budget matters for one more year. No, we had to take a different approach if we wanted real change. We had to think outside the box, and I think I liked my idea much better, anyway.
“I’m not really following. I’m sorry,” Maren sighed. “I don’t understand kingdom matters well enough.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m not explaining myself properly,” I told her quickly. “It’s like this: there are funds that are allotted for these programs, but it’s not nearly enough to cover the costs of what needs to be done.”
Maren nodded, understanding so far, so I continued. “There are buildings in lower-income communities in desperate need of repair. There are overcrowded schools in the same districts that need more funding. The list goes on and on. The Council of Ministers always find a way to block any additional improvements, citing bullshit excuses. And I won’t have full power as king for another year, so until that time, my hands are tied.”
I left out the part about being given full power as king earlier than a year’s time if I married.
“Then how will these shows help?” Maren squeaked.
I winked at her. “Wouldn’t it be delicious to use the ministers’ out-of-pocket money to help these kids do better? We take the money they spend on their entertainment and put it right back into those communities entirely. The very faeries they are keeping impoverished will be made better by the ministers’ personal finances.”
Maren’s entire face lit up like fireworks. “You would do that?”
“I wish I’d done that already,” I replied with a laugh.
Impulsively, Maren threw her arms around me and embraced me tightly. “That is amazing!” she squealed, laughing. Embarrassed, she withdrew apologetically. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Don’t be,” I told her tenderly, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “I’m glad you did.” My palm cupped her cheek, and I stared intently into her eyes. “If you hadn’t told me about your struggles, I never would have had the idea in the first place. You’re the inspiration for this, Maren. You’re my little muse.”
She smiled happily, and I brushed a soft kiss over her lips, not caring that the guards were watching. She returned my kiss eagerly, her hands circling my neck, and a burst of heat rushed through me. A soft sigh fell through her mouth as we came apart, noses brushing against one another.
“Is that a yes, then?” I asked when we parted. “You’ll get a little crew together and put a show in the works for the castle?”
She nodded, stars in her eyes as she stared back at me.
I’m growing on her,I thought happily.
Nervously, she sat back and used a quick spell to pile the empty dishes up for the server to take, busying herself so that I wouldn’t see her awkwardness, but I did see it, and it endeared me to her more than before.
Whatever I was feeling toward Maren might be new, but I leaned directly into it.
Chapter 6
Maren
“Idon’t know how Jergin is going to feel about this,” Tristiana murmured, her hands tightening and loosening around the steering wheel as she drove us toward the castle. “It feels weird keeping it from him.”
I gritted my teeth and turned my head toward the window, so she didn’t see my expression. I’d had the same thought—one I hadn’t shared with the king, although I had been tempted to rouse the conversation several times.
It’s for the kids,I reminded myself, knowing full well that Jergin wouldn’t like what we were doing and would probably try to find a way to nix it if he could. It was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission, wasn’t it? Anyway, we had the king’s blessing. What could our boss really do about it?
“He doesn’t need to know what we’re doing in our spare time—and this is at the request of the king,” I reminded her again, even though I had the same knot of apprehension in my gut.
I didn’t dare tell her that Nyx owned Maximo’s and could protect us if there was any kind of trouble, but I shared her sentiments all the same. The last few days, the thought of going behind Jergin’s back had been weighing on me, too. All of thissecrecy was hard to keep straight. Jergin didn’t know that the king owned the club any more than Tristiana did.
“What’s the deal with you and the king, anyway?” my friend asked, offering me a quick glance from the driver’s side before fixing her eyes back on the road ahead of us. “Why did he come to you to put this all together?”
Was that a note of jealousy in her voice?
