“Me?” Haeden flicked the lighter off. “I don’t have a clue.”
“But it’s your message.” Father made a subtle gesture, and his Praetors approached the table. Their eerie footsteps trod against the tile. “Start explaining, Baron Stone, or?—”
Haeden yelped and raised his hands. “It’s not my message, Your Majesty. One of the palace attendants brought the note to my room two nights ago, with the lighter and the drivchip. He said it’s from an ally, and that it’s urgent that I pass it along to our missing friend. He wouldn’t tell me who he was working for.”
“Julian?”
“I don’t know, Kal. I haven’t seen Julian since the day of your coronation. If this was him, don’t you think he’d find a more direct way to get the information to you?”
“Personally,” Selene said, examining her nails, “if I was Julian, I wouldn’t be sticking my neck out for you. Have none of you considered this could be a trap? Frankly, Baron Stone, I don’t know why you would risk it.”
Heat burned Kalie’s cheeks, and she clenched her fists behind her back.
Mother murmured a warning, but Selene’s sneer didn’t waver.
Haeden glowered at her. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“Why? What has she ever done for you? For any of you?”
“Quiet,” Father growled.
“No.” Selene stalked towards Kalie. “It needs to be said. Everyone’s bending over backwards to take risks for you, but when Father sends his troops to fight and die foryou, when our Empire gives everything foryou, when your friends risk it all foryou… you’ll run, like always.”
Kalie gritted her teeth. “You should leave.”
“Whether you like it or not, I’m your heir. I have every right to be in this meeting.”
“No.”
Selene’s mouth gaped open. Her eyebrows climbed to her hairline.
Drawing herself up to full height, Kalie met Theron’s eyes, thesame eyes that stared up at her from her niece’s face. Theron tilted his head, wordlessly asking if she was sure, but it was obviously a formality. This had been his intention when he named Lida. He was a schemer, but he was a leader who believed in justice and truth. A schemer as regent was better than a spoiled brat as duchissa.
“Lida is my heir.”
Neither of her parents looked surprised, but Selene’s face reddened. “I knew you hated me, but really, you’d rather have an infantrule instead of me?”
“Don’t act so surprised. You started this long ago.”
“Istarted it?” Selene balled her hands into fists. “I wasn’t the one who ran. I didn’t abandon our family, I didn’t insult our mother, I wasn’t the one who chose a different sister!”
As her thunderous words rocked through the room, Kalie flinched. That was the crux of her argument, the hill Selene would always die on—that she’d chosen Ariah over her.
She sighed. “This isn’t about us. I’m doing what’s best for Dali. I need to know that whoever is crowned after me will have the people’s best interests at heart.” She glanced at Mother’s expression of stoic acceptance, then turned to Selene. “You’re an Etovian princess. You’re my sister. I won’t force you to leave this meeting, but I won’t stay quiet while you slander me.”
Selene closed the space between them, until every fleck of mascara on her long lashes was visible. Kalie held her gaze. Up close, she could see the gloss coating her eyes. If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought Selene was holding back tears.
“Funny that I’m your sister now.” Her breath ghosted across Kalie’s face. “I never was before.”
She checked Kalie’s shoulder as she barged past. Kalie caught her balance and turned, but Selene had already tugged the door shut.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kalie set the note aside. “Thank you for bringing this, Haeden. I’m in your debt.”
Haeden snorted. “Hardly. The message isn’t any good if none of us can read it.”
“I’ll have our translators work on it.”
“No, wait.” Zane seized the note and squinted at it. “It’s an oldOppallese dialect, from the Prime Continent.I will—eternity? No,always.I will always be…faithful? Loyal?”
