“Thank the gods,” Leopold said with a sigh, lifting his head. He hated the quarterly review meetings, even though he knew they were necessary. “I’ve never been so bored in all my life. Why do I even need to know how many pounds of flour we’ve used this month? I feel like I’ve been in this office for days—no,weeks.Maybe I’ll go riding, get some fresh air.”
Mattias nodded. “I’m not free, but let me arrange a squadron of guards and—”
“Nooooooo, not with the guards, it’ll be no fun.” Leopold’s head thunked against the desk again. “Ow.”
Mattias snorted. “That’s what you get for being dramatic.”
Leopold narrowed his eyes. “Are you showing disrespect to your king, Chancellor?”
“Definitely, Majesty,” Mattias said, plopping down in the chair opposite Leopold and extending his long legs to drop his feet on the desk. Theroyaldesk. “Are you planning to do anything about it?”
“I might,” Leopold grumbled, but they both knew it was a lie. Mattias was his best friend, and Leopold would be lost without him.Still,Leo thought,he could at leastpretendto have some sort of respect. “Are you sure I can’t go for a quick gallop by myself?” he asked, hoping against hope.
“If you ride, you need guards, Leo,” Mattias said, arching an eyebrow. “Riding alone is too risky.”
“But if I take the guards, it won’t be a ride, it’ll be ashow,and all the little sycophants will crowd around and I’ll have to walk my horse sedately andbehave,” Leopold grumbled, that long-buried spoiled teenager rearing to the surface for a moment. He just wanted to ride—to race across green grass, breathe deeply and get some fresh air in his lungs, and feel the wind in his hair. It didn’t seem like too much to ask. “Why can’t I go alone just this once? A ride will relax me after the morning I’ve had.”
“Yes, because an assassination attempt is always a soothing way to spend an afternoon,” Mattias said drily.
“I’m the king. I could order you to let me ride.”
“You could, certainly. But I’ve grown somewhat fond of you over the years, and I’d rather not see you murdered. No guards, no ride.” He gave Leopold a look that dared him to disagree.
Leopold sighed, shoulders slumping, and dropped his head back onto the desk, more gently this time. After a moment he turned to find Mattias watching him, wearing the smug air of someone who had won their latest battle. “Anyway, what do you mean you’resomewhatfond of me?” he muttered. “You adore me as your king, surely?”
Mattias grinned, showing even white teeth. “As your subject? I’m devoted to you. As your friend who’s known you for over half your life? You’re tolerable—when you’re not being a stubborn arse.”
“I should have sent you back to your father as a teenager,” Leopold muttered.
“And I should have left you crying in the woods when you were a lost brat, yet here we are.”
Leopold made a show of rolling his eyes, but he couldn’t help his smile at the familiar teasing. His and Mattias’s bickering had long since had any sharp edges smoothed out through years of affectionate repetition.
Mattias took his feet off the desk and sat up straight. “As your chancellorandyour friend, I’d advise that you get started on that pile of official correspondence. I’m fairly certain there are several marriage proposals in there, and if you ignore them for much longer, the senders will start to assume that the lack of a no indicates an acceptance.”
Leo screwed up his nose. “Why do other kingdomsinsiston throwing princesses at me? They must know I’m going to say no by now.”
“Theythrow princesses at youbecause not only does Lilleforth have a port and coastal access, but you also hold strategic alliances with the other two most powerful kingdoms on the continent. The royal advisors assume that you’ll have to marry eventually, so it makes sense that they might as well put their candidate forward and hope for the best. Besides,” he added, “you’re not unattractive.”
That much, Leopold knew, was true. He’d been blessed with a pleasant countenance that featured piercing blue eyes, a strong jaw, a fine, straight nose, and thick, glossy hair that was so black it almost looked blue in the sunlight. Leo had no desire to be one of those squat, round kings, and so he made certain to keep himself fit. He spent time outdoors riding, training with the guards, chopping wood, and lifting bales of hay in the stables, which resulted in a well-muscled physique, and he was justifiably proud of it. It was certainly effective when wooing an attractive lad.
Still, he felt vaguely annoyed at his physical attractiveness being used as a selling point. “I feel like a prize steer on the auction block,” he grumbled.
“And you think those poor girls don’t? Just imagine the indignity of being presented as a marriage candidate and knowing you’ll be refused, just because your potential husband is also the realm’s most confirmed bachelor.”
“That’s you, surely?” Leopold teased.
Mattias quirked a crooked smile. “My reasons for not taking a bride are quite different to yours, as you well know. The woman I marry needs to be extraordinary, purely because when she marries me, she getsyouby proxy—and you’d stretch any wife’s patience.” He ran a hand through messy golden hair that was showing the barest hint of silver at the temples.
“Have I mentioned your total and utter lack of respect today?”
“Several times. Have I mentioned that you really must deal with that correspondence?” Mattias stood and stretched, making himself appear even taller than he already was, and walked toward the door. “Andno riding.”
It was almost as if he thought Leopold couldn’t be trusted.
“Fine,” Leopold muttered. “I’ll do the paperwork. But I don’t want to see anyone for the rest of the day.”
Mattias gave Leopold a nod, pausing with one hand on the door handle. “We can go riding tomorrow, just the two of us,” he conceded. “I’ll make time.”
