“King Consort Finn’s unconventional background will be scrutinized.” Aldric met his eyes steadily. “We need to be strategic about how we present ourselves. Every detail must be flawless. Every potential weakness must be addressed.”
“Finn isn’t a weakness.”
“I didn’t say he was.” Aldric’s tone remained even. “I said his background is unconventional. The world will watch closely. We need to ensure there are no missteps, no incidents that could be used against us.”
Helena cleared her throat. “Perhaps we should reconsider certain aspects of our current arrangements.”
“What arrangements?” Darragh’s voice had dropped to the dangerous quiet his advisers knew well.
“Only that the summit puts enormous pressure on everyone involved.” Helena spread her hands carefully. “We might consider adjusting roles, redistributing responsibilities to play to everyone’s strengths…”
“You want to sideline Finn.”
“We want to protect Safe Harbor,” Thomas said. “And protect Finn. The pressure he’s under is already significant. Adding this economic crisis on top of it...” He shook his head. “We’re suggesting we be thoughtful about how we utilize everyone’s capabilities.”
Darragh stood abruptly, chair scraping back. “Finn is my husband and king consort. His role isn’t negotiable.”
“No one is suggesting otherwise,” Aldric said. “But there are degrees of visibility. Ways to structure events that minimize potential for…”
“For my husband to embarrass us?” Darragh’s voice sharpened. “That’s what you mean. You want him kept out of sight, hidden away like some shameful secret.”
“We want perfection,” Aldric replied, unruffled. “Every detail flawless. This isn’t personal. This is about forty percent of our export market and thousands of jobs.”
The truth of it hit Darragh like a splash of cold water. He sank back into his chair, rage draining into something heavier. His advisers weren’t wrong. The stakes were devastating. One mistake, one diplomatic incident, one embarrassing moment captured by the wrong observer, and Safe Harbor’s economy collapsed.
And Finn was still learning. He was getting so much better, but he still made mistakes. Years of protocol training just couldn’t be condensed into such a short time frame, no matter how intensive Jericho’s training was.
“I need time to think,” Darragh said finally. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow with response options for the Northern Collective.”
The advisers filed out, Helena squeezing his shoulder briefly as she passed. When the door closed, Darragh dropped his head into his hands.
What have I done?He’d married Finn because Finn was honest. Because the man could talk to him and make him laugh. Darragh truly believed those qualities mattered more than polish or training.
But maybe he’d been selfish. Maybe he’d put his own desires ahead of Safe Harbor’s needs. And now Finn would pay the price for Darragh’s mistake - bearing the weight of an entire kingdom’s economic survival on shoulders that were never meant to carry it.
/~/~/~/~/
Darragh found Finn in their private sitting room, surrounded by papers. Summit planning documents covered every surface - seating charts, menu proposals, security protocols, guest lists with detailed biographical notes scribbled in Finn’s careful handwriting.
“Hey.” Darragh closed the door behind him. “Busy?”
“Just reviewing.” Finn didn’t look up. “Jericho says I need to memorize everyone attending. Their countries, their positions, their family connections. He tested me this morning, and I only got seventy percent right.”
Darragh sat on the couch, watching his husband’s bent head, the tension in his shoulders. “Can we talk?”
“Is it about the summit? Because I’m working on…”
“It’s about the Northern Collective.”
That got Finn’s attention. He looked up, brown eyes sharp with concern. “What about them?”
Darragh explained as gently as he could. The threat to suspend trade. Valdis’s propaganda campaign. The forty percent of exports that were at risk. The timing tied directly to the summit’s success or failure.
With each sentence, Finn grew paler.
“So if I mess this up,” Finn said slowly, “I don’t just embarrass you. I destroy Safe Harbor’s economy. People will lose their livelihoods because I don’t know which fork to use or how to seat a count properly.”
“If WE mess this up,” Darragh corrected firmly. “This isn’t on you alone. We’re partners.”
