“Well?” Darragh crossed his arms. “That was number what? Fifteen?”
“Twelve, Your Majesty.” Aldric consulted his ledger. “Lord Martin is quite well-connected. His family has ties to…”
“His family could be related to the gods themselves, and it wouldn’t matter. The man doesn’t know the difference between current events and ancient history.”
“He was nervous,” Helena said. “Meeting you can be intimidating.”
“I wasn’t intimidating. I asked him basic questions about Safe Harbor.” Darragh paced in front of the throne. “He couldn’t answer a single one without stumbling over his words and trying to guess what I wanted to hear.”
“He showed proper deference…”
“He showed that he’d memorized a list of compliments and had no idea how to have an actual conversation.” Darragh stopped pacing. “Next.”
Thomas cleared his throat. “Your Majesty, perhaps we could take a short break…”
“No. Let’s get through these. The sooner we finish, the sooner I can tell you all that I told you so.”
The next candidate was worse. Lady - and yes, despite his advisers’ assurances that they weren’t limiting the search to men, somehow the candidates were split evenly - Catherine spent the entire interview complimenting everything from Darragh’s hair to his choice of throne cushions.
“Such excellent taste in furnishings, Your Majesty. The blue really brings out your eyes.”
“These cushions were here when my father was king.”
“Then your family has always had impeccable taste.”
Darragh counted to ten in his head. Then twenty. “Lady Catherine, what do you think is the biggest challenge facing Safe Harbor right now?”
She blinked at him, those long lashes fluttering in what was probably meant to be attractive. “Oh, well, I’m sure whatever Your Majesty thinks is the biggest challenge is absolutely correct.”
“I’m asking for your opinion.”
“Well...” She twisted her hands together. “I suppose...making sure Your Majesty is happy? A happy king makes for a happy kingdom.”
I’m going to abdicate and move to a farm.
The interview after that featured Lord Phillip, who spent twenty minutes explaining how his family’s political connections could benefit Darragh’s rule, as if Darragh were some minor noble scrambling for influence rather than the actual king.
Lady Sarah, after him, discussed fashion trends in other kingdoms for fifteen minutes before Darragh interrupted to ask if she had any questions for him.
“Oh!” She looked startled. “I...no, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t presume.”
“Presume away.”
“Well...what’s your favorite color?”
Darragh stared at her. “My favorite color?”
“Yes. I think it’s important for couples to know these things about each other.”
He’d sent her away without answering and ignored Aldric’s pointed look about being rude.
Lord Baltic was obsessed with protocol. He spent far more than the time allocated discussing proper forms of address, seating arrangements at state dinners, and the appropriate depth of bows for various ranks of nobility.
“And of course, as your consort, I would ensure that every detail of court life adhered to the strictest standards…”
“Court life in Safe Harbor isn’t particularly strict,” Darragh interrupted.
“Yes, well.” Lord Baltic sniffed. “That could certainly be...refined. With the World Council summit approaching, it would be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Safe Harbor’s sophistication.”
