AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You think I should go in her place?”
He nodded. “I do.”
I leaned back in my chair, processing his words. It was a lot to take in. “Why?”
“I’ve seen the way you handle yourself. You’re smart and you’re strong. And you have a good head on your shoulders. I think you would make a great princess. You would not be the princess the Lunja desire, but you would be the princess the people of Midar need. Tough, but fair.”
I mulled his words over in my head. Could I do this? “I’m not sure what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” uncle Mehdi said. “Just think about it.”
“Aren’t there others who might be better qualified? I’m not sure I’m the best candidate for the position.”
Someone from a wealthy and powerful family. Someone who knew all there was to know about how to behave in front of royalty. Anyone but Souhir and me.
“No,” he said firmly. “There were 28,000 options. For being too young, too old, or unsuitable for other reasons, almost 85% of them were eliminated,” he informed me matter-of-factly. “That left us with 4000 potential brides.”
They only had a few days to whittle that number down to Souhir. “You could never have met them all. You based your decision on characteristics they needed to have.”
Uncle Mehdi inclined his head. “Yes, we considered several criteria such as education, profession, skills, family members, and close friends, as well as whether they were hearth casters. That left us with half the options.”
That paused me. “Wouldn’t the Lunja prefer a spell crafter wife?”
Prince Maedras was a spell crafter. It only made sense that the Lunja would want his wife to be one as well.
“Potentially. But they could also see it as a slight to them. And we don’t want to anger them. Not now, when peace is so fragile.”
I frowned, and uncle Mehdi sighed. “Look, I know this is a lot to take in. But you must understand the situation we’re in.”
I placed my arms before me on the table and laced my fingers together. “I understand. So you narrowed it down further.”
“Yes, that there were so many candidates allowed us to be a bit more.. lenient with our criteria.”
I raised my eyebrows. “So you just picked the prettiest ones?”
“No, not exactly. But we picked the ones we thought would make the best impression. Beautiful, but not vain. Accomplished, but not arrogant. Witty, but not sharp-tongued. And so on.”
Uncle Mehdi took a bite of his m’hencha. “Those who passed the tests with the highest scores and who didn’t leave terrible impressions were the ones who made it to the final round. Only 84 women were left.”
“A reasonable amount for a more detailed background check.”
“Yes. Then we had to consider the political landscape. Families who were loyal to House Finardsil, but also Midar. No close family affiliations with other countries. That left us with 68 candidates.”
My hand went to my mouth. “68?”
“Yes, quite a few from good families.” He nodded. “But we had to be sure.”
“And out of those, you chose Souhir.”
“No.” Uncle Mehdi’s gaze focused on me. “The Council chose Souhir. You are my choice.”
“Uncle Mehdi, I appreciate your confidence in me. But I’m just not sure if I’m the best person for the job.”
“I understand your concerns, Thimsal. But I truly believe that you are the best candidate for the position. Your political acumen and your ability to think on your feet are precisely what we need in a princess right now. Your position at the university allowed you to further develop these skills.”
I lifted my chin. “But I’m not the only one with those skills.”
“No, you’re not. But you are the only one who has the right combination of skills that we need right now. Some ladies are there to improve their families’ social standing, and some of them are there for other reasons. Their priority is not Midar, and that’s dangerous. We need someone who is going to put Midar first, and I think you’re that person.”
