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Solia nodded. “Despite the Aithourians, Lord Hadrian’s presence should discourage open conflict, and not only because of his military might. He is in favor with both the king and a large faction of the lords.”
“Yes,” Cassia said, “he is still the only man in Tenebra whose loyalty Lucis does not question, and the Hadrian side of the feuds is still a powerful force in the nobility.”
Solia shook her head at Flavian’s brown pin and Lord Hadrian’s dark blue one facing off on the map. “Segetia and Hadria still have not laid down their rivalry?”
“I have seen it nearly ruin my friends’ lives,” Cassia said. “Flavian’s and Lord Hadrian’s families have not engaged in open conflict since Lucis became king, but the hatred between Segetia and Hadria endures.”
Solia turned to her. “If I antagonize one side or the other, it will be disastrous not only for my campaign, but could plunge the entire kingdom back into the chaos of the feuds. In your opinion, whom should I approach first? Flavian or Lord Hadrian?”
“Possibly the most crucial political decision we will face,” Cassia said. “Thank you for trusting me with this question.”
“Of course.” Her sister raised a brow. “As Lio said, you are the one who spoon-fed Flavian his strategy. We are both princesses who have aspired to the Tenebran throne. We will combine my plan with yours—and build upon the plot Thalia left for us.”
Solia’s confidence was dangerously contagious. But it was Cassia’s duty, as her adviser and a diplomat for Orthros, to remain cautious. “I believe you are already assured of Hadrian’s loyalty. He will not hold it against you if you approach Flavian first. On the other hand, if you approach Lord Hadrian first, Segetia might think you favor their enemy. Worse, it might also align you with Lucis. That is the very last message you wish to send to the lords upon your triumphant return. Lio, would you agree?”
“Yes,” he replied. “It is in your best interests to focus on courting the lords who are assembling in resistance to Lucis’s rule. You live in Tenebra’s memory as the hope of rescue from the king. You have only to step into that role. Your cult is strong.”
Solia stood back from the map. “My ‘cult’?”
“I don’t think you realize,” Cassia said. “The way Tenebra has mourned you is a kind of worship. You’re more than merely a beloved, fallen princess. You are a symbol of a future that died with you.”
“But the lords still have no inkling that I’m alive.”
Cassia placed a golden pin at Solorum, where the royal crypt lay. “No, they believe it was you, not Iris, who perished. But when I told them the truth—that the Hesperines collected the remains of the fallen that night—they opened the royal crypt to find there was no body in your tomb. They know the king abandoned you to be desecrated, then held a mockery of a funeral. Next, we must convince them your death was a lie, too.”
Solia picked up a sketch of Lord Hadrian. The envoys had captured the strength of character in his lined face. “Do you think Lord Hadrian will recognize his lost princess in a woman who could best him on the battlefield?”
Karege scratched his head through his legendary cloud of hair. “One who bunks with foreign heretics.”
“And reads highly subversive literature,” Tuura said with a rueful expression.
“And loves where she will,” Hoyefe put in.
Kella snickered. “Don’t forget she swears like a mercenary.”
“You’re one to talk, Princess Kella,” Solia shot back.
“This is why we must be thoughtful about how we present you to your people,” Cassia said. “Leave that to me. When I’m done with you, Lord Hadrian will know in his heart that you are his true queen.”
Solia pinned Lord Hadrian’s portrait next to Flavian. “Very well. Once we have secured Flavian’s cooperation, we will approach Lord Hadrian in secret.”
“Oh, yes, I fully intend to secure Flavian’s cooperation,” Lio said, but he was looking at Cassia, and she knew he was not talking about Flavian’s support for her sister.
“I’m sure that will be the least of the obstacles facing us,” she tried to reassure him.
Solia’s eyes narrowed. “What obstacle?”
Lio’s tone was as frigid as a deadly blizzard in Martyr’s Pass. “Under Tenebran law, Cassia is still betrothed to Flavian.”
Lio fought the urge to tear the envoys’ sketch of Flavian from the board and obliterate it with a spell.
He could do better than such an act of petty vengeance. He had reunited with his medallion and his training in steering kingdoms out of wars. He would find an intelligent, civilized way to crush this mortal’s designs on his Grace.
Solia rounded on Cassia. “Betrothed? To Flavian of all people?”
Cassia waved a hand too deliberately. “An inconvenient detail.”
“A crown isn’t enough for him?” Solia demanded.
