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That was it. There was no possibility she could go through with a courtship. Cynthia didn’t want the prince or any man. She wanted Princess Ammalia, who was the only royal Cynthia cared to spend time with.
Which left Cynthia no other recourse but to make the worst possible impression on the prince. By the time this dance was through, he’d prefer to marry a candlestick rather than Cynthia.
“What’s a throne?” she asked.
He blinked. “A large chair. The sort royals sit in.”
“Why is it gold?”
“Because gold is expensive. That’s how people know it’s a royal throne and not for them.”
“What if a non-royal asks me if they can sit in it? Can I let them?”
He looked horrified. “A non-royal would never ask you if they could sit in it.”
“My step-sisters will definitely ask,” she said with confidence. “Unless they don’t ask, and just go and sit in it. In which case, I suppose I can sit in your chair until they’re done with mine.”
“You can’t sit in my throne. The king’s throne is for the king, and the queen’s throne is for the—never mind. We can go over the finer points later. I’ll employ a royal tutor to instruct you in any customs you may be unfamiliar with.”
“And a mathematics tutor?”
“Mathematics is not a feminine pursuit, tesoro. You’ll be queen because of your looks, not because I need you to do any thinking.”
“I like mathematics. I’ll probably do some while I’m sitting on my golden chair. I could use the Pythagorean theorem to determine the angle between our chairs.”
“There’s no angle. Our chairs will be side-by-side and perfectly parallel.”
“I could utilize cubic equations to determine the volume of space beneath my chair.”
“Why would you need to?” he asked in confusion. “Why would anyone need to?”
“To ensure my pet fits.”
He looked less than thrilled. “Is it a furry pet? Have you a kitten? Or a puppy?”
“A long-eared bat. He likes to hang upside-down. Are there good footholds beneath my chair?”
“For a bat?”
“Technically, I have five bats.”
“Five bats!”
“One for each of the chairs.”
“There are only four thrones!”
“Then two will have to go under mine. Do you see now why cubic equations and golden footholds are of utmost importance?”
“My parents would never allow rodents like bats inside the castle, much less…” He took a deep breath. “We’ll discuss it later. This is not the time or place.”
“Of course not,” Cynthia agreed. “Bats aren’t rodents. I will need some time to put together a proper natural philosophy presentation to explain the difference to your family. Perhaps we can invite renowned experts to give instructional speeches on the subject throughout the kingdom.”
The prince stared at her. “Perhaps we can skip the speeches. Everyone’s speeches. Including yours.”
Cynthia widened her eyes. “Do you dislike conversation?”
“I adore conversation. I am not certain that’s what we’re in the midst of. I find myself more confused with every word you say.”
