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Ariella swallows hard, gesturing for Ethan to do the honors.
“Those of you who follow the news may have come across some information regarding the mounting tensions between Brachha and Cothena, from which Kiernan and Ariella hail. Two major events occurred that have turned these two allies against one another. The first event was five years ago when Kiernan’s father had a stroke and could no longer rule Brachha. Kiernan’s older brother, Prince Jordain Argos, was next in the line of succession and took over as king.
“After assuming the throne, his first order of business was to push for Cothena to expand their export operations of the opium poppy seeds to Brachha, something that the King of Cothena has been unwilling to budge on. Their trade alliance has been based on technology. Cothena is a major leader in robotics and medicine—specifically opioids—while Brachha is a world market leader in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.”
“For the record,” Ariella clarifies, “we have always supplied the Brachhans with our pharmaceuticals and top-notch medical care. According to my mother, Jordain has taken the refusal as a personal slight, refusing to accept that my father doesn’t export the poppy seeds to any country. It’s not just about not wanting to get our hands dirty. We don’t have enough resources to share.”
“What’s the second event to strain the alliance between the two countries?” Jessie, our only other female team member, asks. Jessie may have recently had her 32nd birthday, but she doesn’t look old enough to buy a beer or be a top-notch security agent. I only let her small size and pixie-like features fool me once and learned my lesson quickly. She’s a third-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and can easily take down an opponent more than twice her size, me included.
Ethan does his best to explain, “Unlike Brachha, where an heir assumes the throne when the prior king has lost his ability to rule due to illness, old age, or death, Cothena’s heir becomes king when he turns 30 regardless of the physical and mental state of the current king. The idea is that the country will not fall into stagnancy. Prince Aaron assumed the role two years ago.” He looks to Ariella and asks, “Do I have my facts correct?”
She nods. “You do. Alex is the next male heir in line until Aaron produces a son. Prior to assuming the throne, my brother Aaron married Lady Julietta Morey, Kiernan’s and Jordain’s cousin. Like most arranged marriages, they were paired together to strengthen political ties. Unfortunately, Julietta doesn’t agree with Aaron’s decision to back our father’s stance on the exportation of poppy. She believes that the wealth should be shared between our two countries.”
Ben clears his throat. “Ariella and Alex recently survived an assassination attempt on the palace grounds shortly after arriving in Cothena. Despite the high level of security present, a small explosive device detonated near Ariella and Alex while they were on their way to feed the horses in the stables. Thankfully, they weren’t hurt because Alex had chased after a chicken that had gotten loose, and his mother followed him. Unfortunately, one of the bodyguards was injured and is now recovering in the hospital.”
A low growl escapes me at the thought of Ariella and Alex getting hurt, and all eyes turn in my direction, Ariella’s included. Ethan raises his eyebrows in question. Ariella’s eyes get as big as saucers. Ben grunts while Savannah, Alex, and Kiernan all chuckle. Alex starts making growling noises, too, which causes the rest of the team to smile and lightens the mood.
I clear my throat and ask, “Do you have any idea who might have been behind the attack?” Surprisingly, it’s Kiernan who answers.
“We’ve spent many hours over the past few days asking ourselves the very same question. One possibility is that my brother, Jordain, seeks to pressure Aaron into agreeing to his terms by targeting the Caras family. The other, less likely option is that Julietta seeks to eliminate the Caras line so that she can eventually rule Cothena.”
“Is that even possible?” Jerry asks. Out of the entire team, he’s the grumpiest and doesn’t say much, but when he does, we listen.
“It is, but it wouldn’t be an easy feat. First, she would have to take out the line of succession, which is currently Ariella and Alex. Only when the key players have been removed from the board can the queen strike down the king,” Kiernan explains.
Ariella expounds upon his statement. “A princess cannot assume the throne if another male heir is available. In this case, Alex is now next in line until Aaron and Julietta have a child of their own. If they were to have a daughter, Alex would still retain his spot in the line of succession. Since Julietta married into the family, she can only retain power in the king’s absence if Alex and I are out of the picture or if she has a son. I know it sounds very convoluted, but there you have it.”
I try not to snap the pen I hold in half as I take it all in. “Other than Julietta or Jordain, is there anyone else you can think of who would seek to harm you?”
Ariella and Kiernan share a silent exchange before she turns back to me. “What I’m about to say cannot leave this room. If there is someone who can watch Alex for the next few minutes, that would be great. There are little ears and big mouths,” she says, looking pointedly at Alex with a goofy grin.
“I can keep a secret, just like the one about you and Ki…” he says but is stopped when Ariella puts her hand over his mouth.
“And that is why he shouldn’t be here for this next part,” she says ruefully.
I can’t help but wonder what her secret is, but it will have to wait for now. Ethan sends a text, and less than a minute later, Amelia opens the door and escorts Alex to the breakroom. He gets excited when he learns that there are snacks and a box of donuts available. Once he’s gone, we give Ariella our undivided attention.
“There has been some dissent amongst the Cothena population with regard to forming a parliament and abolishing the monarchy. Lucky for us, only a small percentage of the people are calling for action, while the majority are content with how things are being run. Our family has always prided itself on doing things to benefit the people. Taxes are practically nonexistent because our gross domestic product is high compared to our population count. We don’t have to leverage the people’s paychecks to fill the coffers.”
Kiernan leans forward, “As with any group, there are extremists among them that could have tried to take out the princess. However, I don’t think that’s the case because Ariella isn’t the one voicing her opposition against the people; it’s Julietta. Julietta refuses to listen to their concerns. That’s why Ariella, Aaron, Trevor, and I have been working in secret to establish a parliament. We all agree that the people have a right to be heard through elected officials while the king retains veto rights of any proposed action that could hurt the country. Mainly, we need to protect our greatest agricultural commodity, the opium poppy.”
Ethan addresses the royal couple, “Does anyone else know what you two are trying to do?”
Ariella shakes her head. “I don’t think so. The only person who doesn’t want to relinquish any power to the people is Julietta, and Aaron has assured me she has been kept in the dark. He hates keeping it from his wife, but they are married in name only. They don’t like each other much at the moment and currently sleep in separate quarters. It makes producing an heir fairly difficult.”
Ben stands up and looks Ariella and Kiernan in the eyes, “So we have three possible suspects: Jordain, Julietta, and an extremist that supports the abolishment of the monarchy. Our primary role is to keep the three of you safe. Will you be needing investigative services in addition to protection?”
Kiernan replies, “No. It will just be protection since the Cothena royal guard is already investigating the incident. And you will only be protecting Ariella and Alex. I will be returning home to continue working with Aaron and Trevor.”
I’m surprised that Kiernan is willing to leave his wife and child behind, but then again, I’m not the one who is helping a country create a democracy. At least he isn’t willing to sacrifice their safety to achieve the objective.
“I guess the only thing left to do is decide who will be protecting Ariella and Alex,” Ben says, looking around the room before focusing his gaze on me. It’s then I know I’m in for the most challenging mission of my life.
Chapter four
Ariella
Ben looks at Patrick, and I know that’s who he’s decided to assign to protect me. Although I want to spend time with Patrick and finally share all my secrets with him, I don’t know if I can do it with his wife sitting across the table from me. It would be a selfish move on my part and awkward for everyone involved.
