5
Sagan
Everything changed after that night.
Everything.
There was no going back after learning what I did and the extra Belinda told me she read later. I’d woken drunk, and after I found my uncles and aunt passed out having drank my wine, I got her to confess the passage she’d read to them.
Then what happened with Benson and… There was no going back, and everything had changed.
However, I did agree with Fraser.
Fuck my parents.
Fuck what they had wanted.
Fuck what they had thought of me.
Fuck… Everything.
I didn’t know why I was given two dragons, but the gods did, so clearly it was what they wanted.
I was born the rightful heir.
I was queen.
I was the boss.
I was the one who kicked out the elders and cleaned up the financial ruin my parents were in. I got the dirty guards out and more.
Had I made mistakes?
Yes… But mostly to protect them and their fucking legacy. Their memory of being so perfect.
No more. They didn’t love me and I wasn’t going to fall on any more swords protecting the truth of how incompetent of a ruler Father had been. Nor what horrible parents and people they were.
Fuck them. Fraser definitely got that right.
“What can we do?” Darren asked when I came out of my bedroom that morning, the three of them looking wrecked. “Don’t even tell me nothing. Part of me wants to be mad you kept this debt from us. You shouldn’t have.” He raised his head and determination was in his eyes. “No more lies.”
I nodded. “No more lies.” I went on when he opened his mouth. “What happened with the Gurren family?”
He swallowed loudly and then let out a long breath. “I will tell you. I will tell you everything, but just not today, okay? You’ve had enough. Really just—tomorrow, let’s unpack that bomb.”
Fair enough. I let out a slow breath. “Myriam is drowning trying to unravel it all. The debts are—I think they’re officially all paid?
Or no, the rest have like pending wire transfers, but the banks are still holding up the actual accounts being put into my control.
And that was where some of the elder penalties were deposited. I’m being—”
“Controlled,” Fraser growled. “This is still about manipulation and control.”
“Isn’t it always?” I drawled.
“Okay, we will get with her and we will finish this,” Darren said as he gestured between the three of them. “So the fighting is done.”
“I think that unwise,” I told him firmly. I shook my head when he argued. “You think after learning this I should take that away from Eloise? The only time she’s ever been allowed to help and her emotional outlet?” I gestured to my hair. “Always hiding her. No, I won’t do that.”
Belinda came in from off the balcony. “Besides, I took over the clubs and handled the situation, so it will be much safer and better. It will keep with your investigation into everything going on, and now I have people who can get you more information for when you make it all legal.” She chuckled at whatever she got off of me.
“Yes, Eloise, I will get you challenging matches.”
“She also needs to fly,” I told Belinda. “We figure out how to make this work. I’m changing things to work for me, including my schedule—no more.”
“Yes, absolutely, Your Majesty,” she purred, sounding impressed.
More like it was long overdue.
I showered and got dressed for the day before walking into breakfast and ignoring all the looks. Clearly, people had learned something had happened. It was hard when people were living at the castle.
Except it shouldn’t be.
I changed course and went right for Raquel where she was by Benson.
“There will be a meeting soon and I want a list of proposed consequences for gossiping and people not knowing the word discretion.
I agree with Pearl that this might be their place of work, but it is my home—the home of the ruler of Thovudin and not a high school.
“People need to learn how to handle that better because gossip isn’t harmless here and can damage national security.
” I gestured to all of the people watching us.
“None of them should know anything about something so small.” I met Benson’s gaze when he opened his mouth.
“This has always bothered me. It’s not about last night.
“All I had to do was hide behind certain trees when I visited on break and I could get caught up on everything that happened while I was gone. It’s ridiculous.
The staff acts like just because someone has been allowed in here that they don’t have to watch their mouths.
I’ve visited dozens of other royal castles and palaces and you want to know what I learned from their staff? ”
“I would assume the answer is nothing from your upset, Your Majesty,” Raquel muttered.
“Nothing,” I confirmed. I looked at each of them in turn.
“My parents might have been lax fools and let too much go, but I will not share their fate and ignore the glaring issues in front of me. Put a meeting on the books, and I expect a plan from each of you on how to correct it or the positions we’re hiring to replace people. ”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” they both agreed, not hiding their surprise.
“Well done,” Treena muttered as I moved over to the buffet. She leaned in more and lowered her voice to barely a breath. “Belinda let me remember that she used her power and something happened. I would assume Myriam too. Probably not Velle.”
I snickered. Yeah, Velle would be a bitch and throw a fit if she was left with the memory that her mind had been fucked with. “I’m sorry. Really, I am. I wish things were different and we could just be Sagan and Treena.”
“It would be nice.” She let out a shaky breath. “I will always love you as Sagan, never Queen of Thovudin. Just know that and I’m here for you.”
I swallowed loudly. “I know that. Be patient with me. I’ll need it.”
“Patience is my specialty.” She looked less than thrilled when her guards off to the side were trying to hide their amusement. One coughing to cover his laugh.
I wasn’t any better, so I couldn’t even try to judge her for being impatient.
Velle sat down with a huff after we did, not even with any food yet. “Wilder is packed up and gone, but his uncle is dragging his feet on the announcement. He wants another meeting and to discuss it more with the other Alphas or whatever.”
I ground my teeth. “He has twenty-four hours to get me something to approve and a real plan or I announce what really happened in my interview with June. I was kind and allowed him to handle the situation gracefully, but it will be done quickly before someone else leaks the full thing. It always gets leaked.”
“Fully agree,” she muttered. “You need some sort of rule book for these fools. All I’ve seen is like the royal protocol things your aunt gave me. That’s for members of the royal family. They’re saying they’re not royal family yet and—”
“Bunch of fucking babies,” I grumbled, ignoring when people froze at me swearing right in the dining hall. “Fine, then give the babies rules like it’s school. Make the pettiest guidebook of dos and don’ts to become a potential consort to the queen.”
“Consort?” she hedged.
I snorted. “I never promised any of them the title of prince. They have all announced and assumed that’s what they’ll be. There are several De la Rosa queen rulers who never give their mate the title of prince.
“Only if they mate another royal. With the sexism in this world? In Thovudin? It seems pretty stupid to me. Let them be Royal Consort like other queens have allowed. Like Alpha Mate to Alphas.”
“Wowwwwww,” Myriam whispered, blinking at me like she’d never seen me as she set down her tray. “Okay, right, so… Sagan 2.0, here we go.”
I almost snorted at her sarcasm, but then I realized maybe she wasn’t wrong.
So why correct her?
“Okay, write up a ‘mating prospects rule book,’” Velle muttered. “Are we doing it with the good wine?”
“That’s almost gone. We’re going to need more,” I muttered. I sighed when they all looked at me. “I didn’t drink it all. I had help.”
“Moving on,” Treena said when Velle and Myriam seemed like they were going to press me on it. “It’s a good idea and we’ll work on it. What else?”
“Lots, always lots. I need to handle something first and then a moment to think to get all the updates,” I admitted. I met her gaze. “I’m changing everything. If people are always going to be unhappy anyways, then I’m just going to do what I want and think is best. They can deal with it or not.”
No one seemed to know what to do with that, and they mostly just watched me as they ate as if waiting for me to crack or give them more.
I caught Onyx staring at me from a few tables away and it made me think of something. “Where are we on the lawsuit with Kole? All of the lawsuits even?”
Myriam cleared her throat and shared a look with Treena before answering. “They’re reviewing it all, but it was made clear that the priority is Kole’s plea deal and damage control, especially now that the text messages were leaked.”
“Get the attorney to file something with more proof to speed up the process and maybe for more damages,” I told her.
“The longer this goes on, the more it harms my reputation. The cost of the reputation of the leader of Thovudin is actually priceless and I was being kind. If they want to play games, I will stop being kind and be petty like them.”
“About fucking time,” Velle muttered.
“The network that bought the picture of you in the tank top said the lawsuit will be thrown out now that there are blurred pictures of you naked and they’re willing to go to court,” Myriam said next.
“Good. Maple or Fraser can help you with that, and I want the network to be prosecuted.” I nodded when people froze.
“It’s illegal to take pictures inside private homes like that.
They bought one knowing it was illegally taken.
That’s always been a gray area. I don’t want it gray anymore.
I want the courts to make it crystal clear what they did was wrong. ”