9
Sagan
I let out a slow breath and nodded for June to go ahead. Her gaze flashed shock, but she kept it together and dove right in.
“What are your thoughts, Your Majesty?”
“That I’m not surprised,” I answered, continuing when people went tense. “First, I’ve spoken with Princess Killara several times and she’s bright, thoughtful, and prudent. She obviously was raised well and had a good role model and I expected nothing less from Queen Rani when I spoke with her.
“It was—she is nothing like most paint her.
The world is too sexist, and if she was a man they would sing her praises.
I have nothing but positive things to say about her.
She was gracious about our help and had nothing but compliments about our people and what they did.
I believe ‘organized and dedicated’ was one of the first things she said.
“In a situation they had no training for?
Most never having faced before? Wonderful.
I was proud that was how another world leader saw our selfless dragons who went there to help.
And while I know too many have reservations about warthog shifters because of old poison, I never have and find their bluntness refreshing. I told Queen Rani as much.
“Our conversation was short but evidently more fruitful than I understood and I’m glad I took the chance to help.
She asked for nothing and we could help and now it benefits our people who need the aid as well.
” I let out a slow breath and decided to keep being bold as she said.
“We will graciously accept her offer in the hopes of becoming friends with Fiete.”
“We will?” she checked, seeming a bit nervous.
“Only a fool wouldn’t, and no matter what some people say, I’m not actually a fool,” I replied. “And once it’s handled seamlessly—because I would expect nothing less of anything Queen Rani is involved with—and our renovations are finished here, I will invite her to visit.”
June cleared her throat. “I don’t think the royal family of Fiete has ever visited here—the castle, I mean.”
“They have,” I chuckled. “Just not in recent decades, but Thovudin and the De la Rosas have a long, long history of not only being friends with many of the nation’s leaders, but hosting summits and peace talks.
I hope to bring us back to that now that the elders aren’t holding us back and poisoning our relationships.
Look how one budding friendship can benefit us. ”
There wasn’t much to be said after that except there was something else that I wanted to drive home after a few more questions I answered.
“Having a small, intimate visit will also be very informative on the potential of the mating prospects,” I said when she seemed to want to move along.
“That is the purpose of them being here. If they never have the chance to dip their toe into the waters being my mate requires… What’s really the point of this besides the spectacle and to pressure me? ”
Something like victory danced in June’s eyes, almost like she hoped the conversation would turn this way.
“Yes, and too many of them haven’t even traveled outside of Thovudin.
I would think it would weed out some of these bottom of the barrel prospects that were decided for you because of who they’re related to and you can move on to actual matches worthy of you. ”
Holy shit. June had just said maybe one of the first unprofessional things in our interviews.
“Your mother is the perfect example of the gems we have in our nation, so limiting you to the Alphas families was flawed from the start,” she continued, acting like it was the “contest” that was the problem and she didn’t just shit on the contestants.
“There are at least a dozen highly-educated, well-traveled, self-made, and moral men that I would have thought better matches.”
Everyone in the room besides me had trouble covering their reactions.
I simply smiled at her. “Well, as I’ve said repeatedly even if people ignore me.
I won’t settle for anything less than the partner that Thovudin deserves for their ruler to have.
I know some think I should have multiple mates as if five bland candidates make up one exceptional one, but that isn’t actually how it works.
It means five that will probably embarrass Thovudin. ”
Myriam made the mic drop gesture from the corner of my eye and it was hard to not react.
“Speaking of embarrassments to Thovudin,” June continued as if we hadn’t shit all over a bunch of people with powerful connections. “Kyle Elmore wouldn’t go on the record denying what you said. His station demanded an interview with a truth dragon that they would put on air or he was fired.”
I chuckled darkly. “I expect an apology from their station and that show specifically. Toni reached out to say he was going over the line and wasn’t making any jokes.
They told her we were being too sensitive.
” I turned and looked at the camera. “I don’t think we were, and most people would agree with me that maybe you should have asked why he was fixated on me. ”
I doubt I’d get much of anything, but my point was made, and at least they looked bad now. Kyle’s career was ruined, and hopefully he had to give back his millions he got from the contract renewal he just had last year or whatever.
Probably not because life was unfair like that.
June gave me a weird look when we finished, so I didn’t leave like normal, asking her to hang back instead. Once the camera was packed up and everyone else stepped out, I simply raised an eyebrow.
“A colleague is looking into your uncle taking over the Gurren family and it was hostile,” she warned me.
“He’s trying to make it look dirty and like you’re pulling strings—your grandfather ran his mouth from what I can tell.
He wants to look the victim and like it was right to stay out of the royal family’s business and it’s already corrupted your uncle. ”
“I appreciate the warning,” I told her honestly, searching her eyes. “You know that’s not what happened, right?”
She snorted. “If it was a story about Darren Gurren getting caught burying candidates who hurt you, I would believe it. But corruption? No. That man—no one in his company has an ill word to say about him except the dirty ones who want him to be immoral. I met a cleaning woman from his company once—randomly doing a story. She praised him more than the gods.”
I snorted, thinking all of that was pretty accurate. “I’ll handle it and figure out how to… You couldn’t have this story and all of the ones you already do with me. Do you have an actual friend that’s clean and would get Darren’s side and be professional?”
“Not from our station, but it will be a problem that it’s not from our station with our connection,” she admitted.
“Get me who he should talk to from your station and your friend. We’ll handle it.”
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you for the tip because Darren is—he’s doing the right thing.”
“He seems the type,” she admitted.
Darren had already flown back out to the Gurren compound because it was the first weekly dinner that he was the head of the family at and apparently everyone was in attendance.
I swore under my breath because that meant I couldn’t get to him before his father could do real damage or… A list of things.
But also that Darren might have his phone off.
“Listen to Queen Rani,” Eloise demanded in my mind.
She was right. This wasn’t the time to make a call. It was time to be bold and it was something to handle in person.
I immediately found Benson, glad when it was obvious he was off shift. I told my guards I was in for the night and I was with him so it was fine.
He frowned but nodded to them that he would cover me until I was back in my suite so to not worry.
It might seem crazy that I would even need guards in my own castle—and a lot of times I didn’t—but with the amount of threats I’d dealt with in my castle, I would have a death wish not to have people watching my back.
“I need you to get me to Darren,” I told him quietly. I watched as an array of emotions played over his face starting with confusion because he thought at first I didn’t know he had already flown out.
Yeah, of course I knew that. Why else would I approach a pilot?
I fisted the front of his sweater when he opened his mouth to argue. “Listen to me clearly. Get me there and make it quiet or I will get there myself and it will be a mess that cannot be cleaned up, savvy?”
He swallowed loudly, fully understanding I would use Eloise to do it. He studied my eyes for a minute. “How bad?”
I let him go. “I don’t know but…” I frowned. I felt off. Almost like that charge of magic I had experienced after my parents had died that seemed to come from the castle itself if I had to pinpoint it. “I need to get to him before—please?”
He shocked me by leaning in and brushing his lips over my temple. “Don’t make me regret it. Slip out and get to the second hanger. I’ll tell them I want to test the updates myself on a night flight.”
“Thank you,” I breathed, ignoring how my body reacted to the intimate gesture.
I raced off to change and then told the guards at my door I was just going to work in my father’s study and a detail wasn’t needed.
That was right by the security room, so they didn’t think anything of it which was perfect.
But they were also kind of dense because I never went there and that should have clued them in.
“They shouldn’t question their queen and you're allowed to have your space,” Iris defended. “You gave them cover for their jobs. They’re not your babysitters or keepers.”
Fair enough.
I shouldn’t have been surprised when Belinda was waiting for me where I was sneaking out, but there was another ancient with her… One I hadn’t even had the chance to meet yet.
“It’s really getting embarrassing that I haven’t met any of them yet, Belinda,” I said, dipping my head to the ancient.