Chapter Five
CHAPTER
FIVE
Two days after the funeral, Scarlett stepped out of her palatial family home and onto the dock that extended out over the sparkling Sapphire Canal.
One of their security guards was waiting on her family’s speedboat with their driver, Charlie.
Another guard followed Manon. Sick of watching the news, since there’d been no update in the investigation into her dad’s death, Scarlett had decided to act on the feelings that had been simmering since the funeral.
She was going to the Soleil courts to apply to join Parliament early.
Once she and Manon were seated in the boat’s enclosed cabin, Charlie pulled out into the waterway.
They sped down the canal and under the numerous footbridges connecting the northern and southern halves of the city.
The view of the morning sun on the water in front of the palazzo-style residences was as dazzling as ever, and it was a relief to Scarlett to know she could still find the Sapphire Canal beautiful in spite of everything.
Her feelings were all over the place as they rode into town.
There was the ever-present omnipotent sorrow for her dad.
She was also silently mourning the loss of her year abroad, which made her feel guilty.
Because she shouldn’t care. But she did.
She’d give up the travel, though, for Soleil. For the greater good.
Hadrian’s Roundabout came into view. The statue of the long-dead Emperor Hadrian at the center of the three-lane circular waterway towered over her, as it always had.
Even through the lens of grief, these familiar sights remained the same.
It made sense life would go on, but the change within Scarlett was so enormous she almost expected the world to look different too.
The traffic was as busy as ever as Charlie maneuvered the speedboat through it.
Scarlett stared up at the lofty statue as they passed.
She’d always loved the look of Hadrian’s Roundabout.
It marked the beginning of the grandiose buildings of the city center, where large plots of land that held the Soleil train station, Parliament, and the University of Soleil sat within a grid of canals.
It also reminded her of Soleil’s colorful past. Founded two hundred years ago, Soleil was one of seven countries created when the empire spanning the continent of Hieratia disbanded after the Great War.
Soleil had the legacy of a thousand-year reign of emperors and the promise of a modern new beginning now that they were on the cusp of reintegrating with more of the world.
Or at least it had seemed that way before her father died.
Scarlett hoped Soleil’s promising future wasn’t lost with him.
That was why she was going to the courts—to do everything she could to make the future bright.
Charlie pulled the boat up to Prince’s Street Dock. It was almost always heaving with people, given the huge dock was the main access point to the city center from the residential canals on the western side.
Scarlett stepped out of the cabin. “Thanks for the ride, Charlie. It may be several hours. I’ll call when we’re done.”
“Sounds good, kid.”
The security guards made to follow her and Manon. Tired of the constant presence of near strangers, Scarlett spun toward them.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but the Soleil Bureau told me yesterday there’s now a low security risk for my family. I think we all know your days of being assigned to us are numbered. Would you mind giving me some privacy to run this errand?”
“Scarlett, anytime you begin a sentence with the phrase ‘I don’t mean to be rude,’ it’s common knowledge you’re about to say something rude,” said Manon.
The guards chuckled, and Scarlett’s mouth quirked up in a half-grin as warmth crept across her cheeks.
“Sorry for being short,” she said. “It’s been a rough few days.”
“It’s fine. We understand,” said one of the guards. He glanced at his partner, who shrugged, then turned back to Scarlett. “We’re here for your safety until otherwise assigned, but we can follow from a distance if you’d prefer.”
“We don’t have to go inside a civic building with its own security,” said the other.
“Great. Thank you.” With a wave, Scarlett led Manon toward the courts.
Their security dipped into a café across from the courts, so Manon and Scarlett were blissfully alone as they walked up the steps into the Court of Soleil.
The imposing gray limestone building sat just up the canal from Parliament.
Recognition flickered across the face of the clerk who greeted them, and they were quickly shown to a private office and asked to wait.
“Are you sure about joining Parliament?” asked her grandmother for the third time. “You know it would be okay to still take a year off while you’re mourning. You never know. Maybe Elestine Spencer will manage the border on her own.”
“But I told you what Moira said. She clearly didn’t want me to join now, which means the head of the Goldenrod Party thinks I can make a difference.
I have to do this.” She looked down at the table in front of them.
Scarlett was resolved but still wished the responsibility wasn’t hers.
Then she glanced up and noticed a framed poster on the wall.
It was old. Probably a hundred years old.
The slogan read, “Stronger Without It! Magic Is a Blight!” The illustrated graphic showed a clean-cut-looking woman and her children—obviously Soleil citizens—turning away from a sinister-looking man whose clawlike hands shot bolts of lightning at them.
The caricature made Scarlett wince, but her resolve also strengthened.
Her country needed to move on, and she would help them do it.
A woman in a brown tweed suit greeted them warmly as she stepped into the small room. “Good morning, Lady Heroux. I’m Shannen, an officer of the court.”
The use of her new title was a constant reminder of her dad. Unlike her seat in Parliament, the title and her father’s money had passed to Scarlett immediately.
She shook Shannen’s hand. “Good morning, Shannen.”
Manon stood. “I’m Lady Heroux’s grandmother. You may call me Manon. I’m here for moral support. I hope that’s all right.”
“That’s perfectly fine,” said Shannen. “I want to offer my condolences, Lady Heroux, on the passing of your father. It’s a huge loss for the country.”
“Thank you for the kind words,” said Scarlett woodenly. Her oft-repeated response was becoming automatic.
They all took their places at the small table.
“I understand you want to file a petition for an exception to the age of inheritance,” said Shannen.
Scarlett straightened in her chair. “Yes. I’ve read there’s precedent for it. Is that right?”
Shannen gave her a small nod. “Yes, in several instances, particularly when the heir in question is over eighteen and the peer has passed away. I’m confident your application will be approved without issue.”
Scarlett let out a relieved sigh. “Good.”
“I’ve brought a few forms for you to fill out.
” Shannen placed a small pile of papers in front of Scarlett.
“Once we’ve filed these, it’ll take some time to process them.
There is a special panel of judges who rule specifically on issues relating to the peers of Parliament, and I believe their next meeting takes place two weeks from today. ”
Scarlett’s brow furrowed. Two weeks was ages. She shook her head, forcing herself to relax. She could use the two weeks to meet with her future colleagues and speak to the swing voters. She’d use any goodwill she had as the dead prime minister’s daughter.
“I bet the Ceruleans will be elated to hear you’re filing,” said Shannen, snapping Scarlett out of her thoughts. Shannen handed her a pen.
Scarlett gave her a tired half-smile. At least someone would be happy.
Her mind flashed to Brayden’s face when she’d told him she had to stay in Soleil for now to focus on joining Parliament.
He hadn’t been able to hide his disappointment, but he’d understood her sense of duty and had been supportive.
“I hope so.” She turned her attention to the forms.
“They’ll be over the moon,” said Manon, sounding pleased. “I’m pretty sure there was a twenty-four-hour Cerulean prayer vigil for the rise of Scarlett Heroux. I hope they appreciate her stepping up so soon…”
Shannen smiled politely, but her eyes were on Scarlett as she passed back the first form.
“While you’re here, have you considered naming an heir?
Now you’re the head of household for House Heroux.
I brought this form as well, just in case.
” She pulled another sheet of paper out of a folder and slid it toward Scarlett.
“My brother, Beaufort, would be next in line—correct?” asked Scarlett.
“Yes, but if he’s your explicit heir, you can act as his legal guardian. You’d have all the same rights as his mother. With the paperwork filed, it’d be in place should you need it down the line.”
The idea of being Beni’s legal guardian brought lightness to Scarlett’s soul. Being able to protect him from his mother would be huge.
“That sounds prudent. Let’s do it.”
A short while later, the paperwork was filed, and Scarlett and Manon were standing on the breezy steps outside the courts. Their security guards were nowhere in sight, but they were probably close by.
Manon faced Scarlett. “We don’t have to go straight home. Would you like to stop for a pastry somewhere, maybe walk along one of the quieter roads for a while? Then we can come back here and pretend we were inside the courts the whole time, so the guards don’t get in trouble.”
With a scarf over her hair and wearing a nondescript black dress and boots as she was, Scarlett knew she wouldn’t be recognized. “That sounds lovely,” she said. She’d end up regretting the decision if she were spotted, but it was such a beautiful day.
Things were looking up. She was Beni’s legal guardian, Laylani and Moira couldn’t touch her, and when she eventually passed the border legislation, Brayden could come visit. Or she’d visit him during a parliamentary recess. For the first time since her dad’s death, she felt optimistic.
They were heading down a side street with croissants in hand when an arm encased Scarlett’s waist and a large body pressed into her from behind.
Scarlett breathed deeply, intending to scream, but a soft cloth was already over her mouth when she inhaled.
Something sharp poked her neck as a sweet, medicinal smell flooded her senses.
Her struggling ceased as she slipped quickly into unconsciousness.