Chapter 22
Sagan
Raquel was on top of everything and had my grandparents’ rooms completely cleaned out by lunch. I couldn’t even hide my surprise.
She cleared her throat. “A lot of the staff are nervous about losing their jobs, and that would be devastating in this economy. They don’t have as much to do without the special requests of the elders.”
“We’re still working on ideas on how to change roles, yes?” I checked.
“Yes, and on that I had an idea, but I didn’t know—Elira said there was no chance you would approve such a thing. She said it loudly, and I made it clear she needed to stop chastising you in your own home.”
I ran my tongue over my teeth and then decided to finally address whatever was going on. I led her off to the side. “Forgive me, but I find the one-eighty in your opinion of her surprising. May I ask what brought this about?”
Her eyes went bug wide. “Benson didn’t tell you?”
“Apparently not,” I muttered as I tried to keep calm, my dragons sensing too much, and with the stress I was already under… My temper was beyond short.
“We need to go fly. Now,” Iris demanded in my mind.
She was right and I would make time later. I really would.
“Benson saw Elira’s mask slip with you. He recorded it when he was hidden and showed me. He showed all the castle managers or those we trust. We all now know her true self.”
I could have been pushed over with a feather. “When? Which time?”
She cleared her throat. “When you busted her about her relationship with the high priest and—”
I grabbed her arm rougher than I should have, immediately apologizing. “He recorded that. He has proof she admitted it?”
Her mouth fell open, instantly understanding. “You were bluffing.”
“Of course I was, but it wasn’t a leap. The high priest isn’t stupid.” I snorted. “She is. Well, with me because she can’t control her jealousy and—I need that recording.”
“I have it,” she said as she pulled out her phone. She played it and I wanted to cry in relief.
“Thank the gods, because he’s not going quietly,” I whispered. “He truly is planning to have those meetings like she said. He’s rallying all the temple heads that it’s necessary since I’m just a lost little girl without parents.”
“Princess, I’m so, so sorry,” she rasped. “I thought Benson showed you. I thought—I’m sorry I failed you and believed her.”
I opened my mouth but then closed it before sighing.
“I never blamed anyone for liking her. It hurt that it meant people couldn’t like me.
I never did anything to you to deserve your dislike of me, Raquel.
” I cleared my throat when tears burned my eyes.
“Even if the original crime was true. I was a child. No one gave me a second chance or…”
I actually walked away from the conversation which shocked Raquel.
Me too.
I was just so, so tired of having to defend myself and always being the outsider in my own home. These people were supposed to be my biggest supporters.
And they were the harshest and least accepting.
The main designer, heads of the contractor teams, and a few other people were waiting outside my grandparents’ rooms so we could go over them. Seeing them was much different than on paper.
“Everything was filmed as it was and approved by King Rhys’s siblings as what they wanted,” Raquel informed us. “We will do a bit more now that it’s cleaned out since renovations won’t start today but hopefully soon.”
They asked me what I wanted, but I was a bit of a blank. I hadn’t even considered it yet.
Shock rocked me when Raquel saw I was overwhelmed and stepped in, understanding I didn’t know this part or how to be… I wasn’t even sure the word.
That I was missing the feminine programming to decorate or renovate?
She told them that they should design options for me and impress me. That I was leading a nation, not up to date on the best and most functional cabinet designs. I was the future queen and they needed to design the rooms befitting of me.
But of course give me options. I was young, so nothing too stuffy, but keep it regal. A haven and comforting—options. Many options.
I shot her a grateful look when they instantly agreed and were glad for the freedom to shine on their ideas.
Next, we moved on to the rooms the elders had vacated. Even the ones that the staff had packed up and moved out had damage. Not as bad but… Damage.
“Keep with the easiest ones, and I hear you that some of the restoration will take years,” I told them when they nervously rambled on. I glanced at Raquel. “Is this something the staff can help with?” I glanced between them. “I don’t mean to be dismissive of your craft or talent.”
One of the owners of the company gave me a soft look. “No, of course not, Your Highness. There are always jobs for less experienced workers.” He glanced at Raquel. “We would love help. Some of it is very tedious removing of varnish or stain in small areas so we can seamlessly patch those up.”
She snorted. “Clearly, you’ve never had to find every little stain on clothes or sheets. Or polish silverware for hours on end. I can get you hands if it will speed things up and lower the bill.”
I was glad when she added that too. It was important not to double dip.
Oddly enough, it was mostly the bathrooms, and the contractors were fair that was normal wear and tear.
“They’ll have to live with guest rooms and they can move into better rooms later. Or be in the rooms and share bathrooms while theirs are being restored,” I said with a sigh. “They will live.”
“I would suggest a random lottery live for the Alphas so there is no pettiness later,” Raquel said under her breath.
I thanked her for the smart suggestion and focused on the contractors.
“So far, your work has been excellent. You were a referral and I’m very pleased with the price, dedication, quality, and speed.
If that continues, I will make it clear to all of Thovudin you are the contractors the royal family uses.
Plus, there are more areas of the castle and the De la Rosa properties. ”
A different boss dipped his head to me. “The first three are no problem, Your Highness, but this speed isn’t realistic long-term. Our guys need breaks and have their own families—they’ve been living here almost.”
“That’s very fair, but then the work might need to be broken up,” Raquel interjected, dipping her head to me.
“My mother managed some updating for your grandmother and that was how they handled it.
Long shifts over a week for each project and then the teams had an easier job before taking that schedule again.
“We want no one to break, but the castle cannot become a long-term jobsite. Not with the risks to our queen soon and how tricky this all is for security. Plus, the longer you’re here at this location specifically, the greater the chance someone could threaten them for a chance at the princess.
I think we continue this next week and then start staggering. ”
They shared several looks before the owner nodded. “Thank you for understanding. I didn’t even think about my guys possibly being in danger. We work mostly on Alpha residences but yeah, it’s a much greater—we can work something out and I won’t even tell them which location or project.”
“With your permission, I’ll outline how it worked before with Benson,” Raquel offered.
“People can’t—there are security layers added if someone cannot know when to slip through any cracks or what area they’ll be at in the castle.
The trick is to keep it from you going forward.
You do not enter the area after your rooms are done. ”
I studied her and nodded. “However you and Benson feel is best. I trust your wisdom on this, thank you.”
That would take more time, but if it meant keeping me alive… The prospective mating candidates could stay in the fucking guest rooms. They really could.
Thinking on all of that made me realize there was something I hadn’t done since my parents had died and I’d come home.
Visit their rooms.
Darren and Maple had handled finding the correct clothes for my parents to be buried in which seemed silly given the state they’d… Plane crashes weren’t pretty.
I nodded to the guards that were stationed at the door to their suite.
I must have studied them a little too long because one answered my unasked question.
They wouldn’t always be stationed there, but given there were outsiders in the castle, issues with the elders, and so many guests before, Benson had immediately ordered a detail to guard their suite.
At least he handled something as he should have.
Also, everything was filmed top to bottom. Not to be nosy, but so nothing could go missing later and we had no idea or way to track it in the confusion. He’d even added additional temporary cameras inside to make sure no one—just to make sure.
I thanked them both for taking it so seriously and went inside.
Grief hit me instantly but not in the way most would think. It wasn’t their loss so much as… It was hard to explain.
My heart broke realizing it was maybe the fifth time I’d ever been inside my parents’ rooms. I’d probably been in there a lot as a small child when I couldn’t remember, but I was shipped out so early for school with guards and nannies that I rarely spent time at home.
Their suite was as foreign to me as they were. Glancing around there were pictures hanging of them when they were younger that I’d never seen. I had no idea their bedding was a light blue. I remembered it purple at one time, so that had been updated.
I sniffled and wiped my eyes. Why hadn’t they wanted me to know them? Why had they pushed me away and left me all alone?
I moved over to the picture of their wedding and ran my fingers along the frame. “You had each other. I only had me. You couldn’t even have had a sibling for me? Why did you let me live this way? What did I do wrong? Why did I deserve this?”