“What kind of assurance could they possibly expect? The last King did whatever he wanted without consequence—” His upper lip curled slightly at my words. “—I doubt they’ll expect any less of me.”
“They may ask you to enter into a bonded bargain.”
He said the final two words with a tricky smile, a gleam of arrogance as he toyed with me. I had no clue what a bonded bargain was, and I suspected he knew it.
For a moment, I regretted not insisting that Luther stay. He had a way of anticipating the things I didn’t know and slipping the answers to me in a way that never made me feel ignorant or ashamed. Luther probably would have goaded Remis to lay out everything he knew from the very beginning instead of engaging in this painful, prolonged tug-of-war.
But Luther wasn’t the Crown—I was. And no matter what fondness might be growing between us, he was not part of my long-term plans. I needed to show everyone, including Remis—including myself—that I could handle the throne on my own.
I faked a yawn and idly swirled my wine. “This meeting is growing tedious. Get to the point.”
I took the tiniest victory from the way his smugness vanished. “Under a bonded bargain, if a party breaks an agreement, they lose their magic until they follow through on the terms. If they cannot, their magic is gone forever. The bargains are sealed using the Forging magic that created the nine realms, so even a Crown can’t escape the consequences.”
“I’m not putting my magic at risk to ensure a House gets preferential treatment on some trivial concern.”
“Of course not, Your Majesty. A bonded bargain is a risk to both parties. They will only demand it for matters of the highest importance.”
“And what matters are those?”
He gave another lazy, half-hearted shrug. “It could be any number of things.”
“Be frank or stop wasting my time, Remis,” I snapped.
“Matters involving mortals,” he said curtly. “Rebel attacks are increasing in every realm. We had one on our own soil just days ago. The Houses will expect you to find and execute the terrorists responsible and suppress any further rebellion.”
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly as dry as the Ignios deserts. “If King Ulther couldn’t stop the attacks, what do they expect me to do?”
“For all my late brother’s accomplishments, his strength against the rebels was not one of them. The Houses have long complained that the Crown is far too soft when it comes to mortals.”
My shock was so visceral, so loaded with the memories of too many injustices to number, that my body reacted before I could stop myself.
“Soft?” I hissed. I gripped the arms of my chair and leaned forward, my fingernails carving into the polished wood. “There is not a mortal or half-mortal in all of Lumnos who would label the King’s treatment of them as soft.” My face twisted in revulsion. “Especially all the children buried in the gods-damned ground.”
His dark blue eyes darted over my face and body, taking in the signs of my rage, and I was immediately aware of how fully I had shown my hand.
But I didn’t care. The cold numbness following my explosion in the dungeon had finally faded, and my temper now filled my belly with a familiar fire. It wasn’t the violence-loving malice of the godhood, but a reminder of who I was at my core—a woman who cared deeply and would fight tooth and nail for those who needed defending.
“What exactly would Houses have me do, round up all the mortals and execute them?” I seethed.
Instead of denying it, Remis looked thoughtful, and my anger spiked. I had the vague sense that might have been exactly why he did it.
“Many feel that we should follow the lead of the other realms who have closed their borders to mortals,” he said.
“And what of the mortals already here?”
He breathed out a weary sigh. “That has been particularly controversial. Most believe we should at least set up a perimeter to limit their movement.” He watched me carefully, though he kept his expression perfectly vacant as he talked. “Ulther made quite a few enemies when he refused to forbid romantic relations between mortals and Descended. He outlawed the offspring as a compromise, but I’ve no doubt the Houses will expect to see that loophole closed.”
Everything in me wanted to jump out of my chair and scream. The entitlement, the inhumanity, the utter lack of compassion or decency—
“Should I take this to mean you desire to take a lighter approach?” Remis asked calmly.
A million angry words stomped on my tongue as Luther’s advice played in my head: Tell them as little as possible. About yourself, your plans, your magic.
No good would come from revealing my intentions here. Even if some bout of temporary insanity convinced me that I could use Remis in my plans, it would be as a pawn, not an ally.
I leaned back and drummed my fingers on the table. “Keeping the realm safe is, of course, my top priority. All those who have taken innocent lives will be dealt with swiftly and harshly.” I softened my expression, giving him my most appeasing smile. “Your counsel today has been most helpful. I can see you being a vital part of my reign. Perhaps in an even larger role than you were offered by your late brother.”
My arrow struck true. Remis’s smile danced with the promise of power.
“But only if you convince me you can control the Twenty Houses,” I warned. “You spoke once of the relationships House Corbois wields—so use them. Show me you can be trusted to protect my interests as well as your own.”
Remis gave me an appraising stare, and I watched as the gears spun in his mind. He didn’t like me, but short of inheriting the Crown himself, I was his best shot at maintaining power. And he knew it.
“May I offer some very blunt advice, Your Majesty?”
“By all means, please do.”
“Defer to me in the House Receptions. Let them believe you’re an empty-headed girl willingly controlled by me.”
I snorted my rejection, and Remis raised a palm, cutting me short.
“Only until after the Challenging,” he amended. “The other Houses know I will aim to keep power within House Corbois. That will focus their negotiations on more selfish concerns for them or their Houses…”
“…instead of issues that concern the entire realm, such as the mortals,” I finished, slowly understanding.
Remis nodded with a vulpine smile. “Go to the ball and play the part. Be the vapid girl they expect. If they ask you a question of any importance, tell them only to take it up with me. It will infuriate them—but in a way that is predictable and easy to control.”
It wasn’t a bad idea. If I could keep attention off me and keep the Houses focused on Remis, I might stand a chance. I raised my goblet of wine to him in salute. “Clever, Regent. Very clever.”
Remis gave me a gracious nod, his lips quivering with the self-satisfied grin he was failing badly at hiding. “It would also be wise to take a young Corbois man as your attendant to control speculation about your marriage prospects.”
I started to announce Aemonn as my escort, then thought better of it as a plan began to form. “Which of my handsome new cousins would you recommend for the job?”