“Welcome, Evrim,” I started, keeping my tone light and amiable. “It was a pleasure to see your family again last night. I only regret I never had the chance to meet your mother. I hear she was the most beautiful woman in all of Lumnos.”
Evrim gaped at me for a long beat, then a shade of fondness softened his features. “Yes, she was.”
“She would have been so proud of all you’ve built. Of her beautiful grandchildren, too.”
Evrim went a bit moony-eyed, and I nearly turned around and kissed Eleanor. She’d given me a wealth of advice on how to woo Evrim, and so far, it was working brilliantly.
“I hear your son is in the top of his class.” I batted my lashes prettily. “He takes after his father, I’m sure.”
“Not enough to my liking. He’s got a rebellious spirit, but with the right discipline, I’ll break it soon enough.”
My heart twisted at his cold tone.
“Interesting that you should mention my son,” he went on. “Lorris tells me that when he met you, you claimed to be from one of the smaller Houses.”
I stiffened. “I didn’t—”
“Her Majesty was born to Harold Corbois,” Remis interrupted. “His line was quite distant. He never resided at the palace with the rest of the family. He died before her birth, and she was raised by kind neighbors who took her in.”
“And your mother?” Evrim asked me.
“Died in childbirth, sadly,” Remis answered for me. “Her name is lost to history. From a lower House, I hear.”
I clenched my jaw. I had never planned to hide my status as a half-mortal. Risky as it might be, the half-mortal children Luther had smuggled out—and the ones he couldn’t save—deserved a Queen willing to claim them as her kin.
With one smooth lie, Remis had just taken that choice out of my hands.
“Marthe Hanoverre seems to believe Her Majesty was born of a mortal parent,” Evrim said.
“House Hanoverre accuses everyone they dislike of being a half-breed,” Garath said dismissively, and I had to curb my stunned look at his joining in the ruse.
Evrim drummed his fingers against the arm of his chair and studied me closely. His gaze roved my body, lingering on my chest a beat too long. A quiet growl rumbled from a chair behind me.
“Such a tragic upbringing,” Evrim said with false sympathy. “House Corbois abandoned its ties to you as a child. If you’re looking for another House to take you in, House Benette has much to offer.”
Remis and Garath squirmed in their seats. I rubbed my chin and let the offer hang for as long as I dared, reveling in their discomfort. I sighed and set my hand over the phoenix medallion. “A generous offer, but I will never, ever turn my back on my family.”
If only they knew the true intention behind those words.
Remis gave me a gracious smile shaded with relief, then looked back to Evrim. “Her Majesty is keen to continue the prosperity of my late brother’s reign. Since I have been ruling as Regent for several months, I will continue to take the lead—”
“The last several months have been disastrous,” Evrim said. “We’re losing business to Umbros, and my top clients have been receiving threats. Now those terrorists have destroyed my armory. If that is your leadership, it hardly gives me comfort.”
“What would give you comfort?” Remis challenged.
Evrim’s gaze slid to the chairs lined up behind me. “You can hardly expect me to speak openly with one of them in the room.”
“Andrei is a celebrated Commander in the Emarion Army,” I cut in. “His loyalty is indisputable.”
“He’s a mortal,” Evrim spat. “His very presence here is an insult.”
“He was an advisor to Ulther and helped him suppress several rebel uprisings,” I shot back. “I brought him here to show you how committed I am to preventing further violence.”
Evrim leaned forward and laid his elbows on his knees, glaring at me from beneath his brows. “I don’t want to prevent further violence. I want to hit them back ten times harder. I want to show those mortals the consequences of not knowing their place. We’ve allowed them to live here—”
“We—the mortals were here first,” I snapped.
I prayed my slip of the tongue went unnoticed, but too many of them shifted their weight, too many eyes narrowed in.
“This realm was given to us by the Kindred,” Evrim said.
“With a mandate to protect the mortals.”
“With a mandate to rule over them as we see fit. It is no coincidence the Crown has only ever been given to a Descended. It is our divine right.”
“My divine right. And I will rule over them, and you, as I see fit.”
Evrim leaned back in his chair and tilted his head to the side as he stared me down. Any friendliness I’d earned with my earlier flattery had crumbled to ash.
Garath cleared his throat. “Let us speak bluntly, Evrim. What will it take to avoid a Challenge from House Benette?”
“I want the people responsible for the attack on me found and tortured until they reveal everyone in their network.” Evrim spoke icily and without hesitation, his answer clearly settled long before today. “I want every Guardian found and executed. Publicly. Gruesomely. And then I want their families imprisoned to show the rest of them what happens if they cross us again.”
“You would have me punish innocent people?” I asked.
“I’m not done,” Evrim barked. “I want every eligible mortal enlisted in the army. They started this war, let them go off and fight it.”
“Fortos doesn’t have the resources to take on that many new soldiers,” my father’s voice rang out. “They barely have enough weapons as it is.”
I winced, proud of him for speaking up but knowing it was the worst possible thing to say.
Evrim smiled, visions of gold coins practically glinting in his eyes. “Then let them buy more. We’ll happily accommodate their orders.”
“Conscripting unwilling soldiers does more harm than good,” my father countered. “They may work against the army from within, sabotaging missions or diverting weapons to the rebels.”
“As long as they’re off Lumnos soil, I don’t care what they do. Let the Fortos King punish them.”
“The Emarion Army serves the entire continent. We can’t just think of ourselves—”
Evrim scoffed at me in disgust. “This is the kind of advisor you keep? A mortal who prioritizes other realms over our own home? Perhaps House Benette should Challenge you, after all.”
The room chilled into a deep silence. My fingernails dug into the armrests of my throne as I paused to choose my next words. Remis cut in before I could decide between diplomacy and annihilation.
“I’m sure we can find a compromise,” Remis said brightly. “Perhaps exceptions from army service for mortals who work for the Twenty Houses. As for the families of the rebels, we can give them a week’s notice to leave the realm. If they’re innocent, they will go. If not, we’ll consider it an act of solidarity with the rebels and arrest them for treason.”
Wood creaked beneath my fingers, my composure beginning to crack. This was Remis’s compromise? This was the plan he expected me to sit quietly and accept?