“And which one am I?”
“I would have thought that was obvious. Elder Cestrum still wishes to put his nephew on the throne despite his nephew’s unexpected reluctance, but I have come to understand the error of that choice and believe that you, Your Highness, have a chance to do great things if you have the right people at your side. Your father was at odds with the Elders, but I could convince them to work with you. As representatives of the districts, the Council of Elders wields a great deal of power with the High Lords and the common people. Influence a smart man could use—if he were to win the Trials and become King. Perhaps a smart man could figure out how to tap into that influence even before the Trials’ end to guarantee that he wins.”
Andreus went still as he studied Elder Jacobs, who was watching the dance floor as though the words he spoke were of little importance. For a second he wished Carys were with him. She would be able to untangle everything Elder Jacobs had said, and all that he hadn’t. If Elder Jacobs knew about Imogen and their relationship, how much else did he know? Could he know about the curse? Carys would be able to read into the hidden meanings of the words. She’d be able to tell him if she thought the Elder suspected Andreus’s affliction and was simply toying with him, or if his offer of the crown and the support of the Council were real.
If they were, the crown would be his no matter what his sister’s plan. The Council and the districts they represented would bend knee and follow him without question. He would be a stronger King than his stubborn father was or his intractable brother ever would have been.
He looked at the throne as it gleamed bright as the sun on the dais and heard Imogen’s voice playing in his head as she warned him to beware of his twin. Of the desire for power that had taken hold in Carys even as she pretended to be working to hand that power to him.
“Your sister is clever, my prince,” Imogen had said while buried in his arms. “She understands that the love of the people holds more power than any crown. By killing the man she sent to attack you, she has gained the support of those who once looked upon her with doubt.”
He shook his head, hating that he worried whether what Imogen said was true. “If Carys had wanted to win the throne she could have just let the man kill me. Instead, she killed him.”
“And in doing so gained the admiration of everyone watching. Just yesterday they were calling you their hero, but now even though she is losing the Trials, the Princess is all they talk about.”
The court had spoken about her, too. And all with fascination.
“I am sorry, my prince, but I fear your sister has turned against you. If she knew about us I would say it was jealousy that has caused her to do you harm. After all, she is your twin. She feels she has a claim on your heart. Who knows what other lengths she might go to keep it?”
He didn’t want to believe that Carys could be involved in the attack against him, but the more he thought about it, the more he recalled the way she assumed that if she truly competed, she would win the Trials and the throne would belong to her. She wanted the throne, but once he’d objected to her plan for him to help her gain it, she pretended to have no interest.
And then there was Carys’s reaction to learning that he had spent the night with the seeress instead of waiting for his sister to return from the North Tower. His sister had acted as though he’d betrayed her. But she was the one who was guilty of betrayal. She was the one who with her secrets and now her jealousy was intent on harm.
The stilettos, the Tears of Midnight, and Carys’s ball gown—and its possible connection to the seamstress Captain Monteros was searching Garden City for—proved louder than words that his sister was skilled at hiding things from him. He had been a fool to take his sister at her word. Imogen’s assertions made sense and her worry for him was real. He should have paid attention to the doubt he felt when Carys promised her interest in the crown was only to protect him from his curse.
But he would also be a fool to take Elder Jacobs at his word now. And he was done being anyone’s fool.
“After your support of Garret, it would be hard for a smart man to trust you at your word, my lord.”
Elder Jacobs smiled. “That is not only true, it is wise. Trust is earned and I would like us to trust one another. I find the virtue of temperance fascinating. I suppose I had no choice since I grew up in Mulinia. But I believe I would be intrigued by the complexity of the virtue even if I had not. So much of temperance is about not giving in to one’s most passionate emotions and impulses. That sounds so simple, but I find the virtue of temperance to be a double-edged sword. Don’t you?”
Andreus waited for the Elder to make himself clear. “Because temperance can cause inaction. It can also cause confusion. You see, it is easy to understand how a person should not give in to emotions like anger, but it is harder to see that temperance applies as well to the desire to forgive—and to gain approval from those around them. Especially if a person is King. Kings cannot give in to their desire for affection when they have been betrayed. That is when strong action is required. A definitive line must be drawn in the sand so people know it cannot be crossed.”
“Are you saying you don’t believe I can draw that line?”
“Me?” Elder Jacobs shook his head. “No. But there are others on the Council who have . . . concerns.”
“What kind of concerns?” Andreus demanded.
“Your lack of enthusiasm for your training with the guard, your willingness to work with commoners on the windmills, and your fondness for the boy who you rescued make many wonder if you are weak. A kingdom this large must be ruled in part by strength—a strength your sister showed at the tournament today. The Council and the kingdom know that she will deal swiftly and permanently with any who seek to injure the kingdom or the crown. I fear by tomorrow the Council will be tailoring the Trials to ensure they can award points to Princess Carys. Unless, of course, you do something to change their minds.”
Two lords and their ladies walked over to extend their sympathy to Prince Andreus.
He clenched his fists at his side, but smiled and thanked the nobles for their kind words. Then, he apologized for needing time to confer with the Elder about an important and private matter.
“Of course, Your Highness. Please tell the Queen she is in our thoughts.”
He assured them he would even though he knew he wouldn’t. As far as he knew his mother was still in a drug-induced stupor. He hoped she would stay that way until he could secure the crown.
If the Council was turning toward Carys, it meant they were once again seeing Andreus as second best.