“I take it you didn’t make much progress.”
“Much would imply any movement at all,” Eric said. “Talking to Master Goodman is like arguing with a wall. He listens politely, then repeats his position verbatim.”
“It’s actually impressive how consistent he is,” Cora said, from the table. “You can tell he’s an expert.”
“I don’t know how you can be so cheerful,” Eric said. “He’s been unbearably rude to you from the beginning.”
“’M used to it.” Cora had popped a whole hard-?boiled egg into her mouth and was chewing furiously. “People usually are. I think Raes was the first person who took me seriously.”
“People are stupid,” Raesinia said. She turned from Eric to Cora. “So, you don’t see any chance of getting to an agreement we can actually afford?”
She shook her head. “He doesn’t have any reason to give us one unless something changes. If Janus has a setback, maybe we could threaten to walk away.”
“That’s the problem,” Eric said gloomily. “It’s hard to negotiate when you haven’t got any leverage.”
Cora laughed. “Well, if we need leverage, at least we’re in the right city.”
Raesinia blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“Oh. It’s a joke.” Cora swallowed and set her plate down to gesture. “In finance, leverage can also mean debt. Because it helps you lift more than you otherwise could, you know? And Viadre has the largest debt markets in the world.” She caught the look on Raesinia’s face and sighed. “Not a great joke, I guess.”
“No,” Raesinia said. Something was whirling at the back of her mind, the core of an idea. It’s not all there yet, but... “You said you still had credit to your name here, right?”
“Some,” she said. “Quite a bit, actually, but not on the scale we need. Not if we’re talking about the national debt.”
“But you could grow it. With leverage.”
“Y-yes.” Cora turned away from the buffet to face Raesinia. “Probably. It might not be easy.”
“I know you can do it,” Raesinia said. “From now on, that’s your main assignment.”
She met Cora’s gaze and saw the flicker of worry in the girl’s eyes. Raesinia forced herself to look confident and watched as Cora drew herself up. It was manipulation, pure and simple. Cora couldn’t let her friend down, and so if Raesinia had confidence in her she’d try her damnedest regardless of how she felt. It was the sort of trick Raesinia had employed all her life—?she thought about Ben, with his puppy-?dog crush on her, and how she’d used him to further the revolution—?and she felt only a faint twinge of guilt. That’s what being a queen does to you.
“It’ll take some time,” Cora said. “I don’t know if I can get anywhere fast enough to be useful.”
“I understand. Just try.” Raesinia grinned. “You’re obviously not getting anywhere with Goodman, so you might as well do something productive.”
“Even if she can make some money,” Eric said, “where does that get us?”
“I’m not certain yet,” Raesinia said. “But the markets are Goodman’s game board, and it can’t hurt to have a few more pieces.” She looked back at Cora. “Is there a way to make sure what you’re doing can’t be traced back to us?”
“I can set up a trading company,” Cora said. “It won’t be bulletproof, but at least it won’t be obvious. We’ll need the structure if we’re taking on debt anyway.”
“Good. Get started building it, and I’ll figure out what we’re going to do with it when you’ve finished.”
“Got it.” Cora already looked energized. She snatched a last sandwich and beckoned to Eric. “Come on. I’m going to need you for some of the paperwork.”
*
When another invitation to dinner with the second prince arrived, Raesinia wasn’t sure whether she ought to accept. What decided her, in the end, was the thought of the food—?a second chance at Prince Matthew’s chef was too good to pass up. And now that I know what the game is, maybe I can get a better handle on what he thinks of it.
The prince opened the door to his suite himself, stepping out the way and bowing low as she came in. His suit was dark blue this time, subdued enough that it emphasized the startling light blue of his eyes. For her part, Raesinia had dressed carefully to avoid anything that could be considered flirtatious; the last thing she wanted was to give the impression that she was falling for the second prince’s charms. Her dress was high-?necked and sober, with a minimum of jewelry.
“Your Highness,” Matthew said. “Thank you for coming.”
“Prince Matthew.” Raesinia tried a tentative smile. “Given the quality of the food, I’m afraid I couldn’t resist.”
“Arnat is a wonder, isn’t he?”
The prince shut the door and gestured her toward the hearth, where there were two of the heavy claw-?footed chairs that infested the Keep. The big table was set for two, Raesinia saw, but there were no servants in evidence, or even any Life Guards. The suite felt deserted. Her eyes narrowed. He wouldn’t think of trying anything, would he? Even a prince can’t be that stupid.
A table between the two chairs held a bottle of wine and a pair of glasses. Prince Matthew poured while Raesinia sat, welcoming the warmth of the crackling fire. She took the wineglass when he offered and sipped politely. Matthew took a long drink and sank into his chair.
“Is something wrong?” Raesinia said.
“No, not really. I just wanted a chance to talk in private before we eat.” He looked over his shoulder at the silent dining room. “Your Highness, I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“For the way I treated you last time.”
“You were—”
“I was deliberately rude, dull, and boorish.” He sighed. “You didn’t deserve any of it, and I want you to know that I’m sorry.”
“Well.” Raesinia looked down into her glass for a moment, thinking hard. “Apology accepted, provided you tell me why.”
“I was... irritated at my father’s scheming, and I took it out on you.” He ran one hand through his hair. “I should have understood that you didn’t ask for this, either.”
“You know about the offer he made me, then.”
He nodded. “From what I heard, you had no idea what he intended.”
“You thought I did?”
“I’ve known of Father’s intentions for some time,” Matthew said. “When I heard you were coming to the Keep, I thought it had all been arranged in advance.”
“I assure you I had no thoughts along those lines,” Raesinia said, a little stiffly. “My goal is to secure your father’s help against Janus.”
“I know.” He sighed again. “I suspect I’ve made rather a mess of things.”
“I take it,” Raesinia said, “that you’re not enthusiastic about this marriage plan.”
Matthew shook his head. “No offense intended, Your Highness. But I had hoped to marry someone I’ve known for more than a few hours.”
“Likewise. But surely you can tell your father no?” In the old days fathers might have had a right to decide on marriages without a son’s permission, but surely Borel wasn’t that backward.
“It’s... more complicated than that.”