Page 26 of Kingdom of Crowns and Daggers

“How dare you?—”

Before he can dig us into a deeper hole than we’re already in, I clear my throat and step forward, gently resting my hand on the small of his back.

“Your Majesty, may I speak?” I ask demurely. Several of the advisors look over at me in approval, and I know I can win them over.

Joha turns his head to glance at me, surprise in his eyes. He’s questioning if this is a good idea, but I told him to trust me, and for some reason, he does. “Of course, Alyx.”

Smiling at him sweetly in thanks, I turn to face the rest of the room. “Queen Mother,” I greet, dropping into a shallow curtsy, offering respect even though I wish to carve that knowing smirk from her face and wear it as a hat. “It’s an honour to meet you.” Standing upright, I lift my head and clasp my hands in front of myself. “My name is Princess Alyx of Jade Empire.”

The whole room seems to hold its breath at my declaration. Jade Empire is one of the closest neighbouring bodies of land that we do not own or rule over. While we’re not actively at war with the empire nor hold any ill will towards it, we certainly don’t have a friendly relationship with the country. Trade routes have always been argued over, and they have stood firmly as our kingdom has grown, refusing to give land to us.

By choosing to act as a royal from Jade Empire, not only am I giving myself a status that they have to respect, but I am also of high enough rank for the king that no one could argue against me. Not to mention, the council would be terrified of upsetting my “father” and starting a war.

My choice seems to have worked, as both surprise and understanding flash across their faces, but they still wait for more information, unconvinced.

“I am the youngest of two daughters. My sister will one day rule our kingdom. This means that I have more freedom and have been able to travel my land and see all the sights it has to offer. Being able to spend time with my people has been such a blessing.” I chuckle lightly, letting excitement shine on my face as I glance back at the king. To anyone else watching, we’re just a happy, young couple, and that’s what I need them to believe about us.

“How did you two even meet?” the advisor from before asks curtly. He looks at me with a little more respect now, but it’s clear he doesn’t trust me. “The king doesn’t leave the palace, and I’ve never heard of a Princess Alyx before.”

Joha’s smile seems tense. He’s probably worried that he’s not thought this far ahead. I have though. I never would have accepted a job without fully preparing first.

“My father is very protective of me, and I have a different mother than my sister. My father truly loved my mother. Apparently, I look just like her, so when she died, he clung onto me, terrified of losing me too. Because of that, my existence wasn’t common knowledge,” I explain with a muted smile, dulling my eyes as I speak of my fictional mother. Another benefit of my story is the fact that they can’t easily check to discover if I’m telling the truth.

Blinking rapidly as if to hold back tears, I clear my throat and continue. “The king and I started writing to one another. He sent a letter to a friend, and it was accidentally delivered to me. I replied, explaining the mishap, not realising he was the king. He certainly didn’t know I was a princess. We continued to write to each other, and we fell in love. We met in person for the first time last night when my carriage arrived. I had to see him before I went to my accommodations for the night.”

It sounds ridiculous, like something out of a fairy tale, but if they believe the king is just a puppet and don’t see his true strength, then they are going to think even less of me. Playing to this stereotype is what’s going to make this work for us. Can two idiots fall in love after accidentally writing to each other? It seems his advisors think so.

I notice how several of them roll their eyes, while the one standing closest to Queen Mother actually sighs aloud and shakes his head. “Your Majesty, you can’t marry someone you just met, especially one from a land we have no control over. You don’t know her. If you really want to wed, we will find you a suitable bride.” He seems to have made up his mind and is already turning to the other advisors, pleased with himself.

I’ll hand it to the little man. He has balls for talking about a princess like that, especially right in front of her. In fact, he’s talking as though I’m not even in the room. Oh boy, this guy is going to get what’s coming to him, and I’m going to be the one to deliver it.

“No.”

The king’s voice seems very loud in the room, and everyone else falls silent and stares in surprise, clearly not used to hearing him disagree.

“I do know her, and she is my choice. This will be good for our lands. Besides, I get to choose whom I marry.” He looks at me and takes my hand in his once more, threading our fingers together, a tiny smile pulling at his lips. “I choose whom I love.”

My stomach flips, and I have to remind myself who this is and exactly what I’m doing here. Nothing he says is true—it’s all part of our ruse. Thankfully, I don’t have long to dwell on this, as several of the advisors start talking over each other, and I can sense that things are about to kick off again, so I clear my throat to get their attention.

“I know it seems strange and sudden, but his letter came to me by fate. It was meant to be. We love each other. Even my father could see it, and he gave his blessing for me to come here. Do you really think he would have done that if this wasn’t serious?” I plead. “Please don’t stop something that’s so perfect.”

I mould myself into the young, naïve, gullible woman they want me to be, and I see calculation in their eyes. Queen Mother has been silent for a while now, watching our performance with a narrow-eyed stare, and I know she’s the one I have to convince.

“Joha, why don’t you go and tell your people the good news about you and your betrothed?” she announces, smiling in a way that isn’t all that friendly. “The princess and I are going to take a walk and get to know one another a little better.”

Fantastic. Being alone with this woman is the very last thing I want to do right now, but Princess Alyx would love an opportunity to spend time with her future mother-in-law—not to mention, she just gave us the go-ahead. I’m not quite sure what changed her mind, and I’m going to need to tread lightly with her and not overdo it.

Letting my breath catch in my throat, I turn to Joha with an excited expression, squeezing his hand tightly.

“I’m not sure.” He looks at me, sees my expression, and realises I can take care of myself. Besides, it would look strange for him to stop me from speaking with the Queen Mother. “Okay. Take one of my guards,” he relents, gesturing towards Orion.

He’s quickly waved off by Queen Mother though, her smile condescending. “Oh, she doesn’t need one of your guards. Who is going to hurt her? Me?” She laughs as though this is the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard. “We shall have my guards and will not be going out of sight of the building. We will return soon, Your Majesty.” Without waiting for his approval, she walks over to me and gestures for me to follow her, waving off her ladies-in-waiting.

Joha and I share a look, and I dip my head slightly, letting him know I can handle this. I momentarily allow my eyes to flick up to Orion, and his frowning face almost looks concerned. Is the big guy starting to care for me? That thought almost makes me laugh. No, he doesn’t care about me, only that I might mess this up for his precious king.

Turning with a swish of skirts, I follow Queen Mother from the room and step out into the open courtyard. Four guards surround us, but they are all at respectable distances, so if we speak in low voices, they won’t be able to overhear us. Queen Mother says nothing for a while as we walk a little way from the throne room. Clasping my hands behind my back, I stay silent, waiting for her to speak first as is protocol. I’m not kept waiting long.

“So, Princess Alyx”—she puts emphasis on my name so it sounds more like a slur than an honorific—“you want to be my son’s betrothed.”

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