Page 34 of The Reluctant Heir

Once King Nodin and Prince Lucas leave, my father turns his attention to me. He has a huge smile on his face.

“I’ve had offers from every single clan with marriage proposals.” He rubs at his jaw. “We get our pick when it comes to alliances.”

I scoot to the edge of my seat. “How soon do you have to choose?”

“It won’t take long. Once they get their alliance proposals written up, I’ll look over them and see which one is the best.”

I swallow hard. “And what about my choice?”

Dad turns to me, his blue eyes sparking under the light. “Is there one you favor over another?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe. But the truth is, I don’t knowanyof them. But I do know that out of all of them, Prince Lucas would probably be my last choice. He has the personality of a bottle of ketchup.”

He chuckles. “You might not be wrong. That boy does strike me as rather boring.”

Excessively boring.

He sits down in his chair at his desk. “Something interesting happened this morning.”

“Oh yeah?” I lean forward.

Dad rubs his jaw. “King Rune called to offer an alliance. He said his son adored you. Then, about an hour later, he called to say that it was his older son who would like to be considered for the marriage alliance instead.”

I chew on my bottom lip.

“Would you happen to know what that’s about?”

“Maybe.”

Dad sighs. “Whatever you decide, let me know. I don’t care if you want to get to know the guys first before deciding. But our clanneedsa marriage alliance and we need it soon. I’ll give you a short while to get to know the candidates first.”

“Thank you.” I stand up from my chair. “Is that all?”

A knock sounds on the door. I look over and watch Kaine walk inside.

He bows at my father. “You wanted to see me.”

“Yes. I’d like you to help my daughter out with her marriage alliance offers. Sit down with her and explain the pros and cons of each family. Help her make the best choice,” Dad says.

Help me make my choice?

I look at Kaine, my eyebrows drawing together.

I don’t trust him to help me pick out a husband. I’m pretty sure this isn’t how it’s supposed to work. Then again, what do I know of a political marriage?

“It’s not uncommon for a succubus and incubus couple to wait five years before getting married.” I put a hand to the base of my throat.

I always thought five years was too long. But I doubt I’ve got more than a few weeks—months if I’m lucky—to decide what I want.

Kaine and Dad ignore me.

Kaine clasps his hands together behind his back, looking at my father. “What do you think about me arranging meetings for her? One on one outings so she can get to know each candidate better on a more personal level.”

Is he talking aboutdates?

Political blind dates at that.

This is going to be miserable. Maybe even worse than the one time I went out with that incubus when I was sixteen.

---