Page 33 of The Alien's Unwilling Bride

When she finished, there was a moment of tense silence. Then, Councilor Farin spoke up, his voice dripping with disdain.

“While your... research... is certainly interesting, Ms. Arison, I fail to see how the opinion of an outsider should influence Tharvisian policy. Our planet has survived far worse crises without foreign intervention.”

Mila bristled at the dismissal. She opened her mouth to retort, but Roq stepped in smoothly.

“Councilor, with all due respect, Mila’s expertise has been invaluable in uncovering the true extent of the crisis. Without her environmental knowledge, we would still be unaware of the deeper issues threatening our planet.”

“Prince Roqron,” another councilor interjected, “while we appreciate your dedication to this... project, surely you can see that implementing such drastic changes based on limited data would be irresponsible.”

Mila clenched her fists, biting back the angry words that threatened to spill out. She’d faced skepticism and dismissal before in her career, but never with such blatant disregard for hard scientific evidence.

To her surprise, King Brakus spoke next, his deep voice silencing the murmurs that had broken out among the council.

“We have heard the evidence presented by Prince Roqron and Ms. Arison. Their findings are troubling and warrant serious consideration.”

A ripple of surprise ran through the chamber. Mila glanced at Roq, who looked equally taken aback by his father’s support.

But the king’s words weren’t enough to sway the entire council. For the next hour, Mila and Roq fielded questions and countered arguments, their frustration growing with each dismissive remark and delay tactic.

Finally, the head of the council raised a hand for silence. “We thank Prince Roqron and Ms. Arison for their... thorough presentation. The council will need time to deliberate on this matter. We will reconvene in three days to discuss potential courses of action.”

Mila’s heart sank. Three days? The planet didn’t have that kind of time.

As they left the council chambers, Mila could barely contain her anger. “Three days? They’re going to sit around and ‘deliberate’ while Tharvis literally falls apart beneath our feet?”

Roq’s jaw was set, his own frustration evident. “Politics,” he said, the word sounding like a curse. “But we’re not giving up. We’ll find another way to make them see reason.”

Mila nodded, grateful for his determination. Despite her anger at the council, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter of something else - appreciation, attraction, a growing sense of partnership that went beyond their shared mission.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of strategy sessions and data analysis. By the time evening rolled around, Mila was mentally exhausted but still buzzing with frustrated energy.

“Come on,” Roq said, appearing at her elbow as she pored over yet another set of environmental readings. “We’re having dinner with the family. A chance to regroup and maybe gain some new perspectives.”

Mila hesitated, but the thought of spending another hour staring at data she’d already memorized made her relent. “Fine. But if anyone asks me to explain soil composition one more time, I might scream.”

Roq’s laugh was low and warm, sending a shiver down her spine. “Noted. I’ll make sure to steer the conversation toward less... earthy topics. Though I can’t promise Zora won’t try to commune with the dinner plants.”

Mila snorted, grateful for his attempt at humor. “I’d pay good money to see that, actually. Maybe she can convince the vegetables to stage a revolt against the council.”

The private dining room was a stark contrast to the formal council chambers. Warm lighting cast a soft glow over the elegant table, and the scent of exotic Tharvisian dishes filled the air. Mila’s stomach growled, reminding her that she’d barely eaten all day.

Raelee and Vex were already there, heads bent close together in conversation. They looked up as Mila and Roq entered, Raelee immediately rising to pull Mila into a fierce hug.

“I heard about the council meeting,” she said, her voice tight with anger. “Those narrow-minded, pompous-“

“Raelee,” Vex said, his tone gently warning. “Remember, some of those ‘narrow-minded’ councilors are within earshot.”

Raelee rolled her eyes but subsided, though Mila could still see the fire in her sister’s gaze. “Fine, fine. I’ll save my tirade for later. But just know, I’ve got some choice words lined up that would make even a Tharvisian space pirate blush.”

Vex raised an eyebrow, a smile playing at his lips. “Is that a challenge, my dear? Because I assure you, my vocabulary of colorful expletives is quite extensive.”

“Oh really?” Raelee leaned in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Care to give us a demonstration, Your Highness?”

Vex glanced around the room, then leaned in close to whisper something in Raelee’s ear. Whatever he said made her eyes widen and a blush creep up her neck.

“Well,” Raelee said, fanning herself dramatically, “consider me both scandalized and impressed.”

Mila couldn’t help but laugh at their antics. It was a welcome distraction from the stress of the day.

---