Page 52 of The Kingdom's Crown

"I think…if anything, it might be a waste of time," I said slowly, frowning. I hadn't meant to say as much, but it wasn't untrue. "My mother is too agreeable. She'll agree with me just as she did with Thomlinson."

"Then why come here?"

I hesitated, one finger absently tracing a swirling pattern over the muscle of Daniel's throat. "My grandmother and I agreed that Kimmery's power was moving out of the crown's hands and into the council's. But I don't think she disagreed with the treatment of the two-natured. And I know we had different opinions in regards to Chosen."

Daniel sat up a little at that. "Did you?"

I nodded. "She thought of it as a duty that men should answer, and I think it ought to be something that a woman and her Chosen want equally to share. She believes—believed in the right of the nobility, and to be honest, I'm not sure I do."

"And your mother?"

I took a deep breath and lifted my head to gaze out the window. "I want to believe that my mother's gentle heart would mean that it was impossible for her to approve of the rights of the two-natured being impeded."

Daniel leaned in, kissing my throat, and it was that exact moment that the door to the sitting room opened. Michael—my father, although I wasn't quite ready to think of him as such—entered first, my mother flushed and smiling behind him with two more of her Chosen. They were the same men whom I'd seen with her most often recently, and I remembered Michael's warning about all the voices in my mother's ear. Were these two of them?

"Look at how lovely the pair of you look together. No, don't get up, please!" my mother said as Daniel nearly knocked me off his lap. I pushed him back into place, kissing his frozen mouth before turning on his lap to face my mother. "You weren't waiting too long, were you?"

If she had looked at a clock, she would've known it was over an hour, but I didn't point that out.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your morning—" I absolutely did, "—but I'm afraid…" I hesitated, glancing back at Daniel, mulling over the conversation we'd barely finished. When I turned back to my mother, she was seated prettily between her two Chosen, Michael watching me as one of the other men toyed with Mother's fingers, teasing her and holding her attention.

I'd meant to come and rail at my mother, to try and shake some sense into her. It was never going to work. One of the men at her side would soothe her as soon as I left, reassure her that all her choices had been right in the first place. And because that would certainly be easier to hear than a tirade from me, she would believe them. Force suited me for the council, but it wouldn't serve here.

I took a deep breath, let my shoulders sag, and released the most pathetically pitiful sigh. My mother's head turned at the near whimpering sound, her eyes widening with sympathy.

"Mother, there is something I've learned since I left for the north, and I wonder if you might be able to help me think of a way of fixing it all," I said meekly, dropping my eyes to my lap and wringing my hands. Daniel wrapped supportive arms around me and leaned his head against mine, adding to the act.

"Oh, my darling. You know I will do anything I can," my mother rushed to say.

I wasn't sure I was much of an actress, but I managed to fight the smile that wanted to appear in that moment.

* * *

Daniel's handwas in mine as we left my mother's suite. "That was neatly handled," he whispered.

"It was manipulative," I said, frowning, unable to shake the greasy feeling in my head after I spent the better part of an hour whining and blinking back tears as I illustrated the two-natured's plight to my mother.

I was more certain than ever that her two nameless Chosen reported to the council because they'd barely restrained their glares. One had even tried to refer to the two-natured as violent beasts.

"Nonsense, I love three and they are the gentlest of men." It was for the best that Cresswell had been waiting for us outside of the suite and not in the room when I'd said that.

Daniel drew us to a stop, and Cresswell framed my back as I faced him. "You know that you captured me with your honesty and integrity," Daniel said, and I brightened. Maybe I had known, but I liked when he told me so. "But manipulation has its place in a kingdom, and your cause wasn't ignoble."

"We don't know for certain she hasn't already changed her mind," I said.

"Thomlinson will wheedle her down," Daniel allowed. "But there was fire in her eyes by the time you were done. And I know exactly where I've seen that look before. Even if she can't bully Thomlinson into undoing every restriction against the two-natured, I am sure she will never allow them to be tagged and corralled as they planned to attempt."

I blushed as Daniel leaned in, kissing my cheekbones on either side.

"I thought you were going to try and get her to change her mind about letting the council raise legislation without her approval?" Cresswell asked. I spun to face him and found him startled and wide-eyed.

"I thought I would, but Daniel reminded me that appeals of kindness and generosity are always more successful with my mother. Since we know the two-natured were the council's most likely target, I decided giving them a defense was better than trying to bully my mother."

"Queen Peony has just vividly expressed her disapproval of the shifters being forced into labor work, and their disproportionate taxation," Daniel said, proud and bright.

Cresswell looked as though I could've knocked him over with a little touch. "Only to us," I said, looking between them. "But I am relieved to know that she seemed unaware of the state of things."

"Bryony this is…this couldchangethings," Cresswell said, a slow smile growing.

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