Page 16 of Alpha's Impostor Bride

“I don’t care about her name, Harriet.”

“You should,” she retorts.

“I never took you for a bleeding heart, Harriet. She is the enemy—”

“She’s an orphan who was abused by the princess. Don’t add to her suffering when she has done nothing to deserve it.”

Harriet must really like her, I realize, if she’s defending her so vocally to me.

“Fine. Leanna.” My wolf rumbles in approval when the name leaves my lips. It likes it. “Bella said that Leanna is looking for some seeds.”

“Bella told you or she complained to you?” Harriet asks tensely. “She is refusing to accept Leanna. She’s very impolite to her.”

“I’m sure the queen isn’t blameless—”

“She listens to Bella’s insults and doesn’t utter a word to defend herself. She acts as if she deserves it!”

Harriet’s explosion stuns me for a second. “You’re telling me she lets Bella talk to her like that?”

“Yes.”

I know how sharp Bella’s tongue is. “Tell Miss Asher to control her temper, then. She said Leanna asked for some seeds. What is she trying to do?”

“She’s not trying to do anything.” The older woman before me sighs. “The plant she was referring to is grown in the human world in their coldest regions. It’s a type of vegetable. You know the farmlands here are wasting away. She is hoping to see if those plants can sprout here, and if so, she wants to purchase seeds and give them to the farmers to grow and harvest. Currently, we import vegetables from the Human Wolf Kingdom. If we start growing them, Leanna says it will help the economy.”

“We don’t need help with the economy.”

“You don’t, but the farmers do,” Harriet points out. “One of them has a bad back and was heating up some water in a kettle for a compress. Leanna mentioned that an electric blanket she saw in the human world might help with his pain. She has no bad intentions, Your Majesty. She is just trying to help.”

“Why didn’t she go to Bella with all these suggestions?”

“She did,” Harriet snaps. “Bella told her to stay in her own lane. So, Leanna asked me if she could plant a few things in the palace garden, just to see if they can grow.”

I take a minute to ponder this. “And you think these ideas are good?” I finally ask.

Harriet nods. “The truth is, Sire, we need to start pursuing some level of advancement. Before your father’s death, he was planning to bring some development into the North. Aside from basic electricity and some heavy farm machinery, we haven’t introduced much, not even vehicles or household equipment. The queen’s recommendations are helpful. I believe you should let her do as she sees fit. She’s quite intelligent. She has a good grasp of budgeting and of the human world. If we provide her with more resources, I believe she can work on developing the North while you focus on protecting the North.”

I raise my brows. “You got all this in a week?”

“All she does is work.” Harriet gives me a long look. “She is constantly trying to make herself useful.”

I nod. “Fine. I’ll have a word with Bella. If she refuses to cooperate, find somebody else to assist Leanna.” I fall silent for a moment. “What about her clothes? She was outside a little while ago and looked cold. Why haven’t you gotten her a thicker jacket or a warm coat?”

Harriet looks uncomfortable. “The budget you gave for the queen’s clothes, she wanted to use to purchase the seeds.”

I frown. “Why is she using her personal budget? She should have another account for outside use.”

“Bella isn’t giving it to her,” Harriet replies, looking reluctant. “I did talk to her, but she says she’ll get to it when she gets to it. She only just recently gave Leanna the books to go over. Bella doesn’t think she has the ability to understand them and is constantly criticizing her. I believe she is trying to make things difficult for your mate.”

“So, why hasn’t Leanna said anything to me?”

Harriet stares at me. “You’ll have to ask her that.”

A rush of anger runs through me. Bella’s obvious disregard for my decision is pissing me off.

“Rothan.”

Harriet blinks at me. “Your Majesty?”

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