Page 76 of The Promised Prince
“He’s the prince!” Colter said with pride.
Trev offered his hand to Colter’s father. “Ezra Trevenna, and this is Seran Haslet.”
The man licked his chapped lips, his eyes never leaving Trev’s, but he didn’t shake his hand. “He’s not my prince. Ain’t done nothing for me.”
Trev’s hand dropped along with his smile. “Well, I’m here now. How can I help?”
“Help, huh?” The man let out a rough laugh. “Just in time for the election.” He held the curtain open and nodded at his son. “Get inside the house, boy.”
Colter frowned but obeyed his father, walking into the small shack behind the booth. Renna could see a pile of kids sitting on the dirt ground behind the curtain watching them.Thatwas their house? That small, wooden lean-to, blasted with holes and missing a wall? How could they possibly live there? Renna’s own father sold crops for a living, but they never lived like this. Wellenbreck Farm looked like a palace compared to this shack.
“Bye, Miss Renna.”
“Bye, Colter.” Renna tried to smile. “It was nice to see you again.”
“You all best be gettin’ back to your privileged life. We don’t want to get those fancy clothes of yours dirty in the real world.”
“Perhaps we can buy some vegetables from you,” Renna offered.
Colter’s father gave a cynical laugh. “If you really want to do something,” his eyes narrowed in on Trev, “start makin’ things equal between the ruling class and the working class. There’s a big gap in what’s essential between your kind and mine.”
“We all have the same basic essential needs,” Trev said. “Perhaps you and I aren’t that different.”
“Food is essential to me. Not parties and colored clothes.”
“Here’s some money so you can buy food for your family.” Trev pulled out several coins from his pocket and placed them on the table.
“What a good guy you are,” the man sneered. “You’ve taken care of one family for a month. What about the rest of the working-class families like mine? Are you going to throw some coins at them too?”
“We’ll try to help them however we can,” Seran said while she pulled on Trev’s arm to leave.
Renna took one last look at the haggard man, the hardships of life clearly carved into the creases on his face.
“What an awful man!” Seran said when they walked far enough away.
“I don’t think he’s awful,” Renna argued. “I think he’s hungry and tired of working so hard for nothing.”
Seran smoothed her hair as she spoke. “Well, perhaps if he applied himself more, his family wouldn’t be living in poverty.”
Renna reared her head back. “How can you say that? Maybe he has no other options. Maybe he’s doing all he can within a corrupt system. What’s the Council of Essentials good for if it can’t even guarantee food and decent shelter for everyone?”
Seran bristled. “The Council of Essentials can’t be blamed for someone’s poverty.”
Renna shook her head. Seran would never understand. She had grown up in luxury, sheltered from the harsh realities of life. What about Trev? Could he see how messed up everything was?
She turned to him. “You’re going to be king. Surely there is something you can do for families like that.”
A sad expression crossed over his face. “There’s poverty in every kingdom, Renna. It’s been this way since...forever. I’m not sure how to fix it.”
Renna let out a frustrated breath. “What’s the point of being king if you can’t even help people?”
Trev shrugged, and his lips turned down. He looked at her, holding her gaze. “I don’t know.”
Few things had ever left Renna as unsettled as the hopelessness written across Trev’s face.
27
Queen Mariele
