Page 20 of The Rejected King
“I didn’t say I was uninterested. I’m participating in the Promenade like all the rulers before me.”
Miss Rudd went to speak again, and Emree could tell by the anger flashing in her eyes that there was nothing King Davin could say to make her change her mind about him. Emree motioned for the woman to sit down. “That’s enough. Thank you, Miss Rudd, for your questions. Let’s move—”
“Miss Dutson?” The newswriter raised her hand again, her angry eyes zeroing in on Emree. “One more question, specifically for you. May I ask what your qualifications are for your role as Promenade Director? You seem very young.”
Emree didn’t understand it. What had she ever done to Miss Rudd?
She raised her chin. “You can judge my competence by the success of the Promenade week. I might also remind you that it’s my job, as the director, to decide which newswriters get invited to the private activities and which newswriters get an exclusive story during the week. I can assure you that those exclusive interviews will prove invaluable.” Emree looked at Miss Rudd one last time before moving on. “That’s it for the briefing today. Thank you all for coming.”
The king nodded at her, stepping out the side door of the grand hall. Emree followed on his heels. When they were far enough down the hall, the king turned around and faced her. “Remind me not to get on your bad side, Miss Dutson.” He gave her a smirk.
Emree opened her mouth to apologize, but the king walked away. Air escaped her lungs. What had she been thinking snapping at a newswriter like that in front of everyone? Especially Fiona Rudd. Emree’s job was to make the newswriterslikeKing Davin, not put them in their place.
She should have done better.
8
Davin
Davin sat on the couch of the royal sitting room, picking at the lunch tray that had been sent in for his morning meeting. An array of meats and cheeses formed rows in the center of the platter with an assortment of crackers lining the edges.
After the briefing that morning, Davin had met with some of Enderlin’s top engineers to discuss prototypes for the transporters. It was a meeting he had been looking forward to, but for some reason, Davin couldn’t focus. All he could see was Emree Dutson and the way she had stood up for herself during the briefing. Something like admiration grew inside of him. It had taken time for Davin to get used to how ruthless the newswriters could be, but Miss Dutson had handled them flawlessly on day one. It was impressive.
A small knock rapped on the open door. “Your Majesty, do you have a moment?”
Davin turned to see Miss Dutson. It was as though she had known he wanted to see her.
“Yes, come in.” Davin stood, motioning for her to join him on the couch. “Are you hungry? There’s plenty of food here.”
She dropped into a curtsy before entering.
“I thought we were past bowing,” he said.
She bit her lip for a moment, staring back at him. Then as if a wave of determination had washed over her, she straightened and walked to the side chair next to the couch, dropping her bag onto the floor. “I wanted to apologize for the way I acted at the briefing earlier today. I’ve been regretting it all morning. Perhaps I spoke a little too boldly, and I can only hope my words don’t negatively affect you. I can assure you that type of behavior won’t happen again.”
Davin sank down into the sofa, stretching his feet onto the coffee table in front of him, careful to avoid the food tray. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“I do. My behavior was inexcusable.”
“No, I liked how you put Fiona in her place. I can’t even count how many bad things that woman has written about me in the last two years.”
Miss Dutson cracked a smile, deepening one attractive dimple. “You’re really not upset?”
Davin shook his head. “No. Far from it.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m a little disappointed in myself. I wanted to be the epitome of professionalism, and then at my first public appearance, I couldn’t hold my tongue.”
“The first time you’re on public display is always the hardest.” Davin remembered back to his first big project. The solar panels. He had gone on and on to the newswriters about why these panels had cost so much money and why it was okay because they would be cheaper in the long run. Then the hailstorm came, damaging the front of every single panel, making the project cost even more money. That was the first time his public approval had fallen, and the first time he saw first-hand the wrath of the newswriters.
“I left the briefing today feeling the same way as you—mad at myself because I didn’t behave the way the newswriters wanted me to.”
“You did well,” she said. “I really liked what you said about education.”
Davin’s lips curled upward. “You liked it? I assumed you were mad at me for not being charming and charismatic.”
“I guesscharmingis in the eye of the beholder.”
Her dark eyes stared back at him, making Davin’s world spin a little faster, and all of a sudden, his secret pact went out the window. His eyes swept over her face, landing on her lips.
