Page 7 of The Rejected King
“Oh. Well, I guess those kingdoms have their reasons for doing that,” his mother said, tilting her head back and forth before her eyes rested on him. “I suppose you’ll be the next monarch to get married.”
Davin groaned. “I wondered when you would mention that. You didn’t even make it twenty minutes before you brought it up.”
“Twenty minutes?” She scoffed. “You must not know me that well.”
Davin leaned forward, fiddling with some papers on his desk. “I was hoping we could hold off a little bit longer on finding me a wife.”
“Davin, we talked about this before you left for the Council of Essentials, and we decided that it was in your best interest to schedule the Promenade for when you got back.”
“No,youdecided.” Davin looked at his mother. She had aged so much in the two years since his father had died. The creases around her eyes and forehead were more prevalent, and Davin wondered if his failures as the king had added to the stress hidden behind her wrinkles. He wanted to ease her worries.
That’s why he had agreed to the age-old tradition of the Promenade. He could survive one long week of meeting and entertaining ruling class women from around Enderlin if it made his mother happy. The end result gave him anxiety—the expectation that he would choose a wife from the sixty girls that came. The last Promenade, the one that his mother had participated in almost thirty years ago, had been rigged from the start. King Desmond had been in love with Arillia Welsh, the daughter of one of the High Rulers at the time. Davin’s parents had gone through the motions of the Promenade, knowing that they would get their happy ending when it was all over. Davin wasn’t sure he’d have the same result from such an archaic tradition.
His mother straightened. “Well, it’s too late to change the Promenade now. We’ve already sent notices to each of the High Rulers. The process of selecting ten eligible women from each of their provinces has already begun.”
“What’s the point of being king if I can’t rescind an invitation to suit me?” Davin tried to level his mother into submission with his gaze, but it didn’t work.
“Davin, don’t pretend to be selfish. It doesn’t suit you. Besides, I’m not getting any younger, and I would like to have the chance to be a grandmother. The Promenade is the perfect way to meet a nice young girl.”
Davin’s mind momentarily switched to the girl at the Morreck Inn. She seemed like a nice young girl, a girl Davin wouldn’t mind getting to know better, but he doubted she’d qualify for the Promenade. Only ruling-class girls could participate.
“At any rate, it’s better than the alternative,” his mother continued. “I’m not forcing you into an arranged marriage like New Hope and Albion.”
Davin sighed and nodded. He didn’t like the Promenade, but he felt grateful he at least had some say in who he would marry.
“Plus, the Promenade will help boost your popularity. Actively trying to settle down will make you seem more mature to the people. And it will give the newswriters something to focus on.”
Instead of my failed projects.
“It’s not my fault a pipe broke during the construction of the new hospital or that the water turbines at the Mero dam got jammed or that the solar panels—”
“You don’t have to defend yourself to me,” his mother said, cutting him off.
Davin had to defend himself to everyone, including his mother. That’s how unpopular he was.
“But we can’t keep going like this.” His mother reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We have to do something to help your approval rating, or I’m afraid the High Rulers will try to remove you from office.”
He hated having these kinds of conversations with his mom. His father had been a beloved king. Nothing his father did had ever failed. Davin wished he could be more like him, but things didn’t seem to work out, no matter how hard he tried. And nobody cared about effort. They wanted results.
“A little romance isn’t going to repair my reputation with the people.” Davin rubbed his forehead with his fingers. “I barely won the election after Father died. You know they all believed a province High Ruler with more experience should have been elected king. I’m too young to rule with too many big ambitions. Maybe they were all right.”
“They didn’t all believe you were too young, or you wouldn’t have won the election. And you haven’t failed. Everything you have tried to do has been for the good of the people. Your ideas are brilliant. Even the Council of Essentials recognized that.”
Davin let out a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter how brilliant my ideas are if they don’t work.”
“Once the dust settles, everyone will see how great your projects are working. Until then, the Promenade will help restore your image.”
Davin couldn’t believe he had agreed to this, but what else could he do? When he’d entered the king’s election after his father had died, he’d known that everyone would expect him to hold his own Promenade. He had only hoped to avoid it a bit longer.
“Fine,” he muttered, feeling the pressure weigh his shoulders down. I’ll do the Promenade.”
His mother smiled then walked to the door, speaking over her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re on board because we start interviewing Promenade directors tomorrow.”
The process had begun, and there was nothing Davin could do about it.
Emree
Emree bit her bottom lip, trying to contain her nerves. This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for. She couldn’t believe she wasinsideEnderlin Castle, waiting to meet with the queen mother. And not just inside; she was in the royal residence wing, sitting in the foyer by the royal offices.
