Page 32 of If The Crown Fits
“Well, you’re a bandit, aren’t you? You should be used to tricking people. However, I do believe this will be quite different from what you’ve done before.”
I took another sip of the warm liquid. “I’m listening.”
“Rhen could teach you more about Everness. You would need basic knowledge of the kingdom and what’s going on in the royal family. Basic history about Eloisa too.”
“And you?” I dared to ask, still not sure that this was actually going to help.
“I’m going to make sure you start acting like a proper princess from now. And then I’m going to help you convince the future king of Norrandale that you are the best thing he’s ever had the privilege of laying his eyes on.”
“You seem very confident?” I had somehow managed to make an already difficult task an almost impossible one. Pulling this off would be nothing short of a miracle.
“Of course I am. I’m a lady-in-waiting,” she replied with a smile.
“Are you really, though? Eloisa’s lady-in-waiting, I mean?”
“I’m afraid not.” She handed me a small mirror. My hair was elegantly perfect, as always. “One of Eloisa’s ladies-in-waiting is with child. I was being trained for the position when my brother informed me that I will have a new duty... this duty.”
I put the mirror down. “You said Lance has his way of getting what he wants?” I didn’t say more, prompting her to speak.
“Well, I’m guessing you’re not here entirely of your free will?” She looked at me and I pressed my lips together. So Lance wasn’t just blackmailing me?
“Is that what you would have wanted, though? To be Eloisa’s lady-in-waiting?”
She started putting my things back into the trunk. “There are worse fates for a lady. It’s an offer I would be stupid to refuse.”
“But?” I encouraged.
“But if you’re asking what I really want, I suppose the first answer that comes to mind is a happy marriage.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise.
“My parents were very happy. I want a union like theirs. And a house of my own that I can manage, and children eventually. It’s a simple dream, but you asked for an honest answer.”
“And this future husband of yours, in your mind, is he a duke, a viscount...”
“A soldier.”
I gave her a smile. “Well, when this is over... I hope you find your soldier.”
“All right,” Rhen said later, as we were seated inside a tent. “Here are the maps of Everness and Norrandale.” He spread them out on a small table between us.
I placed my palms flat on the table, inspecting the pieces of paper. I had a fair knowledge of most of the landscape of Everness. It wasn’t a very large kingdom. Neither was Norrandale, but I had never seen its full layout before. I tried to pay close attention to the borderlines and landmarks of both kingdoms.
“It is important that you know the history between our nations as well as the history of Everness itself.”
“I know the history of Everness,” I responded. It was discovered centuries ago by explorers in search of treasure. Surrounded by large masses of water, Everness and Norrandalewere mostly separated from the rest of the world. One of the explorers, known as Evrin, claimed the land and built the kingdom of Everness up from the ground. It was common knowledge even among the peasants. He became the first king, and as in every other kingdom, the lineages changed over the centuries up to King Magnus.
“Yes, but do you know of the conflicts between Everness and Norrandale?” He already knew my answer.
“No,” I mumbled, looking down at the maps again.
“See these mountain ranges?” Rhen pointed to the north of Norrandale. “They used to be part of Everness a few centuries ago.”
“What happened?”
“There was a reason Evrin and the explorers had searched for this land for so long. There were stories about deposits of a valuable type of gemstone hidden somewhere in the mountain ranges. They were so rare that a handful of them could be worth more than a ship full of gold. But no one knows exactly what they look like. The tales had changed too much over time.”
“Did they ever find it?”
