The Power Structure

Mineah blinked, dumbfounded as she looked at the woman who just joined her inside the carriage.

"Ah, we haven't been formally introduced. I am Alexa Ichor, Your Majesty," the woman who had just introduced herself as Alexa said with a curt bow. "I am the sister of the former King Arturo and Aunt to your new husband, King Nikolai. And as you might as well know, I'm also part of The Exordium."

Instead of being surprised, Mineah quickly composed herself as she let out an awkward smile. "It's nice to be formally introduced to you then, Your Highness."

"Likewise," Alexa nodded, humming as she turned to the books and documents currently sitting on the table inside the carriage. "Based on what Nikolai told me, I understand that your lessons will actually start today?"

She tentatively nodded.

"I see… I apologize in advance for any discomfort, Your Majesty, but I assure you that it will be very beneficial for you to have a proper grasp of our kind," Alexa continued. "The Political System of Valcrez in particular will be a much-needed boon for you."

Mineah kept her silence as she let the newcomer do as she pleased. She simply watched as Alexa leaned forward, and she was about to grab a book from her side when she halted midway. As if remembering her manners, Alexa looked at her with a smile and asked, "May I, Your Majesty?"

Caught off-guard by how courteous the Exordium was toward her, Mineah didn't know how to respond. She was being treated perfectly and with respect.

"Of course," she eventually whispered, unable to hide the awkward smile on her face.

As if reading her mind, Alexa spoke, "You are now our Queen, Your Majesty, and thus you must be treated accordingly. However, you must understand that once you enter the Kingdom of Valcrez, you must trust no one but yourself. We, vampires, are naturally-"

"Cunning?" Mineah interrupted with a playful grin on her lips.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Your Majesty," Alexa snorted with a chuckle.

Suspicious and curious about the woman before her, Mineah stared deep into Alexa's eyes, letting her power flow as she took a peek at the other woman's thoughts.

[I hope she and Nikolai can get along well. My nephew deserves happiness after all these boring years. It's too early to tell if she deserves him, but I'll be watching her closely seeing as she seems to catch Nikolai's elusive interest…]

Mineah held in a soft smile.

Based on what she just saw, she was now glad to know that Alexa was a genuine person. She liked her already. She honestly felt that Alexa was someone that she could trust.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Ask away, Your Majesty," Alexa hummed, still smiling at her.

"The Beholden Law…" Mineah started, trailing off as she let her words linger.

Despite how much time had passed, she was still curious about what exactly the Beholden Law entailed.

It was the one law that King Darius of Cordon used against Nikolai, but for some reason, she felt like she shouldn't ask her husband about it. Aside from the fact that it could possibly be a sore spot for him, it was also a reminder to her that her marriage to Nikolai only became possible because of it.

"In all honesty, I don't know the exact details of that particular law. The only people that might know of it would be His Majesty, King Nikolai, and the King of Cordon." Alexa hummed after a beat.

Mineah slightly nodded. From what she could recall, the Beholden Law was a much-honored law throughout all kingdoms. Dishonoring it would bring misfortune, especially for those who had a blood oath tied to it.

Seeing her confusion, Alexa smiled at her and thoughtfully suggested, "I'm sure my nephew would be more than willing to elaborate more on it if you personally asked him."

"I will do that when I see him again then," Mineah hummed with a nod.

A terse silence settled between them as the carriage kept on moving. After a while though, Alexa broke the silence with an eager smile.

"Oh, right. Shall we start? Nikolai had asked me to give you some important briefings, after all," Alexa beamed.

"You see, we purposefully withheld some details about our kingdom from the outside world, so what you might've studied or read up on in your books should be nothing more than the basics. Tell me, Your Majesty, what do you know about Valcrez's political system?"

Mineah took in a breath before she replied. "From what I can recall, the power structure is divided into different divisions such as the royal courtiers called The Exordiums, the ministers, the generals, and the collective of the kingdom's city and town governments. The Exordiums hold most of the power, and they are made up of the most powerful Clans within the kingdom."

She let out a hum as she added, "You are also right, Princess Alexa. It would seem that there are some details withheld from outsiders since I haven't encountered anything about those powerful Clans in any of the books I've read before coming here."

Quickly, Alexa handed her a book. "Here. Read this, and you will know more about them and particularly of our Ichor Clan."

Taking the book off of Alexa's hands, Mineah didn't waste any time opening and studying it. Studying was her forte after all, not to mention how keen she was to find out more about what she had missed in her earlier studies.

"Also, can you please address me as Aunt Alexa like how Nikolai addresses me?" Alexa warmly hummed. "We're family now, Your Majesty."

Mineah couldn't help but smile. She loved how warm Alexa was being with her.

"Of course, Aunt Alexa," she replied back. "And please feel free to casually address me as well whenever we are alone like this."

"I'll keep that in mind, Mineah," Alexa nodded with a smile.

"Now go ahead and read. You only have a few days to learn as much as you can before setting foot at Valcrez. After all, no one anticipated how everything unfolded yesterday. It's best that you show everyone that you're perfectly fit to be Valcrez's new queen."

"I understand," Mineah hummed before she started flipping through the pages of her book.