40

You've never met Prince Evander. He wasn't at the ceremony three years ago—he'd just started studying at the Royal Arcane Academy then. He's the son of Princess Despina's aunt, and the first magically-talented child born into the royal family in more than a century.

Letha leans closer to her betrothed, frowning. "I meant to ask, did you figure out what he and Chancellor Aton are here to sniff around about? Do they mean to convene a council to choose your father's successor?" She's speaking in an undertone, though not enough of one that you can't hear.

The princess's brow furrows. "I'm certain only that I will handle whatever Aton means to throw at me." She casts a wary look in your direction, though it's not as though Letha's revealed any great secret. You're as aware of the rumors over the succession as anyone else in the city.

When magic still ran deep in the royal line, the crown of Ithos passed to the strongest mage in each generation. But the succession grew muddled as the power in their family waned, particularly when Evander's mother, Queen Thalia, died within a year of his birth. The council that was convened to determine her heir selected Thalia's brother Nicolas, Princess Despina's father, rather than risking a lengthy regency with the infant Evander on the throne. And now, with a princess who's acted as regent for her ailing father since her teenage years, and a prince who delights the mages longing for the influence they once held over Ithos, the succession is under more heated debate than ever.

It's a tense subject in Archa, and judging by the way Princess Despina has set her shoulders, it's even tenser in this room. Naturally, you've considered your own opinion.

Right." Princess Despina pulls at one of her curls. It would look like fidgeting, on someone else. "I'll arrange a carriage for you tomorrow. My cousin was in the city for a visit and will be returning to his studies shortly. I…will ask that you not travel with him, should you encounter him in the palace."

You can't tell if it's you the princess is irritated with when she huffs out a short sigh. "You ought to understand. My people think Evander enough of a hero already. Seeing him in the company of the woman who saved the world would only deepen that impression. And now of all times, with the trouble over the wedding and your prophecy returning…I'd appreciate it if you made it a habit not to make Evander look any better to my subjects than he already does. Even small statements can be disastrous, when the political situation is this delicate. I am my father's legal heir, but who knows what that will mean to the magistrates the mages throw together when he is no longer here? It would make matters smoother, for Letha and for me, if you respect my wishes in this regard."

Since Letha's unilaterally pulled the princess into her confidence, you imagine that going against her wishes could rapidly make things even more unpleasant for you than it would otherwise. Wonderful.

But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to agree. Having a royal mage on your side could be just as useful. Assuming one carriage ride matters as much as Princess Despina thinks it does.

And there's no reason you have to tell her the truth, or that you have to do what you say once you've said it—though it might get dicey if she finds out you lied later.

What are you going to say?