Realm of the Chosen: A Reverse Harem Romance

Chapter 10-1

Chapter Ten

“Did you see anyone of interest today?” Queen Rona asked from Kit’s right, at the head of the dinner table. Her voice was low so that the other council members who were dining with them would struggle to hear, but Kit noticed everyone else grew silent in anticipation of her answer, as if they’d all been longing to ask the same question.

Giving a shy smile, Kit replied. “I did. I am interested in getting to know all of the Representatives better.”

“Some of them were quite handsome,” the Queen Mother, Junno, noted. Kit smiled at her grandmother, glad that her health had permitted her to attend the first day of arrivals. She was only in her mid-sixties, but poor eyesight and an illness she’d suffered from for years limited her health and had caused her to abdicate the throne to her daughter, Rona, when she was only in her forties. Rona had inherited the queendom right after her own Choosing. Of course, she had been eager to get on with ruling most of the world, and while Junno was a member of the council and a consultant, Queen Rona was very different than the previous ruler. Despite Junno’s wisdom, Rona rarely took heed of anything her mother suggested.

“Yes, Grandmother, I agree. There were some that are very attractive. I look forward to having the opportunity to speak to them.” Kit saw no point in listing who she thought was best looking at this point since she’d only met a quarter of the men she’d have to choose from. Besides, looks weren’t everything; this clearly hadn’t crossed the minds of all of the other women present.

“Did you recognize Pierce de Lunge?” Rona asked, a knowing smile on her face. “His mother is a good friend of mine. I was quite overjoyed to see he was selected to represent Metfirth.”

And so it had begun. Her mother was already trying to steer her in a certain direction. “I remembered Pierce from my eighteenth birthday celebration, yes. He seems to be a nice fellow.”

“He has lovely eyes,” Nilla, her mother’s sister, chimed in.

“I thought the young man from Arch Hollow was handsome. So tall and broad shouldered,” Zora mentioned.

“Are you certain you’re not thinking of the Representative from Brendrake? He had striking blue eyes,” another councilwoman, Ranka, asked.

The conversation continued around her, and Kit bit her tongue, not willing to add her own opinion about any of them at this point. She could see her mother watching her, studying her, and decided it was in her best interest not to let the queen know which young men she liked best for fear they might disappear.

“It is a shame what happened in Eastbury,” Zora mentioned, and everyone nodded along. “I do hope they are back on the road tomorrow. It’s only a few miles….”

“What happened?” Kit asked, completely unaware of what her mother’s cousin might be speaking of.

“Oh, haven’t you heard?” Junno asked, shaking her head. “The caravan was attacked by villagers on the way in. They were quite angry, saying the vote was rigged.”

Rona cleared her throat. “I believe that is all speculation, Mother.”

Junno’s eyes widened as if she was unsure why her daughter might be trying to cover up what she believed to be the truth of the matter. “At any rate, there was a problem.”

“Was anyone hurt?” Kit was alarmed, knowing Eastbury was the closest province, and many of the castle workers had family there.

“Only a couple of the footmen, I believe,” Nill answered as if that wasn’t anything to worry about.

Kit settled back in her chair a bit. “I feel sorry for the Representative. He must be worried, especially if there is more unrest.” She couldn’t imagine the villagers being upset by the voting. For all she knew, it was always carried out in a fair way so that the Representative was the man the majority of noblewomen thought had the best chance to be chosen as the duke.

“I understand it was some men who thought they should’ve had a voice,” Zora stated with a scoff. Clearly, she believed that a man’s place was in the field or the army, not in politics, just like the queen.

“We do not know that,” Rona reminded the table. “I have dispatched a detail from the army to transport them the rest of the way. I believe they will arrive tomorrow, and I’m sure they will be safe with Yewforia’s best men guarding them. Now, let us discuss the upcoming festivities.” Rona smiled broadly, and the council knew immediately the topic was closed to discussion, but Kit had a hard time paying attention to the rest of the conversation as she wondered how the Representative from Eastbury might be getting along that evening, and perhaps more importantly, she wondered, if he arrived he next day, who might be with him.

Even the most sensible shoes she owned were no match for standing on the stone dais for hours, and by mid-afternoon, Kit’s feet ached, even though they had taken an hour to dine not that long ago. So far, she’d met a few interesting candidates, but when the delegation from Warchester Keep arrived, the day suddenly became more interesting.

A full foot taller than the man before him, the one she assumed would be doing the introductions once they passed through the security line, Kit caught the Representative’s easy smile and instantly remembered him from her eighteenth birthday celebration. His green eyes sparkled and his curly mop of dark hair caught the breeze. His eyes never strayed from her face, and for the first time on what was becoming the longest day she could remember, she was intrigued.

“Your Majesty,” the stooped older man began, addressing her mother first, “may I present the representative from Warchester Keep, Cassius of the family Peet.”

For the first time, his attention moved away from her to the queen, but only briefly, and when the older gentleman began to introduce them, Kit didn’t hear a word he said. “My Princess, it is so lovely to see you again.” He took her hand and kissed it gently, and the feel of his lips on her flesh sparked a flame that shot the length of Kit’s arm.

“You as well, Cassius. It has been far too long.” She grinned at him demurely, and a crooked smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. The last time she’d seen him, he had been several inches shorter and not nearly as muscular.

“I am delighted to be representing my province in your Choosing, my Lady. And I do hope we get the opportunity to do some horseback riding. I hear you are an excellent rider, and I would love to show you my skills as well.” The second part of that sentence especially seemed to have very little to do with horses, and Kit felt a blush come to her face. She suddenly felt more alive than she had all day.

“I am certain we shall have that opportunity.” She hoped he understood she also had a double meaning in her message, and by the way his smile widened, she thought he did.

“Excellent.” He bowed and kissed her hand one more time, his warm lips lingering a little longer than necessary, and then he moved on to greet the rest of the council, but Kit couldn’t keep her eyes off of him, and it seemed after every greeting, his attention returned to her. At one point, his gaze was so intense, she thought she might need to fan herself.

“Is it hot out here?” her mother asked, leaning down to her ear where only Kit may hear.

Embarrassed, Kit looked up at her mother to see a wicked gleam in her eye. “Mother,” she said quietly, reminding herself to close her mouth. Rona only chuckled, and Kit thought perhaps she’d just had a bonding moment with her mother, though she didn’t know what to think about the queen knowing she was interested in Cassius. He might end up somewhere on the other side of the ocean.

A commotion out on the road caught her attention, and Kit strained to understand what she was looking at. The path to the castle meandered up the side of a hill, so even though the scene was unfolding directly in front of her, it was still some distance away, down the winding road, and she couldn’t quite see through all of the people who had come to watch the proceedings, but the sound of hurried hooves and shouts had her concerned.

“You needn’t worry,” her mother said, reaching out and pulling her daughter back into line. “It’s the delegation from Eastbury arriving.”

Kit looked up at the queen, unsure why that would cause such a fuss, but her mother seemed to be finished speaking.

Zora leaned in to speak to the princess, and Kit turned the other direction. “The army riding in always alarms the people a bit. But it’s nothing to worry about. “

As soon as Zora finished speaking, Kit saw the battle flags and realized the hoofbeats were from the detail her mother had dispatched, likely leaving the assignment now that the caravan from Eastbury had arrived. Kit also spied the familiar blue and red flags that represented the nearest province, and the fanciest of carriages in the line, which likely held her Representative. She was eager to greet him, to make sure he was all right and assure him that he would be well looked after now that he had reached the castle. She had spent much of the evening after the discussion at dinner wondering how he might be. It would be good to see him for herself.

Her mother made a low groaning sound beside her, and Kit turned to look at her again, watching her eyes follow the group of riders as they hurried past the turn that would’ve brought them to their location. Kit raised up on her tiptoes to try to see them, but there were too many obstacles and too great a distance between herself and whatever her mother had noted. It seemed the horsemen—there must’ve been a half dozen or so of them—would be going around the side of the castle to another entrance, which made sense to Kit since they wouldn’t be needing to greet her. The military barracks were on the other side of the castle from her quarters. Still, something had upset her mother, and she couldn’t fathom what it might be. When she looked back at Rona, she realized the queen was whispering something sharply to one of her guards who immediately took off back toward the castle.

“May I ask if you’re all right, Mother?”

“I’m fine, dear,” Rona replied through gritted teeth. “I am only wondering if I’ve made a poor decision.”

“A poor decision about what?”

Before Rona could answer, the guards released the next delegation, and the queen was occupied by a plump woman she seemed to know. The lady introduced the next Representative, and Kit fought her waning focus so that she could pay him the attention he deserved.

Jaterius of Rockdale was presented to her a moment later. She didn’t catch his family name as she’d been distracted, but he had lovely hazel eyes and a kindness about him Kit had yet to encounter in any of the other Representatives. “It’s lovely to meet you, my Princess,” he said, bowing low to her. His smile was warm and affectionate but there was something unassuming about him, as if he were unsure of himself.

“You as well,” Kit replied, offering her hand, which he took and planted a soft kiss near her knuckles. “I trust your trip was comfortable enough?” She felt as if she was always asking the same question, but then, none of the delegates would know that unless they had a discussion about her later, something she doubted would be happening just yet.

“Comfortable enough, my Princess,” he replied with a nod. He wasn’t much taller than she was, which also struck her as different. Most of the Representatives were tall and broad shouldered, and while he looked a bit more compact than the others, he was still attractive. It was his smile and the warmth in his eyes that made her curious to know him better.

“I am glad to hear it. Rockdale is a far distance from the castle.”

“Yes, it is. We have been traveling for several weeks.” The pleasant expression never left his face, but he looked tired, and Kit imagined such a trip would wear on anyone.