Protect the Prince (Crown of Shards #2)(7)

So far, I’d managed to ignore the whispers and innuendos, but no longer. I didn’t know what Sullivan was to me, but at the very least, he was my friend, and I wasn’t going to let some pompous lord look down his nose at him just because Sullivan was a bastard.

“I’m visiting Andvari because it wouldn’t be proper to ask King Heinrich to come to Seven Spire,” I said, a hard tone seeping into my voice, “considering the fact that his son, Prince Frederich, was murdered here, along with Ambassador Hans and several other Andvarians. Or have you forgotten about that?”

Fullman swung back around to me, surprise flickering in his pale blue eyes. He hadn’t expected me to push back so forcefully. His lips puckered, and I could almost see the wheels spinning in his mind as he rethought his strategy to get whatever it was he really wanted.

“Of course not. That terrible tragedy will never, ever be forgotten.” He drew in a breath to deliver the but I knew was coming next. “But traveling to Andvari sends the wrong message. That Bellona can’t stand on her own. That she can’t take care of herself.”

He phrased it in terms of the kingdom, but everyone knew that he really meant me. Agreeing whispers surged through the crowd, although no one stepped forward to join forces with Fullman against me. They were waiting to see how this game would play out.

“Other, more important matters need your attention,” Fullman said, another sneer creeping into his voice. “I’m sure there are plenty of things at the palace to keep you busy.”

I had been busy ever since I’d become queen. Most of my time had been spent weeding the turncoat guards out of Seven Spire and undoing the many cruel policies that Vasilia had enacted while on the throne. I’d barely had a minute to myself, which was why this formal court session was happening today, three long months into my reign, instead of three days after I’d taken the crown, as was tradition.

And now, here it was. The moment I had been dreading ever since I’d first sat down on the queen’s throne the night that I’d killed Vasilia. The first true challenge to my rule, less than ten minutes into the court session. I had to give Fullman credit for his restraint. I’d expected him to attack me at the five-minute mark, at the very latest.

On the surface, it seemed like a perfectly reasonable request. But if I gave in to Fullman now, and especially if I stayed at Seven Spire, then everyone would see me as weak. Even more troublesome, I would be seen as ceding to the wishes of a lord—one who was wealthy and powerful enough to raise his own army to try to take the throne from me.

I couldn’t afford to do that, but I also wasn’t going to bow down to him or anyone else. I had done that for all the years I’d been the royal standin, the royal puppet, when I’d had to smile and nod and hold my tongue no matter how badly someone used, abused, insulted, or mistreated me. I was never doing that again.

Never.

Besides, I had other reasons for going to Andvari, reasons that were just as important to my survival as this verbal sparring match.

So I lifted my chin and stared down my nose at Fullman. Easy enough to do, since I was sitting on the throne a good six feet above his balding head.

“And I can’t think of anything more important than repairing relations with Andvari and brokering a new peace treaty between our kingdoms,” I said. “Especially given the recent actions of the Mortan king against Bellona, against my family. The Andvarians weren’t the only ones who died. Or perhaps you’ve forgotten about the assassinations of Queen Cordelia, Princess Madelena, and several noble members of this court, some of whom were purported to be your friends?”

My voice was pleasant, but my words were anything but. More murmurs surged through the crowd, this time agreeing with me, and even Fullman had the decency to wince.

Serilda, Xenia, and Auster all nodded their approval. Behind the nobles, Paloma was grinning, as was Cho, who was standing beside her and nibbling on another tray of cakes. I didn’t look up at Sullivan.

But Fullman recovered quickly. He wasn’t giving up his agenda without a fight. “Well, if you are so determined to travel to Andvari, then let me assist you.”

I arched an eyebrow. “And how do you propose to do that?”

A wide, satisfied smirk stretched across his face, and the scent of sour, sweaty eagerness surged off his body. I’d made a mistake asking him such an open-ended question, and I’d just walked straight into whatever trap he truly had in mind.

“The ranks of your personal servants are a bit thin and are comprised of people with limited resources and shockingly small amounts of magic.” He glanced over at Serilda, Xenia, and Auster, then pointedly looked up at the balcony again. This time, Fullman fixed his harsh, accusing gaze on Calandre.

The thread master stiffened in her seat, and her fingers fisted in her blue skirt. Calandre might have worked for Queen Cordelia, but she didn’t have nearly as much money, power, and influence as other thread masters, and Vasilia had tossed her aside for one of Fullman’s richer, stronger cousins. At Seven Spire, being poor and weak in your magic was even worse than being a bastard.

Fullman sneered at Calandre a moment longer, then faced me again. “I would be happy to give you some of my servants to help fill your staff.”

I barely managed to hold back a derisive snort. Servants? More like spies. Oh, Fullman’s people might cook my food and wash my clothes, but they would also report my every move back to him.