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Then she was so earnest about our need to secure our relations with Ceraun, how she feared the vile king in the west would try to marry his daughter to Jamys to outnumber us. Not only did I want to help, but I was somewhat honored that she trusted me with it. As a spare heir, the expectations on me weren’t all that pressing when compared to Rylan, and I enjoyed that freedom from responsibility. Still, to be needed by my kingdom sparked something that compared to the flame lit within me by Tomas.

Jamys greets my parents with a bow, and they dip their heads accordingly. “Welcome back to Alchos, Prince Jamys.”

“It’s an honor. Thank you.” He continues down the receiving line, paying his respects to my grandparents and Rylan before getting to me. “Your Grace.” He bows as I curtsy.

“I thought we were done with such courtesies, Your Highness.” My lips turn up in a smile. He holds my eye contact, his gaze not wavering to my body in the slightest. I can’t decide if I’m relieved or offended.

Doubt shadows his features before a confident smile vanquishes it. “Perhaps next time, Princess.” He takes my hand and brushes a kiss on my knuckles. Sunlight reflects off the gold and stones wrapped around my wrist to project spots of rainbows across his brow. Then he moves on to Marcus and Nina.

The King and Queen of Ceraun step out of the carriage, followed by Princess Lillian. Pleasantries are exchanged down the line again, and eventually, our gaggle of royals retreats into the palace, led by Mother on the arm of King Urian and Father with Queen Anilla.

The worst is over—the anticipation. He’s here, and it’s fine. I had worked myself up for nothing. Jamys is a perfect gentleman, just as he’s always been. If anything is uncomfortable, it’s going to be my own fault.

***

“I’m still not very good at this.” I tap my jaw as I look at the joko board.

“You’ve improved.”

I look up to find Jamys grinning tightly. “You’re only being nice.” Ever the gentleman not to tease or challenge me. It was years ago, during one of his visits here, that Tomas was teasing me about being terrible at the game, and Jamys offered to help me with it.

“Do you see that, Tomas?” I gave him an impertinent look. “You merely mock me, while Jamys tries to help. He’s a gentleman.”

Tomas rolled his eyes. “A gentleman who doesn’t know you well enough to know you don’t like anyone to help you with anything.”

He knew me well then, and far, far more now. My perfect gentleman may not know me yet, but there’s time.

Jamys shrugs. “It’s true. You have improved… slightly.”

“There we are—much more honest.”

He is a pleasant person to be around. Soothing and comforting even when the unexpected arises. He took the news of our plan for the coronation tomorrow in stride. He didn’t seem concerned about the possibility of my status changing, nor did he seem eager to have me crowned. All very matter-of-fact in confirming the details. Again, a welcome change from how my own family took the news.

“You can be honest with me in other things as well,” I say.

He looks at me wide-eyed. “Oh, and what do you suppose I haven’t been honest about?”

“You can’t have so little a reaction to the possibility of me becoming my mother’s heir.” Despite my low volume, Nina perks up and turns ever so slightly toward us. The need for privacy in this family is one of the reasons I’ve gotten so much practice with my magic.

“My opinion doesn’t matter.” He continues placing his stones in an even rhythm with me. “What will be, will be.”

“But you must have some preference.”

“I’m not sure that I do. There would be benefits and difficulties to your being crowned. We would cross that bridge if we came to it.”

Now I utilize my ability to keep the conversation from being overheard by curious bystanders. “What if I were to tell you I don’t want it?” He follows rules, so I don’t think he’d appreciate me intentionally losing, but perhaps I can share my feelings on it.

“Why wouldn’t you want it?” The question carries no weight of accusation, simply the desire to know.

Why is it that him making it easy for me makes me uneasy? This conversation has been a fight with everyone else. Relaxing out my readiness for that is strange. “Two crowns seem like too great a responsibility. Also, while the alliance between Alchos and Ceraun is wonderful, I don’t see how it wouldn’t eventually lead to their merging into one kingdom.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

“Not bad. It just seems like they aren’t meant to. They’re so different.” Ceraunos always seem so solemn and serious—an odd response to being slighted by the gods so many centuries ago, in my opinion.

“We aren’t all that different,” Jamys says. I glance up and down at his stiff, layered suit and cock an eyebrow when I get back to his face. “Fashion aside.”

“Fashion is the least of it.” Though it is one facet I am, perhaps ridiculously, concerned with for myself. “Do you really believe the gods still live?” They don’t. The gods of Earth, Fire, Water, and Air gave their powers to the first Queen of Alchos. They relinquished their immortality and united Alchos under one banner from its many small, unorganized states.