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Mother’s bright countenance remains in place. “Father, I cannot hope to manage the entire kingdom myself. The purpose of having trusted people in the ministry is to alleviate the burden on me, and they can’t do anything helpful if they don’t have some power.” The appointed members of the ministry give a voice to Alchosians outside the aristocracy. It’s still a bold concept to our former king.

“Illiam,” Grand Mama says, “you forget that you too had well-trusted advisors during your rule.” She makes a graceful gesture between herself and Grand Papa, bracelets clinking against each other delicately. Silvery gray blends in with her golden locks enough to mask her age. That’ll be a helpful side effect of inheriting my hair color from Father’s family.

Grandfather takes another sip of his drink. “You’re family. That’s different.”

“They weren’t at the time, dear.” Only Grandmother can correct someone who had been a sovereign without making him prickly. She carries the elegance and charm of someone born to be a queen in her gentle manners and unshakable confidence. One could easily forget she had married into it.

I don’t know if I can be like her.

“Is it the ministry giving you trouble?” Rylan asks. While I try to block out such conversations, he’s been badgering Mother about court business more and more.

“We can discuss that after cake,” Father says.

Finally. I had been pulling a breeze from that direction, hoping the sweet smell of chocolate would entice someone to initiate dessert.

“Yes, please.” Nina lights the tapers on the cake from across the room without so much as glancing at it, possibly attempting to bolster her self-esteem.

“Why can’t we discuss it over cake?” Of course, Ry won’t be so easily distracted. He’ll be in these ministry meetings soon enough, so I don’t understand the rush. Once he’s the official crowned heir, he’ll have to be present for all of it. If it were me, I’d stay away from all such business until it was required.

Mother sighs. “It isn’t exactly dessert conversation, dear.”

Well, that’s a good way to pique everyone’s interest.

“What happened?” Marcus asks.

Loving—albeit worried—gazes scan us. Grandfather shoots a pointed glare at Mother, then Mother and Father look at each other. “It’s only slightly sooner than we’d planned,” he says.

Mother frowns as she looks about the room then rolls her shoulders back. What’s about to come isn’t from our mother—it’s from the Queen of Alchos. “There has been a growing sense of unease throughout the kingdom. Anti-magic sentiments are bleeding in through our border with Penum. People are finding it more difficult to trust us.”

Nina rolls her eyes. “Doesn’t King Kirnon feel at all embarrassed by his obvious jealousy?”

The thin, snake-like shape of Penum slithering up the west coast always seemed fitting. Tucked as they are between mountains and ocean, one would think they wouldn’t be so irksome, but this nuisance still manages to prod us. The concern wasn’t one I’d thought about much until I learned it was enough to put me in my current situation.

“That’s why you divided your magic.” Rylan’s voice edges on angry with a deep timbre. “People are afraid of one person with too much power, so you spread it amongst us.” Instead of giving it all to me goes unsaid. Traditionally he would have received it all, as Mother did from Grandfather, and he from his father before him. The rest of us would have no magic at all—or more likely, not exist. It’s been several generations since an Exos had more than one child. Resentment from a younger sibling with no magic was avoided this way.

Instead, our family enjoys resentment dripping down from the eldest. Rylan accepts it for the good of the kingdom (and because he can’t do anything about it), but if taking away three-quarters of the power he could have had is for nothing, I have no doubt his bitterness will fester.

“That was the purpose,” Father says, rubbing small circles on Mother’s wrist with his thumb. “However, some people believe four people of magical ability are more dangerous.”

“Four people each with a quarter of the power I’m supposed to have!”

And there we have it.

A scorching heatwave hits from Nina’s direction, and I throw up a shield to contain it. “Stop it, Arabella! If he wants my power, he should be able to handle the heat.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Rylan says.

“Isn’t it, though?”

“Enough,” Mother says. “Both of you.”

I take a sip of wine. “I told you I’m your favorite sister.”

Ry only glares at me.

“What do they want then?” Marcus asks. “Are you meant to have another child with no powers to be the heir?”

“I am the heir,” Ry sneers.