Page 47 of Rivals

“Frederick?”

“Or King Takudzwa, or Emperor Akito. They’ve all interrupted you during our plenary sessions.”

Beatrice hadn’t given it much thought, but it was true. At some point each of those kings had stood and talked over Beatrice, as if she were an unruly toddler, not a queen who had the floor.

“You’re right,” she said.

Louise rolled her eyes. “Frederick and his clique are a holdover from a bygone era. They think women, especially young women, should be seen and not heard.”

Beatrice’s mind snagged on Louise’s choice of words. “What do you mean, Frederick’sclique?”

“You know: Akito, Juan Pablo, Gustav. That whole gang.”

Clique, gang—Louise was speaking like a seventeen-year-old. “You make them sound like high schoolers competing for prom king.”

“Is it really all that different? High school politics or international politics, the dynamics are the same. People don’t actually change, no matter how old they are.”

There was an element of truth in Louise’s statement. No one ever fully shed their teenage selves, did they? No matter how much you grew up, your old anxieties and insecurities would always be there, knitted into the fabric of your being.

“Perhaps I should find a less juvenile term,” Louise mused. “But to me, a clique is a group of people who have each other’s backs. Who stand up for each other, help eachother navigate all the drama and petty gossip out in the world. By that definition, we are a clique, aren’t we?”

Something about thatwemade Beatrice feel warm inside. It made her want to live up to whatever Louise saw in her.

The game had reached a natural close; Alexei headed off in search of more wine, and Siri glanced down at her phone.

Bharat leaned toward Beatrice. “I know what it’s like to have people trying to silence you,” he said softly. “I’ve certainly gotten plenty of opposition as a gay future ruler.”

Beatrice nodded, letting him continue.

“It’s hard enough dealing with criticism in my own country, but then to come here and have all the kings dismiss me, call me unfit to rule, question my line of succession…” Bharat broke off in disappointment and sighed.

“I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.” No one should be precluded from doing their job because of who they were or who they loved.

Bharat shrugged. “Change happens one generation at a time. If I go through hardship, hopefully it means future generations won’t have to.”

That, Beatrice understood. Whenever the press was especially hard on her, whenever it felt like the road ahead was too steep, she reminded herself that she was doing this for a future queen. She didn’t know if it would be her own daughter, or her granddaughter—but the next Queen of America would have an easier time of it because Beatrice had been first to forge the path.

“Anyway. I’m going to tell my father to vote for your climate accord,” Bharat promised, and Beatrice looked up.

“Thank you. That means so much.”

“Of course. I can tell you really believe in it.”

“Excellent!” Louise exclaimed, having clearly overheard. She held out the bottle of wine with a questioning expression, and to her own surprise, Beatrice took it. She lifted it toher lips, drinking straight from the bottle—and immediately burst out coughing. It had gone down the wrong pipe.

Beatrice would have felt sheepish, except Louise was laughing in an affectionate, delighted way.

“Oh, Béatrice.” Louise slapped her on the back a few times. “You can’t even drink properly? I have so much to teach you. But don’t worry,” she added gleefully. “The fun is just beginning.”

Samantha prowled from the living room to the terrace and back again, snatches of conversation drifting around her.

“At least your legislature stays in line. God only knows what mine has been up to in my absence. When the cat’s away, the mice will play….”

“She’s so dumb, she spelledper seas ‘per s-a-y.’ I’m telling you, these assistants always claim to be fluent in English, but they disappoint every time….”

“God, this conference is boring. Makes me want to go full-on Prince Franz and sail off to Hawaii….”

Prince Franz? Sam wondered who he was; she didn’t think she’d met him so far. Then her phone buzzed, and she fumbled for it so frantically that she nearly dropped it in the pool, only to see that it was just Nina.