Page 12 of The Prince and His Stolen Throne

Pressinga hand to her chest, Franny exclaimed, “You scared us! I thought you had—” She blinked, registering everyone else’s presence for the first time. “Rick, what are you doing here?”

Dad’s brow furrowed. “We’re here to pick up Delilah. You were expecting us, weren’t you?”

“That would explain why no one came to greet us at the drive,” Father said.

“What do you mean? I don’t remember hearing anything about this.” Franny looked at Kit and demanded, “Did we know about this?”

“Franny, dearest, have you kept up with your correspondence?” Kit asked.

Guilt flashed across Franny’s face before she shifted into defensive mode. “You know how busy I’ve been with the transition. I’ve sorted everything in order of importance—” She snapped her mouth shut as soon as she realized the implications.

Dad snorted. “I see I didn’t make it high on your list.”

“Now you know how I feel,” Father said, deadpan.

“If it was urgent, you should have marked the letters properly!” Franny continued to deflect all the blame. “Rather thankidnapping my daughterto who knows where!”

Genuine hurt flashed across Dad’s face before he locked it down and replied calmly, “I am not kidnapping her. I’m taking her to Misfortune to meet with the other kingdoms about the defense spell. We’ve exchanged several letters, planning this for weeks.”

As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes turned to Delilah. She whistled innocently as she looked up at the ceiling. She needed better lessons in subterfuge. After mere seconds, she cracked. “Fine! I was the one who wrote to Uncle Rick to arrange the trip.”

Dad sighed. “I should have suspected something when you replied in a timely manner.”

“You stole my letters?” Franny demanded. “Why?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t let me go if I told you!” Delilah exploded. “You would have insisted I stay behind while everyone else decided my future!”

“That’s not true! I want you to have as much say as anyone else. But the meeting can wait a few years.”

“I’m not a child anymore!”

“Eighteen is still too young for this responsibility.”

“You carried that responsibility far earlier than me! You were engaged since you were a baby—”

“And I was absolutely miserable!” Franny glanced at Father and added, “No offense.”

He held up his hands, warding off her not-quite-apology and refusing to derail the conversation.

I wished the argument had made it all the way to Franny’s office rather than remaining in the hallway. Then I could have sat down and waited for them to hash everything out.If it lasts much longer, maybe I’ll wander off to find a snack.

Kit wrapped their arm around Franny’s waist, tucking her into a comforting embrace and smoothing out all those anxious ruffles. “What your mother means is: trying to satisfy the requirements of the Kingdom Defense Spell almost ruined her life. Your uncles’ lives too. More specifically, it was their parents trying to decide things for them. We don’t want you to carry the same burden.”

“I understand,” Delilah said, her eyes widening in earnestness. “But youaretrying to decide things for me. I hid the letters because I knew you would react this way. I want to go to this meeting. I want to help defend the kingdom.Thisis my decision.”

Franny gazed at her daughter for a moment, then sighed. “If that’s what you want.” She and Kit both opened their arms, inviting Delilah in for a farewell hug.

“Well, that was dramatic,” I muttered.

“I’m surprised they didn’t attract any imps,” Dad replied.

I nodded, then did a double take, staring at him in shock.Why does he know about imps?

Unaware of my reaction, Dad was already talking to Father about something else.

After the tearful goodbyes, Franny and Kit escorted us outside. “Take good care of her,” Franny said solemnly.

We all settled into the carriage and waved goodbye until Aunt Franny and Kit faded out of sight. Delilah promptly curled up on the seat next to me, her feet jabbing my hip, and fell asleep. She should be spending her days lounging in the sun, not preparing for a perilous quest.