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How to seduce an Overprince? I go in search of Amber, my mother’s representative, after a brief change of clothing and a bout of pacing that solidifies my resolve.

The weight of Vae’s threat and the other princess’s grim warning settles on me, but it’s armor I can bear.

I will learn to breathe in this perfumed air.

I will bend and shape the bars in this gilded cage.

I need to act. I need to do something to protect Heald. This is why Mother sent me. And I will ensure that I do not fail.

Amber isn’t alone when I find her office, guided by the servant whose startled guidance on my demand leads me to a different part of the Citadel. This ridiculous dress I’ve donned will be my new armor, but there will be modifications made, and I need Amber’s help to make them.

Chancellor Hallick seems surprised to see me, though he covers it as he bows his head to Amber as I enter without knocking.

“Highness,” he says to me in that oily voice. “You look lovely this morning.”

“Chancellor.” I barely acknowledge him, staring Amber down. If she’s uncomfortable with my attitude, she doesn’t show it and instead circles her large, wooden desk to squeeze his hand as he excuses himself, exiting in a waft of sickly sweetness.

Amber tsks at me when the door closes behind him. “You make enemies of allies we need in this court,” she says, anger showing as she looks me up and down. “At least you’ve learned to dress yourself appropriately. What were you thinking, trusting Vae of Sarn of all people?”

“You know what they have planned for Heald,” I snarl at her as she scowls deeper. She’s my mother’s age but softer, too long in this place. Still, there’s steel in her that I missed the day before, and she shows it as she leans toward me, gaze flat.

“Why do you think you’re here, Remalla?” She turns her back on me, striding to the window to stare out into the morning gray, clouds settled low over the Citadel, and drizzle on the windows matching my mood. I watch the mist crawl across her garden outside as she speaks again. “This isn’t a game.”

“It is not,” I say. “But perhaps one of you could have warned me what was at stake instead of dropping me in this mess without any kind of plan.”

She shakes her head, her long braid swinging free down her back. She’s dressed similarly to me, but she’s taken on the traditional hairstyle of Heald today. Perhaps a reminder of who she really is? But for me, or for her?

“You were meant to be ignorant,” she says with blunt abruptness.

“Your mother kept you clear of all of this for a reason, one only she knows, but I understand her reticence considering the way Heald has been pushed down. What would you have done, Remalla, had you known that the very safety of our homeland stood on the sharp edge of this sword?” She spins and faces me again, grim, angry.

“Treated it like a war,” I say, just as blunt.

“Exactly,” she says. “Instead, you arrived innocent of the details and have uncovered and exposed, in less than a day, the truth for yourself. A far more important reveal than riding in her hot and ready for a fight.”

“You didn’t trust me,” I say. “Mother didn’t.”

“We trust no one,” Amber says, approaching me again.

She takes my hands this time, as she had the Chancellor’s, squeezing with a grip that’s as calloused as mine.

So she hasn’t abandoned her blade work practice.

My estimation rises, and I finally give her the credit that perhaps she’s earned.

“You know better than that, daughter of Jhanette. And it’s because she’s guarded you well that you will win in the end. I’m sure of it.”

I nod. “I must marry the Overprince,” I say. “I accept that.” Why does it still rankle? I must abandon all resistance in favor of this fight. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

She exhales and shrugs. “Be yourself.” That makes me laugh, sharp and surprised, and she joins in before squeezing my fingers again, then lets me go.

“He’s already had his interest piqued,” she tells me, gesturing for me to sit with her.

I do, forcing myself to settle, to listen.

“Rumor among my contacts has it he’ll summon you sometime today to speak privately.

I’ll encourage that myself in a chance meeting I’ve planned when he takes his afternoon tea with his father, if he waits too long. ”

My mind reels a little from the details of this deception, but then again, is it any less convoluted than a battle plan built on direct attack backed with clandestine undermining of the enemy? I must shift my thinking to the cerebral, not the physical.

“Be myself,” I say. “That feels too easy.”

“As I told you,” she assures me, dark eyes sparkling, “he’s bored with the other princesses and has refused to choose one of them. If we play this right, he’ll be yours before anyone has time to move against us.”

She’s suggesting something that makes the skin between my shoulder blades prickle. “They’re already planning an assassination,” I say.

“Likely more than one.” She waves that off.

“There’s as yet not concerted effort, and we must solidify our position before they realize they’re working against one another and form a coalition.

” So practical, this discussion of the pending threat, and yet, I feel no fear despite my intuition’s warning. This, at least, is completely familiar.

“What of Chancellor Hallick?” Is she aligned with him?

The ambassador hesitates only briefly, but long enough that I have my answer before she speaks it. “He has his own agenda,” she said. “Be wary but try not to make an enemy of him, if you can.”

“Are they right to hate us?” I don’t mean to sound wistful. It’s a question I’ve been pondering for such a short span that it’s too fresh by far for any decision or conclusion on my part.

Amber’s face tightens as she shakes her head.

“Heald’s history will prove us out in the end,” she says.

“Their animosity comes from our fight for what we’re owed, Remalla, never doubt that.

We were deceived when the first Overking Ranaslo formed Protoris.

Why do you think the queens of Heald face no repercussions for their actions?

” I had wondered, once upon a time. Surely the Overking would put an end to our battles if he so chose.

“Your mother made a pact that was broken. Heald’s borders will be put to rights.

” She stands, and I join her as she grips my arms firmly, shaking me just a little.

“And when you’re on the throne of the Overqueen, all of it will be proven for the entirety of the kingdoms to see. ”

My shoulders straighten, my doubts wiped clean. “I’m sorry about my attitude.”

She laughs. “You wouldn’t be Jhanette’s daughter—or our greatest hope—without it.” She shoos me toward the door. “Go and be the mighty Princess Remalla for all the Citadel to see. Just don’t kill anyone.” Amber winks. “Or die, if you can help it.”

Warning received.

I’m passing an open doorway at the end of the hall, deep in thought, when a man’s voice calls out my name. I shouldn’t be surprised to find that the Chancellor is beckoning me inside his office, or that he’s been waiting for this opportunity to do so.

He sits behind a stack of parchments, his small, dark eyes watchful, lips smiling as he waves me toward him.

“Do close the door behind you, highness,” he says, his voice low and quiet.

I do as I’m told, then wait for him to speak again.

“Your visit with the ambassador was productive?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer, rising from his desk.

He’s shed his heavy robe, dressed in a white shirt and black breeches.

He’s more muscular than I expected, leaner, too, and has the grace of a swordsman.

I shift my estimation of his abilities accordingly.

“Lady Amber has done her best to build respect for Heald in her time here, but she’s struggled for obvious reasons.

” He pours himself a glass of something clear into a crystal cup, offering me the same, but I shake my head.

“While I’m certain she’s doing her best to guide you, missteps like the one you took last night at dinner are the very reason I offered my support to you in the first place. ”

“Forgive my abruptness,” I say, “but why do you care?”

He flashes me a smile so predatory I wonder if he realizes it.

“The Overkingdom’s stability is my responsibility,” he says.

“Rulers will come and go, highness, but I remain, and I’ve been reading the weakening writing on the walls for some time now.

” He shrugs. “While Gyster is a formidable ruler, his son, I fear, needs a stronger partner to ensure he doesn’t falter. ”

“Criticizing the Overprince to a stranger,” I say, “is a risky business.”

“And yet,” Hallick says, still smiling, “I’m not the only one at risk, am I, highness?”

He’s not wrong. “I’ve come to accept that my success here is Heald’s success,” I say.

While he might be open to sharing, I’m going to be more careful from now on.

At least until he proves himself the ally he claims. And even after that, because someone like the Chancellor has only his own motives at heart.

I appreciate the honesty of this relationship enough to give him that much.

“I see.” He sips from his glass, dark eyes watchful as he takes his time.

Why doesn’t he sound pleased? Isn’t this what he wanted of me in the first place?

I’m so frustrated, trying to sort out what other people are looking for from me.

The quiet between us hangs heavy, stretching out, and I do not miss the slow and deliberate way he looks me up and down.

His suggestion, unspoken, surprises me, but at least his lust is something I can deal with, unlike my confusion about his less-than-enthusiastic reaction to my assurances.

“I’m sure you and I will become the best of companions and friends, Princess Remalla. In the days and nights ahead.”

There’s a bulge forming in the front of his breeches, and he does nothing to hide it.

My first instinct is to show my disgust. Didn’t Amber tell me to be myself?

But I still don’t know if this sort of an ally is important or not, as he seems to think he is.

And as long as he leaves his dick in his trousers and his open desire at a suggestion and takes no actual action, I’ll tolerate it.

I need to see a seamstress, however. Because I’ll be carrying more than one blade on my person from now on.

“Thank you for your candor,” I tell him. It’s been most valuable.

He sets his drink aside but makes no move to come closer. “I believe you’re about to be late for breakfast.” Hallick turns his back on me, dismissive and confident.

I exit the way I entered, though far more educated than before.