Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
“Are there artefacts and papers held elsewhere in the realm?”
“Laura—”
“Are there?” I pushed.
“No,” he admitted.
“So, if another post is found for her, it will be outside what she went to school and studied to do. What she found a job doing. All because she’s pretty and Errol wanted to nail her.”
“I hesitate to note this, but she has free will. It isn’t appropriate for Errol to dally with staff. But she had a say in the matter, a choice, and she chose wrongly.”
“I don’t disagree. But it’s my understanding truth serum is mandated for anyone that has anything to do with the Palace—”
“Laura.”
He said no more.
But I heard him anyway.
Thus, I frowned. “So it isn’t about her being dangerous around valuable items. It’s about her being close, and Errol being done with her, and that potentially being awkward, that she’s being moved.”
“I’m afraid my father has also heard of this, and this is why the decision was made to transfer her,” he said each word like it tasted bad.
They tasted bad to me, and I didn’t even say them.
“How often has this happened?” My question was more of a demand for the information.
Aleksei didn’t need a demand, I knew, and gave me the information freely and unhappily.
“Too often.”
Ugh!
“Okay,” I began, “if they were, say, working together in the same place, this happened and it was against company policy, as per the Equal Employment Decree, they both would be reprimanded the same way. And in essence, they both do work at the same place, but it’s only Nata who will have to face consequences.”
“What you say is true, but I’m uncertain why we’re talking about her.”
“We’re talking about her because I want to approach her to ascertain if she wants to be my aide.”
His brows shot up again.
He opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Took a breath.
And then he said, “Darling, this is unwise.”
Okay, now we were getting into the big stuff.
“I know it’s not her chosen field. But it would be me making a statement to her, and more importantly, your brother. She probably knows her days are numbered. She won’t begin to expect that the True Heir’s mate, and incidentally, a soon-to-be princess, and then after that, the queen, would go out of her way to offer a private show of support and a condemnation of the prince’s actions. In the end, it’ll be her choice. I saw the job description and the salary package. I doubt she’s making that now. This will be more responsibility, an increased credit line, more prestige. It would be a promotion. My guess, a big one. She would be part of making history, not just conserving it. And if she refuses the opportunity to interview, that would be her choice, knowing it’s highly likely she’ll be transferred, and will then need to make the choice to accept the new post, or quit.”
“I see there’s something you’re wasting no time getting used to.”
I knew what he was saying.
I was exploring the newfound power of my position.
I knew the power I held wasn’t much, but when it was important, I had to do what I could.
“Does that upset you?”
“I’ll admit to being unnerved by it,” he shared. “The stands you take will transfer to me.”
“Not necessarily.”
“In all things,” he refuted. “We’re a unit. Whether we were mates or not, we would be a unit. A united front. A united message. United in all things. If you do this, it’s the same as me doing it. And if she should accept, and win the post, she’ll be working even closer to Errol. The aides have their offices in the administrative wing of the Palace.”
“That would be her choice too.”
“I understand why you’d want to make this statement, Laura. However—”
“Honey,” I said quietly, “I don’t think you do. You never could. Yes, you were born with certain duties you can’t escape, but even so, you had the power to find a way to build a life you enjoyed. This female’s whole life is changing because she made a bad decision and trusted the wrong person. At the same time, the male who made that decision with her, and duped her into making hers by lying to her, gets to go on his merry way. I know I’m putting you on the spot, especially since your father is involved, but is that the message you wish to send…to anyone?”
Aleksei made a frustrated noise.
I knew I was getting to him, but I didn’t gloat.
“She might hold bitterness and be a danger,” he warned.
“I would reply that I’d hope Allain or I would sense that, but as I mentioned, he’s told me it’s required anyone who works that closely to the Palace, and definitely a royal, has to take truth serum before they’re offered the post, with the understanding this is administered randomly after they accept, so we’d find that out before she could get up to anything. And it isn’t a given she’ll get the job. That’s not her field. The other applicants are very qualified. But if the opportunity is offered, I think she’ll get our point.”