Chapter 122

The play was a lark, much more humorous than anything Kit had ever watched before, and she was glad the dress she’d worn was loose at the waist or else she might’ve ripped the fabric with all of the laughter peeling out of her throughout the production. Even her mother chuckled a time or two, a rarity. By the time the show was over, Kit had to hurry to the loo, she’d laughed so hard.

Luckily, she made it to the dining hall just in time to be announced and walk in with her mother. “Where were you?” Rona asked, looking down her nose at her daughter.

“Answering the call of nature.” Rona’s nostrils flared in disgust, and Kit shrugged. She was honest to a fault. The two walked in and took their seats at the head table. The dining hall near the royal theater didn’t have a dais, like the one they usually entertained the Representatives in, so she was on even par with her guests, which she appreciated. After the council and other noblewomen and their husbands were seated, there was room at the head table for a few visiting dignitaries. The Representatives sat at other tables, but near enough to Kit that at least she could see most of them easily enough.

Kit glanced down the table as the first course was being served, a soup she didn’t much care for, and noticed Seph and Eli were seated with their backs to each other, only a few inches apart. That had to be on purpose. She couldn’t see his face well from this angle, but she could tell he was uncomfortable. Seph didn’t exactly look happy either.

“Aren’t you going to eat your soup?” her mother asked, pulling her eyes off of the pair. “It’s lox.”

“Yes, of course,” Kit replied, picking up the proper spoon and taking a sip. She knew if she dallied long enough, this course would be whisked away and replaced with something she liked better—hopefully.

“Are you still planning on Pierce for tonight?” Her mother enjoyed the bitter concoction much more than Kit did, and hers was nearly half gone already.

Kit’s eyes flickered to the blond sitting almost directly across from her at the Representatives’ table. He’d had an air about him all evening that let her know he felt quite important, no doubt because she would be seeing him later. “That is the plan,” Kit said, her heart not quite in it.

“Good. I’m fond of him.”

“I know.” She took another slow sip. There wasn’t much else to say.

“And the new lady? Do you like her?”

“She’s lovely.” It would be better if her mother didn’t know Kit was suspicious at all. “She seems quite nice.”

“Yes, I thought so as well. Are you still planning to dismiss those Representatives we spoke of earlier? Tonight?”

“If it pleases Your Highness, yes.”

Queen Rona made a face, but she didn’t disagree, and Kit’s eyes immediately went to Merek, who was sitting near the middle of the table with his back to her. His laughter was loud enough to shake the eaves, and she felt sorry for Gavin, sitting to his left, as it appeared as though he was constantly being sloshed in Merek’s spilt beer. The sooner he left, the better.

“I believe it would be best if you made the announcement near the door. After what happened last time, we shall bring in a few members of my guard, and as soon as you tell them, you should duck out. I don’t want another scene.”

Kit raised an eyebrow. “Do you think there’s a chance someone will react violently again?” While she knew Teodric of Gatherbrook had reacted strongly last time, she hadn’t ever thought he meant to hurt her. Perhaps she was wrong, though. She’d been rushed away from the scene. These men had a lot on the line. Some of them might feel like failures if they had to return to their provinces already, particularly if they never even made it to her chambers.

“I don’t want to take any risks,” her mother said, taking a sip of her wine as the servants came and took away the soup, replacing it with a salad that looked equally unpalatable to Kit. She picked up her fork, though, before her mother had a chance to remind her to do so, and speared a carrot.

Her eyes continued to travel up and down the table. She knew them all now and could identify the ones with their backs to her by name and province as easily as she could those facing her. After tonight, she’d be down to thirty-three. It still seemed like an impossible number. When she stopped to give each of the Representatives consideration, there were only fifteen or so that she felt attracted to, and almost half of those she didn’t have true feelings for. It would be simple for her to cut the entire field down to ten or twelve right that very moment, but her mother would never allow that. So she’d continue to prolong the process until she’d whittled it down to her seven. After that, it could take as long as possible—because she knew she’d never be able to get the number down to one.

She must’ve had a far off look in her eyes because when she met Cassius’s gaze, he made a face at her, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue. Kit had to cover her mouth with her hand, drawing her mother’s attention as she stifled a giggle that turned into a choke.

“Are you all right, daughter?”

As soon as Kit could catch her breath, she said, “I’m fine, Mother, thank you.” She took a sip of water and avoided looking at Cassius again until her mother returned her attention to Zora, who was sitting on her other side. Thankfully, she hadn’t seen Cassius’s impromptu choking-exhibition.

“Now that one is handsome,” her grandmother, Junno, said near Kit’s ear. She was gesturing across the table, but it was hard for Kit to tell who she was talking about from this distance.

“Which one, Grandmother?”

“The one who makes you laugh,” she said. “Your grandfather used to make me giggle like a schoolgirl.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you’d seen that.”

“My eyesight might be failing, but I can tell when a boy is sweet on a girl.” Junno chuckled to herself and took another bite of her salad before she swallowed and said, “You’re going to have a tough time choosing between him and that friend of yours, aren’t you dear?”

Kit’s eyes automatically flittered down the table to land on Eli. He wasn’t looking at her, but she knew he could tell when the weight of her eyes was on him. “Yes.” There was no reason for her to add that at least three other men sitting at that table would also make it difficult for her.

“That’s all right, dear. Take your time. You want a love that will last, not... anything less than that.” Grandma Junno’s eyes traced down the table, and Kit imagined she was looking for her own father, Remont, who wasn’t there. He hadn’t been invited to the play or to dinner. Kit missed him and wished he was more a part of her Choosing, but there was no sense mentioning it to the queen.

“I am certain that whomever I end up choosing, it will be a man I love,” Kit promised her grandmother. It was an easy promise to make since she was fairly sure she was already falling in love with five of them.

“That’s wonderful.” Junno reached under the table and patted her knee. “I’ve never worried about you, Katrinetta. I’ve always known, you saw things differently. When the time comes, you will make an excellent queen. Excellent.”

Hearing her grandmother pay her such compliments made Kit feel overwhelmed. She placed her hand on top of Junno’s wrinkled one. “Thank you, Grandmother. I hope to make you proud.”

“You will. You will.” She smiled and then turned back to her dinner, and Kit tried to do the same, but there was a stirring inside of her again, one that wouldn’t be silenced. As Cassius had said, the queendom needed her, and she could feel the heaviness of the future bearing down on her.