Chapter 60

The ballroom was decorated more elaborately than Kit had ever remembered seeing it. Her mother had truly outdone herself this time with the amount of towering flower vases and blooms to the ceiling. The colors were purple and gold, the two shades best associated with the crown, and the fabrics that ran from the ceiling to the walls and then down to the floor were majestic and sparkling. The orchestra was so large, the music could be heard far down the hall, and the banquet table was overflowing with all kinds of desserts and other delicacies that could be easily eaten with one’s fingers. Perfect fare for a ball after a large meal in the dining hall. It truly was an impressive sight, and when Kit turned to her mother, she could tell she was well pleased with how her design had been carried out.

The queen stepped to the middle of the dais in the center of the room along one wall, where she usually spent most of these sorts of festivities since she refused to dance with her husband--or anyone else--anymore. Kit looked around at the faces. Not only were her forty-one Representatives there, but they were allowed to bring their delegations for this first celebration. There were also several noblewomen who lived in the castle and in neighboring provinces so that there would be plenty of dance partners for the men when Kit was occupied with another Representative.

Rona clapped her hands sharply twice in order to gain everyone’s attention. She cleared her voice. “Welcome, Representatives, delegates, and other distinguished guests. On behalf of the councilwomen you see before you,” she gestured at the ladies standing behind her, “I would like to welcome you to the first ball of my darling daughter Princess Katrinetta’s Choosing.” With a wave of her hand, Rona called Kit on stage, and she obliged, listening to the sound of applause fill the room as she did so.

“As most of you know, tonight officially begins the Choosing ceremony. In the weeks and months to come, Katrinetta will get to know the Representatives from the provinces and choose seven of them to Room. She may, at any time, choose to Room a particular Representative or send him home. There are no rules for how long she must take, how much time she must spend with each gentleman, or what her reasoning may be.” Kit nearly scoffed at her mother’s words remembering well what she’d been told only a few hours ago, before dinner, but she kept a smile on her face to hide the charade. “Once she has her seven, she will whittle that number down until there is but one, and he will become her husband and a duke.”

Once again, cheers erupted, and Kit tried to put aside the thought that in most realms, queens were married to kings—not dukes. It would be different for her. Kit’s husband would have power, a say in the ruling of the realm. But her mother did not know that, and she wouldn’t dare mention it before the queen’s crown was upon her head. Not to mention, at the moment, she had no idea how she would ever choose just one of the men before her. Perhaps that was something else that needed to change....

“Now, without further ado, let us begin the festivities!” Rona signaled the musicians, who instantly started to play a cheery tune, and another roar went up from the crowd. Dozens of hands were thrust in Kit’s direction as the men asked her for the first dance, but she lingered for a moment, hoping to catch her mother’s eye, to let her know she caught the discrepancy between what she’d been told in private and what was just announced to everyone else. She didn’t get the chance. A woman she did not recognize stepped out of the crowd, gaining her mother’s attention, and soon they were chatting.

Kit let out a soft sigh, the smile still fastened to her face, and randomly took a hand. She was amused to see it belonged to Pierce since he was the first one she’d danced with at her Exploration ball as well, and they both had a good chuckle over it. The swarm of men around them dissipated, but Kit was certain before the song even ended, she’d have plenty of other partners to choose from.

As Pierce whirled her around the dance floor, she thought back to what her mother had said in private. Essentially, she was to wait a few days before Rooming anyone, and then she needed to take it slow, spread the Rooming announcements out. She was not allowed to send anyone home without her mother’s permission, despite the fact that the official rules of the Choosing said it was completely up to the princess to decide who to keep and for how long. Her mother wanted control over everything, that was clear.

When Kit had asked about Eastbury, the queen had gone quiet. She didn’t want to discuss the province at all. Since none of the councilwomen were present at the time, she’d had to wait to ask. But over dinner, the question came up again, and Duchess Zora informed her that the initial call to vote had been sent out. Now, the ballots would need to be collected and counted, which may take a few days since Eastbury was a decent sized province. Once the numbers were in, they’d need to be verified, and if the vote was close, another ballot would need to be submitted. She didn’t seem to think it was possible the entire process would be counted on time, and when Kit looked at her mother’s face, she saw a satisfied smile.

“Have you any news of Jecobian?” Pierce asked, bringing her back to the room. “I heard his procedure went well.”

Kit thought “procedure” was an odd word for it, considering what Armant had been forced to do, but she didn’t dare speak against her mother or mention anything that could make one question whether or not the ax had done the cutting. “Over dinner, my grandmother said that he is doing well, and he may be transferred back to Eastbury soon.”

“That’s wonderful.” She couldn’t tell if Pierce was merely saying what he thought she wanted to hear or if he actually cared about the other man. “It will be interesting to see who Eastbury sends in next.”

“Indeed,” Kit agreed. “I have heard it was a close vote the first time.”

“Yes, well, I think it might’ve gone another way if there weren’t influences involved.”

He had Kit’s attention now, and she recalled he was the one who’d let her know that her mother had been providing constituents with generous donations passage to her Exploration ball. “What do you mean?”

Pierce always seemed to realize he’d said too much right after he did so. “Nothing. Only… I heard there was a bit of… politicking, if you will.”

Kit glanced over her shoulder to see her mother still talking to the woman she didn’t recognize. “Was it the queen?”

A crimson color rose in Pierce’s cheeks. “I can’t say.” Kit narrowed her eyes at him. He let out a deep sigh. “Princess… let me just remind you that there is a history between your mother and a certain would-be noble family in Eastbury. I’m afraid I shouldn’t say more.”

She wanted him to say more, much more, but she knew she wouldn’t get any of it out of him now. If she could prove somehow that her mother influenced the vote in Eastbury, the queen could be accused of treason and tried by the council. However, she didn’t know what good it would do her to try to fight her mother at this juncture, especially over something so seemingly unimportant. Would it have really mattered if the farmhand had been selected as the Representative from Eastbury during the first voting instead of Jecob? To the latter, perhaps, but not to her.

“I should note that my understanding is that the rebellion that occurred on Jecob’s way to the castle was a direct result of that meddling and that the local powers that be are no longer willing to put up with such interference. So… perhaps this result will be different.”

“Well, it can hardly be the same, “ Kit agreed, not quite following what Pierce was saying. The people who had supported Jecob would no longer be able to do so, which likely meant they would throw their names behind the farmhand. If that made the people of Eastbury happy, so be it. She doubted anyone would ever listen to her mother again when it came to choosing a winner for any sort of contest if she’d actually thought Jecob was the best candidate. Clearly, she’d been very wrong about that.

The song ended, and Kit thanked Pierce before looking around for her next partner. She saw Reeve coming her way and rushed to him before anyone else could swoop her up. For the next several hours, she tried to pick a new partner for each song until most of the Representatives had had a turn. There were a few who didn’t approach her, and she was glad for it. Whether they were shy, didn’t like to dance, or uninterested in her, she couldn’t say, but none of them were gentlemen who had caught her attention.

As the night wore on, she found herself weary and ready to retire. Looking around the room, she surveyed the Representatives to make sure she’d danced with each of the ones she had initially found herself attracted to. Reeve, Jate, Pierce, Drake, Danyen, Landon, Gavin, Zane, and Hawkin had each had a turn amongst others. She’d danced with Cassius earlier in the evening, too, but stifling a yawn, she decided it was time to seek him out or else she’d be asleep before he even had the opportunity to show her what he was capable of.

His eyes weighed heavy on her from across the room. All she had to do was meet them and smile, and he began to make his way over to her. The others seemed to part around him, as if they somehow knew, though she couldn’t imagine he’d told anyone, and she hadn’t mentioned it to any of the other men. When he stopped before her, a quaking breath exited her parted lips, and the glint in his eye let her know he was ready to take her away.