“So, you don’t need me anymore?” I asked Dad.
He opened his mouth, then seemed to think better of whatever he was going to say. “We don’t currently appear to need your help in the War Room.”
“Diplomatic answer, duke.” I grinned.
“Thank you, kiddo.”
“It wasn’t just me,” I scoffed.
“No. The code team found the same things you did, but they sent word through after you went to dinner.”
I grinned with pride. “Cool.”
“Of course, I didn’t check your notes until after we heard from them.”
My grin fell. “So I didn’t actually help at all?”
Dad smiled and put an arm around me. “If I’d looked at what you set aside you would have.”
“Ah. So you’re hindering my full potential?” I teased and he laughed.
“Yes.”
I nodded. “I can live with that.”
I made to leave, then stopped when he said, “Maybe take your sister out for today?”
I looked at him and nodded, knowing why he was asking. “Will do.”
“Thanks, kiddo.”
I smiled and stared walking out.
“Lady Tatiana?” Arnell’s voice stopped me this time.
“General?” I replied as I turned to him.
He cleared his throat and looked around before saying, “Well done on your find. I…” He coughed a little again. “I am truly sorry I misjudged you.”
“It was probably just beginner’s luck,” I told him in an attempt to repay his politeness with humility.
“It may have been. But I would not be surprised if only someone with a firm understanding of Gallyr’s history would have found the meaning you did.”
I didn’t let my smile show because I didn’t want to look conceited. Instead I nodded once. “Thank you, General.”
He grunted gruffly, like the very idea of being polite was difficult for him.
“Good day, Lady Tatiana.”
“Good day, General.”
He bowed and strode off stiffly while I held the pep out of me step until I got outside the room, then I let myself be as peppy as I wanted as I went to see if Lia was in her room.
“What’s up?” she asked me as I bounded in.
“What’s say we go out?” I said.
She frowned, then broke out into a smile. “Good news?”
I nodded. “Apparently I helped crack the code,” I said, mock-arrogantly dusting off my shoulders. “Also, the boys are fine but for an insignificant wound on Nico’s arm, or so I’m told. And are on their way home.”
Lia squealed. “So your prince charming is whole!”
I snorted. “Not my prince, charming or otherwise.”
Lia stuck her tongue out at me. “Be a party pooper then.”
“I’ll be a party pooper who’s taking you out of the palace.”
“Where are we going?”
I shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”
“Oh!” Lia cried excitedly. “I’ll take you to the shopping district and then we can go through the uni and I’ll show you where your courses will be!”
I nodded, faking unenthusiastic. “Sure. And how do you know where the film classes are held?”
“I don’t. I know exactly where the comms classes are held!”
I rolled my eyes with a smile. “Who says I’m doing comms classes?”
“Uh, me. After you helped crack the code.”
“Okay. Less I helped. More I came up with the same answer the code team did. Although, Arnell did essentially tell me how great I was.”
“No,” she breathed in disbelief and I nodded. “See? Comms.”
“Let’s go out,” I laughed as I walked out of her room.
After a moment, she followed me. “I’ll think of something to give Dad a heart attack then you can have his job.”
I snorted. “Little louder in the hallway, why not Lia? I don’t think everyone heard you plotting to kill the king’s advisor.”
Lia shrugged as she pulled on her coat. “It’s patricide either way. That’s probably pretty high up on the list of no-nos.”
“I think that’s more than a no-no,” I said.
We pulled past my room to grab my coat, filled Nikolai and Neil into our plans and headed out.
To my dismay, we were not taking a car. We were walking.
“You don’t walk to uni,” I complained.
“No. But you’ll see more of Albia this way.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. But walking. You know how I feel about exercise,” I grumbled as I hurried to catch up to her, pulling my coat around me.
But I couldn’t stay in a grump for long. Lia was happy the princes were okay and coming back to safety, and her happiness was infectious.
We were at least both dressed for walking in jeans and… Well I couldn’t have walked in Lia’s shoes, but mine were perfectly acceptable. For walking, if nothing much else.
Lia pointed out landmarks – like the statue of St Louis, patron saint of Albia, who’d lost his left ear sometime between 2019 and his erection in the late 1700s – and talked about the lecturers she thought I’d have when I started. Lia was studying International Relations and Economics, so she’d taken some Communications courses. I had to admit I wasn’t really paying attention to the crux of what she was saying, but I was thinking about. More seriously than I had before.
When she took a breath, I asked, “Does GNU have something like International Relations and Media?”
“Probably. Why? We going to work together?”
I snorted. Mainly because Lia didn’t want to work in the palace, she wanted to continue and expand her charity work both in Gallyr and abroad. I wasn’t sure how her degree played into that, but the careers councillor at her school had seemed pretty sure that was the right path for her to take.
“No,” I told her. “I’m just thinking through my options.”
“Oh.” She pouted at me jokingly. “You don’t want to work with your big sister?”
I laughed. “Not in a million years. No.”
Lia looped her arm with mine and smiled at me. “Thank God. I love you, Tatiana Penrose, but I think I’d kill you if we had to work together.”
I nodded. “Agreed.”
We wandered along relatively aimlessly and unbothered, with Nikolai and Neil shadowing us as usual. Lia took me into her all her favourite shops – most of which were full of Lia-clone clothes, but some of them had stuff we both liked. I found out that if you were rich enough then you could have the things you bought delivered to your place of residence.
After I stopped worrying about how we’d carry anything we’d bought as we meandered around, I let Lia talk me into buying things.
We tried on something like a hundred dresses each, some of which were purely for the amusement factor. But some were because we actually liked them.
“That one,” Lia said with a nod and I tried not to laugh at the way the weird poufy pink material calling itself a dress wobbly every time she made the slightest movement.
I looked at myself in the mirror again and a snigger escaped as she wobbled next to me. She forced me into an off the shoulder black dress with a slightly asymmetrical hem, the front of which sat a little higher than my knees.
“When would I wear it?” I asked her.
“Does it matter? You look ah-ma-zing!”
I laughed at her enthusiasm and the wobble of her dress. “Of course it matters. I already feel like I have a wardrobe full of things I’ll never even see, let alone wear.”
“I personally think it would match perfectly with a nice pair of heels. Something coloured with an enormous heel!”
I sighed dramatically. “No. Too many heels,” I whined, missing the days of Converses and thongs. Not that thongs would work in the snow – my toes would probably freeze off.
“It would be a very sexy date dress…”
she wheedled and I smirked. “It would go just as well with Converse…” she added as though she could read my mind.
I threw my arms up in defeat. “Fine. I’m buying it. But you have to buy that.”
Lia looked down at herself and glared at me. “God, no.”
I snorted as she wobbled her was back into the change room. “But it would make a sexy date dress!” I called and heard her laugh.
We finished up in that shop, organised to have my dress delivered to the palace, and went on our way.
“Hey,” Lia said, pointing at the window of a tattoo parlour as we walked past.
“Hey yourself.”
“Weren’t you getting another tattoo after Mum left?”
I nodded slowly. “I was.”
“Have you just not told me again?”
I laughed. “No. I just haven’t had time.”
“When? While you’ve been busy doing nothing?”
I elbowed her playfully. “Fine. I don’t know what I want yet.”
She grabbed a lock of my hair. “And this?”
“Too much effort.”
She nodded. “I feel you.”
We continued on until we heard someone call out to us, “Lady Malmont. Lady Tatiana.”
I looked around and saw Neil holding his arm in front of a woman with a notepad and a camera. Journalist, obviously.
“Could I ask you a few questions about the recent situation with the princes, my ladies?” she called, not trying to move past Neil.
I looked to Lia and felt like our non-verbal communication game was on point.
“We have a few minutes,” Lia said, nodding to Neil who stepped aside.
The woman came a few steps closer and smiled her thanks. “My name is Elaine Snider, I’m with Channel Eight. I was wondering what you can tell me about what happened down south?”
Lia and I shared a look again and I let her answer, “We don’t know much, I’m afraid. Princes Dmitri and Dominic were on military business. There was a glitch in the communications system that meant news of manoeuvres was interrupted to the capital. They are both on their way back to Albia as we speak.”
I had to hand it to her. She hadn’t told Elaine anything more than the media was already reporting. But Elaine nodded as though it was all new information as she wrote notes.
“And what can you tell me about Lady Tatiana helping to track down the princes?”
Another shared look with Lia, then to Nikolai and Neil who were no help at all.
“I’m not sure why I would have been involved with helping during any situation?” I said carefully.
Elaine looked at me like she wasn’t sure if her information was wrong or I was covering. “There are rumours you helped crack code which led to information about the…manoeuvres?”
I nodded slowly. “Are there?”
“There are. How did you know which code words the rebels were using to discuss the princes?”
I wasn’t an expert, but I wasn’t entirely sure she should know that information. But I didn’t want it getting around that I knew because I had inside knowledge either.
What would Kostin do? I asked myself.
“I didn’t,” I said simply. “As far as I’m aware, the council was made aware of intel that related to the princes’ movements.”
She nodded, but didn’t look happy about my answer. “Being new to Gallyr, then. What is your take on the motivation behind the unrest?”
Oh, shit. I took a deep breath. “Honestly, it’s not my area of expertise,” I started. “But I think it’s a lot more complicated than it looks on the surface.”
“And the people who would say that is the noble in you talking?”
I nodded. “I would tell them that’s a fair thought. But I’ve been noble less than four months. In Adelaide, I was a commoner. The only people who knew my heritage were my family and my two best friends. And I can assure you they didn’t care at all.” I huffed a laugh as I thought about how little Jenn and Bea had cared I’d one day be a lady. “They spent more time teasing me and bemoaning the fact I was moving than treating me differently.”
“You revel in your foreignness and yet you claim to understand our nation’s problems?” Elaine asked, looking like she was about to uncover something super juicy.
Nikolai moved and I shook my head to indicate I was fine before answering. “I don’t claim anything more than I have tried to educate myself on the history of the great nation of Gallyr and understand my heritage better. The people you call rebels feel they’re out of options to be heard, and the crown feel stuck because they want to help but a centuries old machine like Gallyr is large, with many moving parts, and it’s hard to make quick changes in direction.”
“So you believe change is necessary? Is coming?”
“If people are unhappy, then I think change is necessary. But I also don’t think change should be made when it risks making other people unhappy. And I don’t mean nobles losing status or wealth or power. Any change the crown makes will have a ripple effect that affects everyone – old, young, rich poor.” I shook my head, not sure I was saying the right thing. “I don’t really know. I’m not an expert. I’m just a teenager trying to get through life when everyone around me wants me to have an opinion of their choosing. I don’t want to let anyone down, but I don’t want to be a doormat either. It’s a fine line to walk and one I’m still learning how to tread.”
Elaine nodded and something in her face softened a little like maybe I wasn’t saying the wrong thing. “So you would say you were sympathetic to the rebels’ cause?”
“I don’t know. I hate to think there are people hurting anywhere, but I also think there are probably rights and wrongs on both sides of the coin.”
“Thank you for your honesty, Lady Tatiana.” Elaine looked at Lia. “Anything you’d like to add, Lady Malmont?”
Lia shook her head. “No. I think my sister covered it.”
“Very well. I will let you get back to your day.”
“Thank you.”
Elaine left and Neil appeared at Lia’s side. “I think we should get you back to the palace, my lady.”
Lia nodded and Neil bundled us into a car that pulled up.
I glared at all three of them. “Really?” I moaned and Lia just laughed.
Neil got in the front of the car and Nikolai got in another behind us, and we were taken back to the palace as quickly as the speed limit would allow.
As we entered, General Arnell came over to us. “Lady Tatiana, if I might have a word, please?”
Lia looked at me as thought I was going to the principal’s office for a suspension.
“Of course, General.”
We stepped aside and he looked at me seriously. “I feel the need to apologise to you again, my lady.”
I nodded, thinking it made sense. “You were testing me.”
Arnell nodded, no sign of guilt or remorse on his face. “I was interested to see what you would say.”
“And were you satisfied with my answers?”
“Almost. I only have one more question for you.”
“How did I know?”
“Yes.”
“The princes in the War of Armice.”
“Frank and Conrad?” he clarified.
I nodded. “I couldn’t be sure. But I wondered if Bronkala was using their names as substitutes.”
“Because they were captured behind enemy lines?” Arnell asked.
“Well, I obviously didn’t know what happened to Dmitri or Nico. But there was concern they were missing. The names Frank and Conrad kept cropping up. I put two and two together and prayed it came out four.”
“That was the feeling of the code team as well. Again, well done, my lady.”
“Thank you, General.”
He bowed and we went our separate ways.
Chapter Thirteen
We spent the next few days keeping an eye on the media and wa
iting for the princes to get back.
Channel Eight broadcast the story about my interview with Elaine and I actually came across rather favourable. It even set off a chain of stories about how I was obviously not as stupid as I first appeared and that maybe I was a breath of fresh air for the country who definitely belonged. Which was a nice contrast to the way that Amanda was being portrayed in the media.
She’d been quoted bad-mouthing Bronkala’s people for daring to hurt ‘her prince’ and vowing that the crown’s vengeance would be swift and exact. After that, Annelise had less good things to say about her on the daily Crown Princess Watch, Hilde had expressed her disapproval of her, and there were claims even the Marquise de Ronique was displeased with the way Amanda purported herself.
Dmitri and Nico arrived back to Albia on Sunday. Dmitri was as brooding and stony as usual, covered in a few healing bruises and a cut across his cheek. And Nico looked fine. Until he took his jacket and shirt off and proudly showed off his bandage. I was caught between laughing at Nico and agreeing with Dmitri’s withering comment about a ‘flesh wound’.
But I didn’t have much of a chance to see or speak to either of them until Monday.
“How are you feeling?” I asked Nico after dinner.
He nodded and there was a heavy dose of the charmer mask about him. “Pleased I got to keep my arm.”
I smiled. “Uh huh. And was there actually any concern you might not be able to?”
He shrugged. “Well no. But I’ll be far more exciting to the ladies this way.”
I snorted. “I think you’re exciting enough already.”
“Like me to prove it?” He winked.
I shook my head. “No, Nico.”
Some of the twinkle left his eyes. “Fair enough, Anya.” He gave me what would have passed for a sad smile on someone I truly believed capable of seriousness. “Excuse me.” He touched my arm gently and moved off to his mother.
On that weird note, I decided that it was time for bed. Dmitri had been keeping his distance and I didn’t want to push anything. The whole last six weeks had been an emotional roller coaster and I figured whatever was coming next could wait until the next day.
Some Proposal (I'm No Princess Book 4) Page 10
