The City of Veils

by S. Usher Evans

  Chapter 13

  I'd barely laid my head down on my pillow before Beata was opening the blinds and walking around my room with a feather duster. And before I could get a good snooze in, Katarine arrived and yanked the covers off of me.

  "Get up," she said. "Can't have you lying about all day."

  "No," I said, grabbing the covers and pulling them back over my head. "Come back later. I don't want to hear about economics."

  "Luckily for you, we won't be talking economics today," Katarine said. "It's time for your weekly meetings with the citizenry."

  "What?" I poked my head up, and that was all the opportunity she needed to yank the sheets away from me.

  "It's a tradition started by your father," she said, throwing my blankets to the ground. "Maurice would meet with citizens for three hours, once a week, and let them petition him for whatever they wanted."

  "Great, so I'll just approve everyone," I said, grasping my pillow and covering my head.

  "No," Katarine replied, tugging the pillow away from me with a force that seemed superhuman. "You don't have the money in your royal account to do that sort of thing. And agreeing to one thing might set off a chain reaction to a whole set of outcomes you don't want. Hence why we will discuss them."

  "Listen to Kat," Beata said, picking up the sheets Katarine had discarded. "She's quite smart."

  "Thank you, Beata, that will be all," Katarine snapped.

  Beata nodded and scurried from the room with the blankets in hand, her face growing red as she shut the door behind her.

  "Don't be mean to her," I said with a scowl.

  "What?"

  "Beata," I replied, helping myself to the strawberries and cream Beata had left on my small sitting room table. "You bark orders at her and she won't spend more than three seconds in the same room with you."

  Katarine's face flushed, surprising me. "I'm not gruff with her. She's just efficient. Servants should be seen and not heard."

  "She's human, Katarine," I replied. "You can treat her with a little decency. Besides that, she just complimented you."

  "I treat her fine," Katarine said.

  I waited for more, but I wasn't going to get it, so I changed the subject. "Who decides who gets to come see me?"

  "The Council approves them," she said, going to sit at the small table where my breakfast was waiting.

  "Of course they do," I said with a shake of my head. "Surprised they're letting me see anyone at all. Thought they just made decisions without me."

  Katarine sighed. "The Council is responsible for internal affairs, the treasury, and the military. You are responsible for the city of Forcadel and the castle, international affairs, and treaties. This business today is about the city. You are, of course, advised to speak with them for input. But for today, you and I will discuss the requests that are coming to you, and how you're going to handle them. It's probably best if you just not agree to anything."

  "What?" I bit into another strawberry. "But what if I want to do it?"

  "Just give them a noncommittal answer then bring their grievances back to us. We'll discuss and make a decision together."

  I narrowed my eyes. "You don't trust that I can listen to a problem and come up with a solution myself?"

  She pursed her lips and considered her words carefully. "I don't believe you have a firm grasp of what you can and can't do as queen, or if you do, you don't care. I just want to make sure you don't make a mistake."

  I stuffed a scone into my mouth and chewed instead of responding.

  At the end of our morning lesson, I still couldn't understand why a two percent tariff on fruit was better than a three percent tariff on vegetables, but Katarine left me to have my lunch in peace. Instead, I fell face-first into my bed and caught as much of a nap as I could, until I was roughly shaken awake by Riya.

  "Time for your citizen parade," she said.

  "Where's Felix?" I grumbled, looking around. I hadn't seen the man all day, which seemed weird for my shadow.

  "He's taking a personal day," she replied. "Apparently, he's dealing with some stomach issues this morning. But he sends his sincerest regards."

  I snorted. "Then perhaps he should stay out of the way."

  She glared at me, as if she wanted to retort something, but kept her mouth shut.

  Beata arrived with another dress, a yellow frock with elbow-length sleeves and white lace at the bottom, then set to getting me presentable. All the while, I watched Riya's expression—a mixture of loathing and impatience.

  "So, Riya," I said, as Beata painted my eyelids a dark brown color. "How's things?"

  "We've lost two kings in a month, my captain has been distracted by a vigilante princess, and now he's injured," she said with deadly calm. "How do you think things are?"

  "I'm not the one who told him to go with me," I said, opening my mouth as Beata painted my lips a rose color.

  "Be nice to Riya," Beata whispered. "She's one of Felix's closest confidantes."

  If that was supposed to mean something to me, I didn't get it. "Amazed that he delegated my protection duties to someone else. I could have sworn he was glued to my side."

  "The captain takes his job very seriously," she replied. "We'd all like to avoid a repeat of what happened to the previous two occupants of your throne. As it's your life at stake, I'd hope you felt similarly."

  "I feel very similarly." I opened my eyes and checked my appearance in the mirror. "But unlike the other two, I know how to stay alive. I'd just appreciate a little credit from the captain."

  Riya had no response to that, or none that she wanted to share with me, even as we ventured down to the first floor of the castle. I followed her down a long walkway, flanked on either side by wooden doors. The kitchen was nearby, based on smell and noise, and I only supposed the formal dining room was nearby. At the end of the hall, Riya fumbled with a set of keys then pushed open the door, revealing the larger throne room.

  "Thanks," I said to her wordless sneer.

  I craned my neck backward, gazing upward at the murals painted on the ceiling, the chandelier that hung so beautifully above my head. Large oil paintings of sea battles hung on the walls, depicting Forcadel's conquests of kings past. In the center of the room sat a golden chair with spires that reached toward the ceiling. I could picture my father sitting here, his crown settled upon his gray head, stroking his chin as he spoke to those who'd come to meet with him. Twice, I'd had a tutor haul me in front of him to get my behavior to change. Perhaps that was why he'd wanted me married and sent to Kulka.

  "P-princess?" a small voice asked behind me.

  I spun to see a younger man, his hair short like the rest of the guards, but his tunic a light blue, versus the darker ink-colored guard uniforms. A page, perhaps?

  He was waiting for me to confirm who I was, so I pointed to the crown on my head. "Yes, that's me."

  "O-oh, right!" He laughed nervously then straightened. "My name is Cherry, Galton Cherry. I'm your royal attendant today."

  "How's this going to go?" I asked, before adding, "It's my first time doing this."

  "Right. Well…" He pointed to the golden chair in the middle of the room. "You'll sit there. I'll bring in the guests and announce them to you. You'll listen, and then…well, make your decision. I'll record it and make it happen."

  "Sounds easy enough." I approached the chair, which had red velvet-covered cushions and arm rests, both showing a heavy amount of wear. I doubted it would be comfortable, an assumption confirmed when I sat squarely on top of the cushion. There was barely anything between my butt and the gold.

  "Are you ready?" the page asked from the front of the room.

  "As I'll ever be," I said, resting my chin on my hand then remembering I needed to look queenly. "Send them in." When he gave me a look, I cleared my throat and called out, "Send them in."

  My words echoed across the room, and the boy turned and rushed from his perch. A few moments later, he reappeared with a woman. She carried h
er shoulders straight, her chin high. Her clothes were well-made, her shoes sporting metal buckles instead of pure leather.

  "May I present Carla Oliver," the attendant said. He nodded to her and walked to the edge of the room, waiting at the doorway for the meeting to end.

  Carla bowed at the waist, giving me a bird's eye view of her graying hair. When she came upright, she wore a look of desperation, albeit a forced one.

  "It's a pleasure," I said, nodding to her. I had no idea what else to say. "What can I help you with?"

  "I own the Oliver shipping company. We operate mostly between the Severian border and Forcadel. Lately, our shipments have been…well, not arriving on time. Or at all. I think it's bandits."

  I looked around. "And what do you want me to do about it?"

  "Stop it, of course," she said with a little laugh. "Send a missive to the queen of Severia and ask her to up the security on the border. Assign a contingent of your armed forces to help guard us."

  I chewed my lip, "no" on the tip of my tongue. Katarine had been very clear that I should refrain from agreeing to anything, but at the same time, this didn't seem like a huge ask. I had tons of ships and guards at my disposal, and parting with one or two to help my own people at the Severian border was a good thing.

  "You know what?" I shrugged. "Let's see if we can't help you out. Attendant!"

  The attendant jumped and rushed forward. "Ma'am?"

  "Take a note. We're sending some ships to help our merchants on the eastern front."

  His eyes widened. "Are you…um…Captain—"

  "And make a note to draft a letter to the queen of Severia," I said, interrupting him. "Will that suffice, Carla?"

  "Yes, thank you." She took a step forward, like she was going to hug me, but the attendant yanked her from the room, grumbling under his breath. A moment later, he was back with another person, an older man this time. Like Carla, he was well-dressed and carried himself with an air of confidence.

  "My princess," he said, bowing. "I come on bended knee, asking for your help."

  "Shoot," I said, sitting back on the chair. It was damned near impossible to get comfortable, but I would sure try. "What can I help you with?"

  "I'm a vendor of fine goods, furniture," he said. "I'm asking for the sovereign's help in reducing the tariffs on wood imported from Kulka. You see, the Forcadel oak is of lesser quality than those deep in the forests. The Kulkan wood is better and cheaper, except that the tariffs make it twice as expensive."

  "Um… Sure, why not," I said. "I'll see what I can do."

  He grinned and rushed from the room, barely even needing the page to follow him.

  "Well, this is fairly easy," I said, drumming my hands on the throne. I assumed their requests had been vetted, especially if they'd already gone through the Council.

  Over the course of the next hour, I approved lots of requests, from small ones like border disputes between business owners to approving the construction of a new dock down by the water, so Forcadel could accept bigger ships.

  "Your last one of the day," the page said with a smile. "Mayor Zuriel."

  I frowned, sitting up. Why was Zuriel coming to me here instead of seeking an audience in person? He was a Councilor, wasn't he?

  "My princess," he said, bowing. "Thank you for letting me meet with you."

  "Of course, but…aren't you on the Council? Couldn't we talk about whatever you want there?"

  "I'm coming to you in my capacity as Forcadel's mayor," he said with another bow. "As you know, we put on the summer festival every year at the end of the season."

  I nodded. "I've been a few times."

  "This year, the festival coincides with the week of your coronation," he said. "I had spoken briefly about it with your brother, but alas, he passed before the official decree was signed. As well, I wanted to know—"

  "You want to do them together?"

  He nodded.

  "Why not?" I said with a shrug. "The kingdom will be celebrating, right? Give them something to celebrate."

  He bowed. "Excellent. Thank you."

  As he walked out the door, my page came back in, this time bearing an envelope.

  "More?" I asked, taking it from him.

  "This just arrived," he said. "I'm not sure—"

  I opened the envelope, pulling out a small card with loopy handwriting and a letterhead bearing Garwood's name. It was an invitation to dine with him that night in his private residence. Was it an olive branch? Or something more nefarious? Smart money said the latter. As much as I didn't want to take time away from The Veil, it would be an opportunity to meet with Garwood privately. Even if he had ill intentions, I could always use it to my benefit.

  "Tell him I accept," I said, folding the invitation.

  "Accept…what?"

  "His invite to dine," I said. "Get my carriage or whatever I use to travel around the kingdom."

  "Pardon, but…" The attendant became red in the face. "Captain Llobrega said I wasn't to let you leave the throne room until he came for you himself."

  I made a noise, folded the invite, and stuck it back in the envelope. "What was your name again?"

  "I'm sorry?"

  "Your name, attendant."

  "It's…um…" He swallowed, a look of sheer panic on his face. "It's Galton, m'lady."

  "Galton," I said softly. "Tell me something, is Captain Llobrega the king?"

  "N-no…"

  "And who is sitting on the golden throne of her ancestors?"

  "Y-You, m'lady."

  I smiled and handed the envelope back to him. "Very good, Galton. You're a smart boy. Now, why don't you run along and tell Lord Garwood that I would be delighted to dine with him tonight. And be sure to bypass informing the good captain, hm?"

  Chapter 14

  Knowing my window of opportunity was very slim, I immediately called for a carriage and set out. Felix would throw a fit, but I didn't care. I was tired of being handcuffed to rules I didn't understand. And after all, he wanted me to find allies on the Council. Garwood would be quite a win.

  I stepped out of the carriage, thanking the footman with a soft smile. Garwood's house was a three-story, white-brick beauty with iron railings and pristine glass windows in Merchant's Quarter, on the northeastern side of town. An assortment of multicolored flowers grew in beds under windows, giving it something of a homey look. There were other, similar houses down the block, but this one had an extra air of refinement. Fitting for a man who controlled part of the kingdom.

  "Ah, Princess. So kind of you to meet me at my home."

  Garwood stood in his doorway, his arms crossed over his velvet tunic. His gray beard was extra pointy today, as if he were proving something with it. I was sure this was the beginning of his power play, and for once, I decided to play the beta.

  "Thank you for the invitation," I said, walking to the bottom of the stairs. "May I come in?"

  He offered me the door and I walked up the steps, giving him a gracious smile as I followed him inside. The house was as immaculate as the exterior. A wide hallway with a narrow staircase greeted us, with gas lamps flickering on the wall. The air smelled of old wood and dust, and I caught a glimpse of a library before we found the back sitting room. It was encased in glass, all bearing the seal of Severia in the bottom corner. Two sitting chairs were in the center, along with a table bearing a silver kettle and two white cups.

  "Please, have a seat," Garwood said.

  I took the seat to the left, keeping my posture as straight as if I were wearing that infernal device of Katarine's. "Thank you for the invitation. It's nice to get out of the castle."

  "I've heard you aren't adjusting well to your new confines," Garwood said. "There's been much discussion in the kitchen about your arguments with Captain Llobrega."

  "Has there been?" I'd have to tell Felix that there were some loose lips on his staff.

  "Mm-hm." He poured the tea into the two cups. "Sugar?"

  "None for me, please."

&
nbsp; "That's so interesting," Garwood said, catching my eye. "Because when she was a girl, Princess Brynna liked three sugars in her tea."

  I quirked a brow. "Sure, when I was eight. That was a decade ago. I hate to inform you that tastes change." Especially when three of those years had been at the hands of Celia, who'd probably never seen a sugar cube, let alone let us have any.

  "I suppose they do," Garwood said. "You look much different than the girl I remember."

  "In what way?"

  "When you were a girl, you favored my sister," he said. "Now, it's impossible to tell who you favor."

  I furrowed my brow. "Wait, you're my uncle?"

  He chuckled. "Yes, Brynna. Or did Captain Llobrega fail to mention that to you when he was teaching you about yourself?"

  "If there's anyone to blame, it's my nursemaids," I said, trying to recover. "As my mother died in childbirth."

  "She was always so fragile," Garwood said. "She lost five children between August and Brynna. But she was so happy to finally bring one to term. I was there, you know, when she died. Held the baby girl in my arms moments after she was born." He took a sip of his tea. "I don't believe you're that girl."

  "Why? Because I lack my mother's fragility?" I snorted. "Clearly you don't remember me very well then. I was climbing trees and raising hell long before I ran away."

  He gave me a look. "And where did you run away to? The girl who left was wild and untamable. The woman who sits before me now is scheming, wise, and manipulative. I'm curious who was responsible for such a transformation."

  Oh, how much I could tell him about that. "I am responsible for the way I am. I didn't want the life my father had planned for me, so I chose a different one."

  "Where did you go?"

  "Away. Next question."

  "Are you really Princess Brynna-Larissa?"

  "Am I the daughter of Maurice? Yes," I replied. "Whether or not I want to be her is another question."

  "Why is that?" he asked, tilting his head.

  "Because this wasn't a place I ever wanted to return to," I replied. "And I'm not yet convinced I'm the right person for the job."