— CHAPTER EIGHT —

  Threshold

  I wore a path in the thick carpet of my solar, pacing back and forth. Elara moved quietly around the room, dusting the furniture and straightening the books I'd left scattered across my writing desk.

  "Do you think it's possible to tell when someone truly loves you?" I asked. "Or if they're just pretending for their own gain?"

  Elara didn't look up from her work. "That's quite the question for so early in the morning, Your Majesty."

  "I need to know if Ariella's affections are genuine or if they're... politically motivated by Lord Cassius."

  "Ah." Elara nodded, moving to collect teacups left from the previous evening. "You could ask Lady Winters to do something she normally wouldn't. People do foolish things when they're in love; things that go against their better judgment."

  "Hm, but what would Ariella not do?" I leaned against the window. "Have you ever been in love, Elara?"

  "No, Your Majesty. I haven't had that pleasure."

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "Never? Not even a little infatuation?"

  She shook her head, gathering up the last of the breakfast dishes onto a tray. "I don't have much time for meeting people aside from the palace staff. And they are, truth be told, far too serious for my taste."

  "That's a shame." I said.

  "It's simply life. My father was a blacksmith, but he was injured badly when a piece of machinery malfunctioned. He can't work anymore, so I help my mother support him with my wages here."

  I frowned. "Isn't there something the government can do? If your family is struggling, surely there are programs or-"

  Elara's hands suddenly became very busy rearranging items on the tray. "It's kind of you to care, Your Majesty, but such minutia aren't fit for the Queen's attention. You have the country as a whole to think about. As for your situation with Lady Winters, perhaps you need to create a circumstance that would reveal her true motives."

  I pushed away from the window. "What kind of circumstance?"

  "Something that would force her to choose between her loyalty to you and her loyalty to her father. If she's acting under his orders, she won't go against him, will she?"

  The idea hit me like a lightning strike. I clapped my hands together. "Of course, of course! That's it! Brilliant!" I spun in a circle. "I'll ask her to do something her father would absolutely forbid! If she refuses, then I'll know her affections are just another political game!"

  A plan was already forming. I'd spent years watching the distant rooftops of the city, dreaming of exploring the streets below. Lord Cassius would never allow Ariella to take me beyond these walls - it was far too dangerous.

  "I'll ask her to sneak out of the palace with me! We'll go into the city - just for an evening!"

  Elara's eyes widened. "Your Majesty, I'm not sure that's-!"

  I was already moving toward my wardrobe, mentally selecting what I might wear for such an adventure. Had no one ever given me trousers? Maybe Ariella would have a pair. "I need to find Ariella before her afternoon meeting with the treasurer. Thank you, Elara!" I hurried from the room.