If this old dude didn't get to the point soon, I was going to start throwing punches. My hands must have twitched, drawing Rafe's attention, and the knowing smile on his face told me he was calling me Violence in his head.
"A lot of the senior royals died in that attack," Mr. Wainwright continued. "Many that were heavily set in their ways. In their place the younger generation is stepping up, and it appears that they are much more open to the vote we are trying to establish."
Felipe nodded, looking pleased. "Especially the Australasias. Those old bastards would never have agreed to anything that removed any power from them, but Alex seems to be much more open to the discussion. With King Munroe of New America on board as well, we have the three strongest monarchies on our side, and that's the first time in a few decades."
I cleared my throat, face scrunching up as I tried to comprehend what they were saying. "Alex?" I repeated. "Alex is being open and reasonable?"
The Australasian prince I knew, was a mini-sociopath like his father. I guess I could give him some credit for showing a little less inclination toward domination, but not a lot.
"So you're going to try and push this ahead now?" Rafe asked, leaning back in his chair. Fucker had the perfect leg spread going on, all relaxed and confident. I wondered if he ever had a moment where he was unsure about himself.
"Now is the best opportunity," Felipe confirmed. "We just wanted to double-check Violet's information and make sure she didn't hear of any other plans from Uriel."
I shook my head. "Just more of the same attacks like he undertook at the Academy. More bombings, more deaths of royals, and—once he'd completely demolished the foundation you all built the monarchies on and once the heirs were dead—he would step up as the supreme leader." True dictator style. Uriel's only problem with the way the monarchies ran the world was that he wasn't in charge. It had nothing to do with making a better life for regular people, no matter how much he pretended it was.
There was another knock on the door, and Felipe glanced down at his palm reader. But before he could say anything, the door opened and Jacinta stepped through. She didn't have to wait for an invitation; that woman was queen here.
"Sorry I'm late," she said breezily. "I had a few pressing issues with the twins." Leaning down she pressed a kiss to her husband's lips, lingering there for a moment. I hadn't seen them being affectionate like that the last time I'd been here, but maybe almost losing him had changed something between them.
Or maybe they had always been like this, and I just hadn't seen it before.
"Where were we?" she asked, taking a seat next to me and glaring at her son for a beat before facing Felipe.
"Our next step is to stop this war between the Society and the monarchies," Felipe said matter-of-factly.
Jacinta chuckled. "On to the easy part, then, I see."
Felipe's look was filled with mirth and a little heat as he smiled at his wife, and I again had the urge to punch Rafe in the throat. Bastard shouldn't be so damaged... Look at his fucking parents! They were like Prince Charming and Cinderella. The badass versions.
"We were going to ask Violet if she had any ideas," Mr. Wainwright interjected, folding his hands primly in front of him, "based on anything she learned from her time with Uriel."
All eyes looked to me, and Jacinta gave my hand a little squeeze in support. She thought I could do this, and I decided that speaking honestly was the only way I'd get through this.
"Something has to change. This is a fact, as I see it. I spent nine days enduring their brainwashing to see the evil in the monarchies, and while the many atrocities committed under royal rule were eye-opening, it didn't make me want to abandon it completely. It made me want to see a better system rise from the rubble."
"What sort of system?" Felipe asked, tilting his head to the side in consideration.
I cleared my throat. "Look, this is way above my pay grade. I don't have any experience with ruling anything and I know there are complexities that go far beyond my understanding, but surely there is a way to have a monarchy with some input from the people. A voting of sorts on at least rights and regulations that allow the average person more freedom and opportunities for the future."
There was a heavy silence, and I wondered if I'd fucked up in trying to allow the people a say as well. Surely that was what both sides wanted? A compromise?
Otherwise we'd be at war forever, neither side giving an inch, surrounded by so much death that there could be no winners.
Chapter 14
Just as the silence got uncomfortable enough that I was searching for an escape, Felipe nodded. "I think we can make it work."
Mr. Wainwright jerked his head around, blinking his eyes. "You've never considered any of the Society proposals before."
The king shrugged. "I'm a changed man. My life was almost stolen from me in senseless violence. It gave me a lot of time to think about my choices, choices for my kingdom, the future for my family... and my people. They are important to me, and maybe I've been lax in bolstering them toward the sort of future they deserve."
Rafe was paying close attention now, and for the first time in ages, he wore a softer expression—something that had started happening before we were taken by Uriel. I hadn't seen it since that night though, and despite the fact that it wasn't directed at me, some of the heavy weight on my chest lifted.
"I have a plan then," Mr. Wainwright said. "We've been working on it for a long time, but without the support of the monarchies, it would never have come to fruition."
Felipe nodded. "I'm ready to listen."
Mr. Wainwright looked like he was holding back tears, but he got it together quickly. "We propose that a People's Court be formed beneath each monarchy. It won't overrule the monarchy, but will be part of the council. We have written up a detailed breakdown of how it would work, but in short, it would allow the people’s elected representatives voting rights on a number of issues. The People’s Court would also be able to bring forth their own propositions, which the monarchies will be required to take into consideration.”
He went on for the next few hours laying out the foundation for the plan. It was so much more detailed than I could have ever come up with on my own—surprise, surprise—but I felt like it was a great compromise. It would give some power to the people and take some from the monarchy, but not abolish it completely for a new system of rule.
“With the three superpowers on board, we can make this happen,” Wainwright finished, sounding a little hoarse. He’d been talking nonstop for hours.
“Are you sure about Alex?” I pushed, still unable to believe he would agree to anything of the sort.
Rafe looked at me for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. “From all the reports we’ve received out of the Australasian court, Alex has had a pretty dramatic personality shift since the death of King Steve. His parents were the ones corrupting him, and he’d been on the receiving end of their cruelty enough to not want to ever disappoint them. But with their deaths, he is free to make his own choices and has agreed to a meeting between the Society and the monarchies.”
“Yeah, but the compromise of power being suggested here is quite substantial. I just don’t want you to feel too confident.”
“I’ll convince both Alex and Munroe that this is our best option moving forward without all the unnecessary violence and death,” Felipe interjected. “I also have multiple other monarchies in my ear. I think we can get this foundation put into place.”
Jacinta looked happy by the end result as well, her face relaxed as she waved her hands. "I love this path. It's a good compromise, and I'm not afraid to lose some of our control. If we treat our people right, they won't rebel against us, and that leads us to a brighter future."
She stood suddenly. "And with that, I think it's time for lunch. Violet and Rafe must be exhausted as well. I suggest after lunch you visit Jordan and then take a swim in the springs." Her gaze met Wainwright’s and then Felipe's. "Don't forget they're just young adults. This is not their responsibility to take on."
Felipe got to his feet as well, smiling indulgently at Jacinta. "Yes, love. I won’t forget." He turned to me. "If you'd like, though, I can let you know when the meeting will be called. You might find it interesting to be part of it."
"I'd love to see history in the making," I told him truthfully.
"You're part of history in the making," Jacinta reminded me, linking her arm through mine. "But before that happens, let's eat."
The lunch spread was impressive, but considering it was literally serving a king and queen, it was probably just normal for them. I hadn't even realized how hungry I was until we’d sat down to eat, but when my stomach rumbled loudly, I blushed.
"Sorry," I muttered, feeling like the worst kind of bad-mannered idiot.
The monarchs just laughed, though. Not in an unkind way, either. It allowed us all to settle into a friendly sort of meal where the only tension present came from the intense way Rafe stared at me when he thought I wasn't looking.
In fact, I didn't look at him once during the meal. I was sick to fucking death of his drama, and if he wasn't man enough to just pull me aside and hash it out, then I didn't have any emotional space left to give him.