“Very well.”
I liked Lynette, though she could wear on my patience with her strict etiquette. She was middle aged, blond, and thin. The other members of the cabinet called her the Pig Charmer behind her back, because she spent all her time trying to win over the public.
The other ministers could be a bunch of out-of-touch, aristocratic shit heels.
“Minister Muller has a point, Your Highness,” Richter said. I gave him a look and he frowned. “Okay, Trip. The rebels are gaining some support, although slowly. We can’t afford for you to look weak.”
I stared the man down and leaned forward. “I’m many things, Richter, but I am not weak.”
“We know that, Trip, but the people need to know it.”
“Fuck them,” I said, looking out the window, “and especially fuck the separatists.”
The separatists, or the Democratic Legion of Revolutionaries, were a huge pain in my ass. They began as a movement that wanted more democracy in Starkland and had bloomed into a full-on revolt when my father passed away two years ago.
None of this was meant for me, I thought for the hundredth time. If Leo hadn’t been so desperate for military glory, I’d still be living the life of a high-ranking minister. I wouldn’t have the responsibility of the entire nation resting squarely on my shoulders. That sort of responsibility was meant for my older brother, Leopold. He’d been born and bred for it, whereas I was never expected to amount to much.
Which suited me just fine. Starkland was a beautiful country full of beautiful women, and it was my pleasure to meet as many of them as I possibly could.
I’d met a lot in my time, right up until Leo died two months ago and the crown passed to me. Ever since then I was learning my new job and didn’t have time for the pleasures of my old life.
Frankly, I hadn’t so much as looked at a woman that way until Bryce Koch showed up. I couldn’t help but smirk at her the second she stepped off that plane. She was a few years younger than me, twenty-one, with long dark hair tied up in a thick bun. Her lips were full and her green eyes instantly took in everything around her. I loved the way her soft, pale skin looked underneath her dark clothing, and I wanted so badly to slowly strip her bare until I could see and taste every inch of her.
Which was why I couldn’t help myself. Normally I’d be polite to visiting guests, but she was just too delicious. I had to say something, just to test her.
And she passed that test with flying colors. She passed that test so well, the entire country was going to be talking about her for some time to come.
It was a shame that she didn’t know why she was really visiting Starkland. If Lynette had actually told the Kochs from the start, I doubted she would have been so shocked by my comment. Actually, they probably wouldn’t have come at all.
There were two big problems every king must face. The first problem was that of popularity. Even though a King had absolute authority, his ability to effectively rule could be seriously hampered if his popularity among his subjects was very low. The people’s opinion mattered, which was something I was coming to realize and respect more and more.
The second issue was that of succession. In Starkland, we did not have queens. Only men could truly rule. It was antiquated and out of date, but it was the way things worked, and it had worked for thousands of years. At this point in Starkland’s history, we weren’t going to be changing the rules of succession.
However, those rules could be a huge problem. If a king didn’t have a male heir to pass the crown down to, succession could get tricky. In the case of my brother, I was the clear successor since he didn’t have a son. But if I were to get killed, the country would be in anarchy.
And so Lynette had found the Koch family. They happened to solve both of my problems in one neat, sexy little package named Bryce.
Five hundred years ago or something like that, Bryce’s family had ruled Starkland. When the King died without a clear male heir, there was some major political battle for who would take over the throne. Eventually my family won out and Bryce’s family was tossed out of the country.
They had been popular, though, and there was still a positive, lingering sentimental feeling about Bryce’s ancient royal forebears.
And, of course, Bryce was a woman. She was capable of having children.
Lynette’s plan was simple. We invite the Kochs out here and then we offer them a deal. If Bryce agreed to marry me, we’d set them up for life. They’d never have to worry about a thing ever again. We’d bring them into the aristocracy and all of their wants would be taken care of.
A pretty damn good deal, if you asked me. All Bryce needed to do was marry me, and then I could get the benefits of her ancient family lineage plus the potential to put a male heir in her stomach.