My cloak trails over the floor as I walk to the throne room, the hallway quiet. Sunlight streams through the windows on my left, and I glance at it, taking a moment to appreciate what I used to take for granted.I wish Felix were here to see this. I’d love to see the sun turn his dark hair a brown hue. One day. One day, he and I will find ourselves bathing in sunlight. I smile at the mental image, my heart longing for it with such vehemence that I have to pause for a moment, letting my eyes close as I swear to myself that I’ll find a way to make it happen.I take a deep breath and pause in front of the throne room. It’s taken me some time to get used to the loss of the palace’s cute quirks. The doors here don’t open by themselves, and every single reminder of the palace makes me more homesick.I let my air powers loose, using them to open the door forcefully. The room falls quiet when I walk in, and my father’s eyes widen. For a moment, he looks surprised, but that surprise quickly makes way for anger.“What do you think you’re doing?” he asks, his voice controlled, though it in no way hides his anger.noveldramaI smile at him sweetly. “I’m sitting in on this session with our court,” I tell him as I walk toward the long table in the room, taking a seat nonchalantly. “Proceed,” I add with a wave of my hand.My father looks infuriated, and oddly enough, it amuses me. I stare at him, taking in the wrinkles, the graying hair. He isn’t even a particularly tall man, and over the years he’s become severely overweight. Yet not too long ago, I feared this man more than anything.He looks at me, clearly attempting to decide whether or not he’s going to ask me to leave, but after a moment or two, he decides to leave me be. The look in his eyes tells me this is far from over, and I clench my jaws in anger. I’m more angry at myself than I ever have been at him. It’s surreal to me that I let him terrify and hurt me throughout my childhood, simply because he feared I might have powers beyond his comprehension.Father nods at one of his advisers, and the man rises to his feet. Thomas, I believe his name is. He’s been a member of my father’s court since I was a child, but that’s as much as I know about him. Despite being a former princess of this country, the information I was exposed to was carefully controlled. “We’ve given a quarter of our kingdom’s proceeds to Eldiria,” he says, sending me a furtive glance. “Per your request, I’ve created a plan that will keep more of our gold in our coffers.”I tense and look at my nails, pretending to be bored in an effort to keep them talking. My father is attempting to evade Felix’s tax requirement.“Due to the increased trade contracts we were given, we have, in essence, become a transit city for many of Eldiria’s carriages. This increased traffic has also increased our own income. However, there is every possibility of us understating the additional coin we earn, as I suspect that Eldiria will at most compare our numbers from before…” He swallows down the remainder of his sentence, and I glance around the room to find everyone tensing. Looks like my father is none too happy about the conquest, despite the benefits the country has received. I never realized just how selfish he is. He’s only interested in filling his pocket, potentially at the expense of his people.“How much additional coin has Althea earned over its previous average since it became part of Eldiria?” I ask.Father’s head snaps up, and he slams his palm against the table in anger. “I allowed you to sit in on this meeting because I’m indulging you, Arabella. I did not give you permission to take part. Be quiet lest I have you removed.”I lean back in my seat, my eyes meeting his. He looks startled, as though he expected me to cower, and a hint of insecurity crosses his eyes.“Your Excellency,” I tell him. “You will refer to me as Your Excellency. I did not permit you to call me by my name.” My voice is calm, without a trace of the fear I thought I might feel. Compared with all Felix and I have had to face, my father seems inconsequential.“Guards!” he shouts. “Have her removed at once! Escort her to her bedroom until I have time to deal with her impudence.”My father’s royal guards jump into action, two of them approaching me without a moment of hesitation. Everyone present knows that I’m Felix’s wife, yet they dare treat me this way. I suppose that in this moment they fear the man in their presence more than they fear Felix. It’s a terrible miscalculation on their part.I sigh and call my air powers to me, gripping my magic tightly as the guards are lifted into the air forcibly. I leave them hovering in the air and cross my arms over my chest, my gaze dropping to my father.“I’ll forgive you for misspeaking on account of our familial relationship. I will not condone this behavior ever again.”His eyes are wide with shock, and something I’ve never seen before crosses his eyes. Fear.I turn back to Thomas and nod. “I asked you a question. I expect an answer.”“I… I… we…”I frown. “Words, please, Thomas. Speak in full sentences.”He looks down and nods. “Our income has tripled, Your Excellency.”“And how much of that has Felix asked you to contribute to Eldiria?”“A quarter, Your Excellency.”“So even if you pay what Eldiria is due, you have gained a considerable amount from the trade Eldiria has facilitated?”“Yes, Your Excellency.”I nod and lean in, resting my chin on my elbow. “And what is the punishment for non-compliance?”He swallows hard. “Death. The punishment is death.”“For who?”“For every member of the court, Your Excellency.”I look around the room, my gaze slowly roaming over every single member of my father’s court. “You’d all risk your lives to save a quarter of the proceeds? You would do so at the risk of losing all additional trade, costing the country endless opportunities? In the end, it’s the people of Althea who would suffer. None of you are competent or qualified for your roles. I wonder what my husband will have to say about this.”The hush that falls over the room would amuse me if I weren’t so deeply unhappy. The state of my country saddens me, adding to the torment I feel. I rise to my feet and tighten my cloak, the gold on it sparkling with my every movement.“I’ll be reconsidering your roles. I want a description of your job roles and the value you’ve added to our kingdom in the last twelve months. You have one week to prepare it. I expect to receive your reports at the next court meeting.”Some of them nod, but most of them stare down at the table as though they’re chastised children, and it astounds me that they’re in charge of our country. I sigh and turn to walk away, my gaze meeting my father’s as I walk away.I recognize the venom I see in his eyes, but I don’t have it in me to care. I have bigger battles to fight.