line is made of sterner stuff than that?”
Oh, he was good, all right! No wonder he’d come so close to being elected leader of Nuath. And, unfortunately, he made a valid point. One I’d managed to ignore in my desperation to get to Rigel at all costs.
“The Sovereign line does not ignore its obligations, nor does it practice deceit. While I made a promise to Rigel that I intend to keep, I am also fully aware of my duty to the people of Nuath. I will of course do what I can to deal with the Grentl before I leave, though I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to deter them. I will also appoint a Regent, though obviously it won’t be any of you. My Regent needs to be someone I can trust.”
At that, both Devyn and Mr. O winced. About time.
“Excellency, not even the Sovereign has the authority to imprison anyone without due process.” Mr. O was clearly striving for a reasonable tone, but I could hear the strain in his voice. “I understand that you’re upset right now, but—”
“Due process?” I echoed. “Like the due process you gave Rigel?”
He swallowed visibly.
“Sure, I could follow Nuathan law to the letter for a situation like this.” Luckily, I’d memorized every single statute last year. “That would mean a public trial for all three of you, to include media representatives. Do you really want to explain what you did, and why, to everyone on Mars? I thought the whole point was to keep them from finding out about the Grentl.”
Their expressions showed they hadn’t had time to think of that particular ramification. I smiled—a real smile this time.
“Consider yourselves my guests. No one will think it strange that the Sovereign wants her most important advisors close by during this ‘difficult time of rebuilding our government, our infrastructure, and our very society.’” I quoted the same words Devyn had used at the beginning of his campaign against me. “Nels, Devyn, someone from the Palace housekeeping staff will be here shortly to show you to your new quarters. Now, gentlemen, if you will excuse me?”
I inclined my head regally and swept out of the room.
* * *
Not until I was in the thankfully deserted hallway did I let out a sigh of relief. While that confrontation had been immensely rewarding, it had also gotten dicey there at the end, forcing me to make promises I didn’t want to make. As the tension seeped out of me, I felt wrung out.
“What do you think, Cormac?” I asked my Bodyguard as we headed back to the Royal wing. Behind me, I heard raised voices as the three men argued among themselves, probably pointing fingers. “Did I go too far?”
“On the contrary, Excellency.” I was startled by the deep respect in Cormac’s voice. “For several moments there, I could have sworn it was Sovereign Leontine himself in that room instead of his granddaughter. You handled them just as a ruler should. Though they may not say so, I guarantee they all respect you far more than they did before, and deservedly so.”
Gratified and incredibly touched, I glanced back at him with a misty smile. “Thank you Cormac. That means more to me than you know, given your long association with my father and grandfather. Please don’t think the reason I want Rigel back is because I’m not happy having you as my Bodyguard.”
“I quite understand that, Excellency.” His words were accompanied by a rare smile of his own.
Back in my apartment, I headed straight for my bedroom, again assuring Molly I’d explain later. The sooner I fulfilled the two promises I’d made to those three traitors, the sooner I could join Rigel on Earth. Retrieving my Scepter from the closet, I activated the Grentl Archive.
Using the colony databases my grandfather Leontine had shown me from the main Archive, and with this version’s help, I put together a detailed report for the Grentl. He again advised against including any mention of Earth, though I was pretty sure that cat was
Oh, he was good, all right! No wonder he’d come so close to being elected leader of Nuath. And, unfortunately, he made a valid point. One I’d managed to ignore in my desperation to get to Rigel at all costs.
“The Sovereign line does not ignore its obligations, nor does it practice deceit. While I made a promise to Rigel that I intend to keep, I am also fully aware of my duty to the people of Nuath. I will of course do what I can to deal with the Grentl before I leave, though I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to deter them. I will also appoint a Regent, though obviously it won’t be any of you. My Regent needs to be someone I can trust.”
At that, both Devyn and Mr. O winced. About time.
“Excellency, not even the Sovereign has the authority to imprison anyone without due process.” Mr. O was clearly striving for a reasonable tone, but I could hear the strain in his voice. “I understand that you’re upset right now, but—”
“Due process?” I echoed. “Like the due process you gave Rigel?”
He swallowed visibly.
“Sure, I could follow Nuathan law to the letter for a situation like this.” Luckily, I’d memorized every single statute last year. “That would mean a public trial for all three of you, to include media representatives. Do you really want to explain what you did, and why, to everyone on Mars? I thought the whole point was to keep them from finding out about the Grentl.”
Their expressions showed they hadn’t had time to think of that particular ramification. I smiled—a real smile this time.
“Consider yourselves my guests. No one will think it strange that the Sovereign wants her most important advisors close by during this ‘difficult time of rebuilding our government, our infrastructure, and our very society.’” I quoted the same words Devyn had used at the beginning of his campaign against me. “Nels, Devyn, someone from the Palace housekeeping staff will be here shortly to show you to your new quarters. Now, gentlemen, if you will excuse me?”
I inclined my head regally and swept out of the room.
* * *
Not until I was in the thankfully deserted hallway did I let out a sigh of relief. While that confrontation had been immensely rewarding, it had also gotten dicey there at the end, forcing me to make promises I didn’t want to make. As the tension seeped out of me, I felt wrung out.
“What do you think, Cormac?” I asked my Bodyguard as we headed back to the Royal wing. Behind me, I heard raised voices as the three men argued among themselves, probably pointing fingers. “Did I go too far?”
“On the contrary, Excellency.” I was startled by the deep respect in Cormac’s voice. “For several moments there, I could have sworn it was Sovereign Leontine himself in that room instead of his granddaughter. You handled them just as a ruler should. Though they may not say so, I guarantee they all respect you far more than they did before, and deservedly so.”
Gratified and incredibly touched, I glanced back at him with a misty smile. “Thank you Cormac. That means more to me than you know, given your long association with my father and grandfather. Please don’t think the reason I want Rigel back is because I’m not happy having you as my Bodyguard.”
“I quite understand that, Excellency.” His words were accompanied by a rare smile of his own.
Back in my apartment, I headed straight for my bedroom, again assuring Molly I’d explain later. The sooner I fulfilled the two promises I’d made to those three traitors, the sooner I could join Rigel on Earth. Retrieving my Scepter from the closet, I activated the Grentl Archive.
Using the colony databases my grandfather Leontine had shown me from the main Archive, and with this version’s help, I put together a detailed report for the Grentl. He again advised against including any mention of Earth, though I was pretty sure that cat was
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