Page 35 of Dewpoint
Probably too much.
I covered her hand with mine and gave a squeeze. “Thank you. Truly. I… Thank you. Maybe just for now, converting a room with—thank you.”
“I am always on your side, Sagan,” she whispered. “I always was even if I never showed it as I should have. I thought…”
“What?” I asked when she pulled away.
She sighed. “I thought even if you did push her as a child, it was harmless and children do such things and she just got hurt. I was only ever upset you lied about it and thought you should be better than that, but you were achild. A child who wasn’t shown the love she should have been because you were an only child and heir.”
“Then why did you never—why were you never nice to me?” I asked, hating that I cared and looking away.
“I don’t know,” she admitted after a moment. “I never thought I was mean or cold. I just—I truly cared about Elira, and I never saw it as one or the other. I’m sorry for that. I never rooted against you. I just didn’t know you. I’m sorry we all failedyou. This is—and always has been your home. She was the guest and we were the fools.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, but I tried to truly hear her and that they—or at least she—felt badly about what happened. It would take time, but I was glad at least she had the gumption to bring it up instead of just ignoring it and moving on.
Like others.
I noticed there was a note on my tray when I reached for the drink. I frowned and picked it up, immediately jealous of how perfect the penmanship was when my handwriting looked horrendous. It was the one thing that was always less than royal-perfect.
My Queen,
There are rare times that allies can be found in the oddest of places. I’m sorry to be nosy and insert myself, but I only wish to be of help to you and I cannot stand to see you so stressed.
My best,
Joris
And at the bottom were some numbers and letters with dashes. Three different sets of them that I immediately recognized as news articles. Every news article in any licensed publication was recorded in Thovudin and had been since before I was born. Now, we simply had the internet to easily access them all.
Curious, I quickly turned to the computer and pulled up the correct search engine before typing it in.
I gasped as I pulled up an article with a picture of Father and the Alpha of Jade Creek shaking hands. The headline was about cleaning up police corruption… And working together on the law requiring all police officers in the nation to wear body cams.
I looked up the other two and it was more of the same type of information. It was about how the corruption of the police used to be the worst in Jade Creek because it was the wealthiest area, and when the now-Alpha of Jade Creek took over from his father, it was his main focus.
Even though it pissed off alotof people and he found one ally to help him clean up what hurt his area the most. My father. They both hated the corruption and worked really hard to make their dream a reality.
“I didn’t know it was him,” I muttered, thinking back to what Father had ever told me. I remembered him and I discussing how imperative it was for the body cams to always be used and to never let that slip or the nation would fall back deep into corruption, but… I couldn’t remember the rest.
There was always so much that we spoke about and evidently it wasn’t enough. I rubbed my chest and decided to listen to Joris’s wisdom, making the call that could hopefully make my life easier.
For once.
“This is a surprise,” he answered with hesitation in his voice and then quickly tacked on, “Your Majesty.”
“I’ll bet,” I chuckled darkly. “And you can leave that off when we’re talking privately. We both know it pains you to say and I don’t actually enjoy hurting others.”
He snorted. “My shoulder says otherwise.”
I snorted right back. “You deserved it, but I’m calling for… It’s not an olive branch. It’s—” I sighed. Heavily.
“Oh, this should be good,” he drawled.
“All the bluster and issues aside, you and Father once worked on something important to you both. I didn’t remember it was you, but he once told me that the man he worked with to save the country from corruption had the most noble heart andhis soul was pure,” I told him honestly. “That when push came to shove and egos were put aside—”
“What’s happening with the police?” he growled.
I couldn’t hold back and sighed. “You seriously just interrupted the queen? I can’t imagine why Father and now I will butt heads with you,Alpha. I’m going to beat you again. As many times as it takes until you remember I’m the boss.”
