Chapter Ten

"Your Highness? Is something wrong?"

A shocking amount of relief filled her face when she saw him, and before he could blink, she had strode over to him. "Prince Aradishir, I heard that some of your people had been injured. You also seemed so unhappy at breakfast, and before in the garden. I wanted to make certain you were all right."

Aradishir's cheeks flushed. She'd been worried about him? "My people are the worse for wear, but will be all right, thank you. I am sorry my bad mood bled so badly into breakfast and in the garden. Spending time with my future s-sister is always a pleasure. And playing with your little escape artist is always a joy."

Relanya huffed a small laugh. "That boy will truly be the death of me. He is deeply enamored of you, Your Highness. He keeps asking—" She stopped, an expression he couldn't parse flickering across her face. "Well, lots of questions, but what child doesn't, I suppose. Are you certain you're all right? Is there anything I can do?"

"That you care so much is more than enough," Aradishir replied. "Please, do not let me keep you from your day, getting to know Bakhti. I know he is most excited to finally meet you, spend time with you."

"Of course," Relanya said, but her smile was not as warm as usual, and it did not reach her eyes. "I hope your day goes well, Your Highness."

"And yours," Aradishir said softly, hands curling into fists, hidden by the folds of his robes, as he fought to keep from reaching out to her as she walked away. Once she was gone, he stifled a sigh, set his shoulders, and stepped into the room.

He was met with friendly smiles and cold eyes, save for a single merchant in the corner, a beautiful woman with dark skin and hair and the most vivid green eyes he'd ever seen. Even from across the room, their color was clear and bright, like jewels in the sun. Somehow, she reminded him faintly of his mother, that confident air about her that said she knew she was the smartest in the room and she liked it when no one else knew it.

Strange that he'd never met her before.

"Greetings," he said coolly, moving to take his spot at the head of the long table they all sat around, positioned so that the sun was behind him, streaming through large, costly glass windows. This time of day, it would be difficult to stare directly at him—and so all the harder to attack him. "I hope you came prepared to listen to me, because I'm not in the mood for your whining and complaining. We are fighting against human trafficking. Against people, children , being sold and bartered like goods. I've long grown tired of your reluctance to attend the problem." He rested his gaze on the woman sitting in the far right corner. "Who are you, my lady? I do not recognize you."

"No, you have dealt with my father thus far, Your Highness. Bulus Saqqaf is his name. He fell to severe illness last night, and the healers say he'll not be well again anytime soon, so I have taken over the business. My name is Kubra. I apologize for not having the time to inform you of the changes before now."

"You can hardly be to blame for not having enough time. I hope your father recovers fully." Not really, Bulus was one of the worst offenders for refusing to even compromise on Aradishir's proposed changes.

"Thank you, Your Highness." She gestured to a woman standing just behind her, who moved down the table to present a sheaf of papers to one of the guards who moved forward protectively. "These papers were submitted to the office some time ago. I am returning them signed."

Aradishir only nodded as he accepted them, but inside he was filled with no small amount of shock. Bulus had found every excuse in the kingdom to avoid signing them. They weren't even anything major, just agreements to add additional security measures, costs that would be partially subsidized by the throne. Most of those gathered had agreed to them, some more gracefully than others, because at the end of the day, it was hard to argue against improved security when thieving at the ports was such a known, endemic problem. Bulus had been the only outlier, which made him all the more suspicious in Aradishir's eyes.

This was an interesting development. He penned a quick note and handed it off to the same guard, who slipped smoothly down the line to deliver it to Kubra, who glanced at it briefly before tucking it away in her sash.

"Let's get to work, shall we?" Aradishir said, and pulled up his notes. "First order of business: the independent inspectors. They're going to happen whether you like it or not, merchants, so you may as well contribute your thoughts to the effort instead of throwing tantrums about it."

"It's just another office to be inevitably corrupted," one of them said. "How does that help matters?"

"The current inspection system is rotted all the way through, and has too many personal ties to all of you. There's no saving that. A new system can only improve on that, and as it will be entirely independent, funded by the crown, there are no direct ties which will cut down significantly on the corruption. We've said all this before. Offer suggestions on how to institute it or be quiet."

Nobody replied, and Aradishir marked it off before moving to the next point. He wasn't really expecting to get anywhere; they had built a stone wall from the very beginning and showed no signs of taking it down. No, by this point he wanted only to give Merza, Heydar, and the guards plenty of time to take their measure. He would push, strike, lash, and see how they all reacted.

Then, once he had the thoughts of those he trusted, he would formulate a plan for attending this problem once and for all.

When the meeting finally concluded, Kubra lingered as he'd requested in his note. When they were alone, him, Kubra, and Javed, Aradishir said, "You are not like your father, at least at first glance."

"I try my hardest not to be, Your Highness," Kubra replied. "I grew up with him, I know what he's like better than most." Her mouth twisted. "He would prefer not to leave the business to me, but his eldest son died three years ago, and his remaining son is currently in prison, and he's too proud to leave it to someone outside the family."

"Interesting you call them his sons rather than your brothers."

"I was not close to either of them and prefer it that way. My family would tell you I am contrary, difficult, and quite unbearable."

Aradishir laughed. "Those are qualities I can support." When they weren't describing his brother anyway. "What illness has befallen your father?"

"A life of excess and indulgence," Kubra replied. "His heart has given him trouble for a long time, but he refused to do anything about it. The results of his behavior are coming due."

"I see." He glanced at Javed, who gave the barest nod. Aradishir gave a faint roll of his head, motioning for Javed to give her a cup of wine.

She drew a sharp intake of breath. "Your Highness…"

"People I can trust are in short supply regarding this matter. I want to trust you."

Sipping the wine offered her, Kubra then bowed low, head not quite touching the table. "I am honored to be given the chance to earn your trust, Your Highness. However I can serve, you've only to tell me."

"Let's walk, shall we? We've been sitting for ages; I could use a good stretch. We can tour the gardens, and you can tell me all about your peers."

"I would be honored to see the gardens," Kubra said, eyes widening, looking flustered for a moment before she recovered herself. But it wasn't every day a merchant was invited to tour the royal gardens, let alone the private ones.

Aradishir rose, Javed at his side, and once Kubra had joined them, he led the way out of the meeting room and across the palace to his family's private gardens, bodyguards folding in around them.

"I'm afraid I do not have much to tell you, and only things you may already know," she said as they walked. "My father always hoped I would agree to be married off to one of them, be his little spy, but I never agreed to any offer." She shrugged one shoulder.

Not so very long ago, mere decades, she would have had no choice in the matter. Parents arranged marriages, children obeyed. Thankfully, the law had been abolished by his grandfather, though to hear the tales, it had been quite the battle.

Then again, he was trying to convince people to stop selling other people like cattle, so it didn't surprise him in the slightest that they fought against not forcing people into relationships and lives they didn't want.

"Anything at all would be helpful."

Nodding, Kubra started talking, relaying gossip, rumors, how they'd each behaved at parties, who they associated with that she knew of, what shopkeeps and the like had to say about them, the offers some of them had made in the hopes of marriage. Most of it he had known, but the marriage offers were definitely interesting. "Do you still have copies of those offers?"

"My father probably kept them. I can check his office when I get home, and courier whatever I find to you." She seemed puzzled by the request, but didn't ask questions. "These orchids are lovely."

Aradishir smiled as he looked at them, orchids he'd seen a thousand times or more. "Morning Drops. One of my father's favorites, a gift from my mother on one of their wedding anniversaries. If you see an orchid, my father is probably responsible. My mother prefers her lilies."

"What is your personal favorite?"

"I'll show you," Aradishir replied, and led the way over a footbridge until they came to a pond filled with fish and scattered with water lilies in all manner of hues, from softest pink to sunset orange to evening lavender. "These. Difficult to obtain, even for a spoiled prince."

"They're lovely. My…friend…would love them. He studies plants for a living, though mostly he focuses on herbs. He keeps flowers, though, in his little room above a butcher shop."

"Friend?" Aradishir asked gently.

She smiled sadly. "Yes. I would like to propose marriage, but he would refuse, always insisting he's not good enough. Spoiled rich girl, humble poor boy, a story older than time."

"I believe we listened to a ballad on that subject just last night at dinner," Aradishir said wryly. "I hope your tale turns out better than it did."

"One hopes."

"Come, you've given me plenty to work with, and it's heartening to have an ally at last in this fight. I'm sure you'd like to be on your way."

She laughed. "I am hardly going to complain about being permitted to tour your family's beautiful gardens. I am most honored, Your Highness. I hope I can continue to be of use."

"Don't worry, I will have plenty of work for you soon," Aradishir replied with a laugh. As they reached the entrance hall, he motioned to nearby guards. "See that Lady Kubra makes it home safely, would you, please?"

The two guards bowed. "Of course, Your Highness."

"Thank you. Lady Kubra, I bid you good evening."

"Your Highness."

Once she was gone from sight, Aradishir headed for his rooms, Javed at his side. "I would like to know more about her friend."

"I'll see it attended once you're safely back in your rooms," Javed said. "I'm glad she's nothing like her father."

"I suppose she could be playing an intricate game of her own, but she didn't strike me as conniving. Clever, strategizing, but not conniving."

Javed took his hand, tangling their fingers together and kissing the back of Aradishir's. "You have an instinct for these things, my prince. If you didn't, I do not think we would have a former thief in our midst."

"I am never living that down," Aradishir said with a sigh, smiling the whole time. "I think I want a nap before dinner; I feel that it's going to be a very long banquet."

Especially since he would have to watch Bakhtiar and Relanya together, but he didn't have the energy to brood on that for the moment.

"A nap sounds just the thing," Javed replied, and dragged him straight to bed the moment they reached his chambers.