There was an odd tension hanging over the drawing room when we returned. Adults really like to hide things behind smiles.
“Welcome back,” Sheila said. “I trust you had a riveting chat?”
A past life in Japan meant that I could brush things off just as well as her.
“Yes, it was wonderful.”
The trick was to not lie. It’s true that our chat was riveting; it just hadn’t been a chat between a man and a woman.
When the black knight father and son left, a troubled look formed on Sheila’s face. Had something happened between her and the black knight father? I gave her a furtive glance, when she turned to me with a funny look on her face.
“Lera, we’re going to ensure your ascension happens as soon as possible.”
“Whuh?”
What’s this about?
Last I checked, that was supposed to happen once I became an adult, which, when I thought about it, was only a month away. Except Peylon was dealing with the overflow, and Duval, being right next door, was going to feel the effects. I couldn’t see how anyone was going to find the time to pass down a title to me, but Sheila seemed serious.
“We need only conduct the ceremony. The public announcements can wait. First, I’ll have to drag Quinevan over to Duval.”
She was already forming a schedule, albeit unilaterally.
“Thand, is there any way to stop her?”
“Not for me, there isn’t. Why don’t you take a crack at it, Lera?”
“I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
I raised the white flag before the battle began. It was a losing one. But now it wouldn’t be long before I was in charge of Duval.
“That’s right—is my father aware that I’ll be succeeding him?”
“Who’s to say? He’s got bigger concerns at the moment.”
“Hm?”
What does that mean? Is there something preoccupying him?
“Uh, hmm... You’ll understand soon enough.”
What a vague response. If that’s what Thand was going with, I knew there was no point trying to get anything more out of him. Well, since it was just my father, I didn’t really care either way.