Libelle

22 | A Chance

Dinner was muted.

That was expected after the buzz of the gala and the rest of them had to deal with the aftermath of Eliott's decisions. He glanced at the woman seated beside him. Edge flashed him a small smile. Underneath the table, her fingers brushed teasingly against his.

He swallowed the swooning sigh fighting to filter out of his lips. It wouldn't help his case now that at least fifty eyes bore down on him as he tried getting through his meal. Eyes couldn't hurt him. What people thought mattered just as less. Now that he had succeeded in bringing Edge into the palace, having her sit as an equal at the King's table, and cementing his resolve in what he always wanted to do, perhaps the Court and the King would at last take him seriously.

That's the plan.

Eliott had run it so many times with Geoffer, with the affairs manager shooting down every loophole, smoothing down the kinks that might arise. This was the best course they could take. The Court has made its move. Now, Eliott would make his.

In a game of politics, it didn't matter who had the upper hand. What was important was how fast one could yank the rug from the opponent's feet and how fast they could recover and strike back. Geoffer had shared some insights about the Court's reach and their legal powers. At this point, there would be little they could do to stop the next step in Eliott's plan.

His chair screeched against the carpet covering the floor of the private dining hall. Heads swiveled as one, forks paused halfway to mouths, and what meager noise flitting around the room vanished in a flash.

"It has been to my utmost joy that we are all gathered here tonight," he grinned, making sure to flick it somewhere in Linus Coppers' direction so the adviser could see that this time, Eliott had won. "It makes the announcement I have to make all the more exciting."

His voice, albeit a little bit more formal and chopped to his liking, covered the room, reaching all the way to the head of the table where his father, the Sovereign King of the Lezeris Empire, sat. The King's face was set in stone, unmoving, unblinking.

Eliott decided to push on. "I reviewed the Constitution and found something interesting," he said. He glanced to the ceiling like the answer was there before proceeding to recite the paragraph from memory. " 'In the event of the Crown Prince, having chosen his consort, completing the Seasonal Feasts, then he shall be granted the authority to approve an edict to be implemented in the Empire at the earliest instance.' "

His smile widened. From his periphery, he could see Edge's eyebrows crease and a look of confusion contort her features. Soon. Everything would make sense soon. He continued. "So, may His Majesty, the Sovereign King of Lezeris, adhere to the laws set by our forefathers. May he abide by the legacy left by the mighty bloodlines and let me avail this opportunity," he said.

He glanced at his father who was looking at him with such a passive frown on his rock-hard face. "Go on," the King said with a dismissive wave. After all, his dinner was being interrupted. This man, no doubt, just wanted to retire for the night just to wake up to more work in the morning. "Tell me what edict you wished to approve."

A triumphant feeling unfurled in his stomach. "I wish to endorse the charter of the Citizenship of the Fae," he said. "You will find the drafts in my office, to be handed in to the Royal Office through my Affairs Manager at the earliest convenience. It would be my honor if His Majesty will exercise his authority to consider this edict. As for the rationale, you will also find it in the drafts. I provided quite a lengthy justification."

A hand slammed on the table, making the tableware clink and bounce. "Your Majesty, this is preposterous!" Linus Coppers' voice rang across the hall. He didn't need to shout, did he? "The Court has read the charter and has interpreted it to a fault. The Empire will incur a huge loss if we push this edict. Think about the consequences, the impact, and the gravity of this situation."

"We have stayed as we are and have flourished for it all these centuries," Frances Atwood added. It seemed that the barnacle wouldn't ever find the guts to speak had it not been for Linus. Look at both of them go. "Consorting with these savages wasn't going to help us. Neither will making them a part of our Empire."

"So you are rejecting your future Queen?" Eliott fired as soon as Frances said the one thing he had been hoping to be uttered. He had many cards to play and it delighted him to no end to have played this one. He glanced at Edge and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Be careful about what you say, if I were you, Adviser. Every word out of your mouth can and will be used against you. Is that really what you want someone who's going to have power over you someday to hear?"

Frances opened his mouth to answer but Linus's arm shot forward, stopping him. That's good. All Eliott really needed was to knock them all down so he would only deal with a single entity from the Court. With all the other Advisers either too meek or too cautious in front of the King, it seemed it was going to be Linus.

"My colleague must have had too much wine in this extravagant feast His Majesty has prepared," Linus said. "Can we postpone this talk to a place where it's not in front of the food? We don't want to anger the gods. The Court will certainly be open for a dialogue from both the Crown Prince's Office and the Royal Office."

With that, Eliott sank back into his seat. Sure, he might not get the King's decision today but he had yanked the rug from underneath the Court so hard it revealed what was simmering in the basement. These people had something to protect and Eliott just had to pick on that, drive them into a corner, until they knew to give in to what he wanted.

At least now, he was able to open the doors previously shut. Now, the Court had agreed to continue to talk about a topic they had otherwise silenced just a few months ago.

It's all just a game but for Eliott, it was a matter of good and evil, of life and death. He glanced at Edge, who still had a confused look aimed at the discussion that had just transpired. Soon, she wouldn't need to worry about these problems. She would be able to spread her wings without fear. She would be free.

"The Royal Office will consider it," came the King's reply. Eliott resisted the urge to pump his fist in the air or to glance at Geoffer and flash him a smile. The Advisers were cunning creatures. They might pick up the fact that all of this was planned. The King glanced at Eliott. "That was quite a spectacle at the gala. It's been a while since I last saw something so...touching."

Oh, he must be talking about the proposal. Eliott felt pride well in his chest. His father rarely handed out praise so he must have done something good. "Thank you, Father," he said, making sure to emphasize the word to send a message to everyone who might be posting a target on his back. "I shall labor to have more excellent achievements and not just touching ones."

The King's only answer was a passive hum. Then, he went back to his food. As per protocol, everyone else followed.