He looked at me directly, his green eyes intense.
"If you can learn quickly, Roxanne, if you can prove yourself capable and wise... I would have no choice but to seriously consider making you the next Empress."
I choked on air. "Empress?! Father, you can't possibly mean that."
"It is nothing guaranteed," he said quickly. "I love Arabella dearly, despite her flaws. She is my daughter too. But the empire needs someone with a head on their shoulders. Someone who thinks of the people, not just their own status."
He started walking, and I scrambled to follow.
"So come, daughter. Let us see what you're made of."
~
He led me through corridors I hadn't explored yet, past guards who saluted crisply, past servants who bowed low.
Everyone we passed whispered.
"The Princess—"
"With the Emperor—"
"Is she being trained—"
We reached a set of ornate double doors, and the Emperor pushed them open.
Inside was a rather long table. A proper council table.
