Sorens legacy, p.28
Soren's Legacy, page 28
After winding through the hallways and back rooms to get to the cave opening, they finally arrived, having passed a few people, most of whom also eyed them.
Kaylah’s text had been brief. They didn’t really know what to do, but they assumed they should mention they were supposed to meet with her when approaching the customs employee. There would probably be a long list of paperwork to fill out for the twins since they didn’t have Ivy Kingdom passports yet.
But they didn’t have to get that far. Halfway across the room, a guard approached, nodding. “Mr. Elonto. Miss Elonto. Please follow me.”
She wasn’t about to correct him about it being Mrs. They’d almost pocketed their rings, but they were holding infants, so...
They’d specifically planned an early-morning arrival to hopefully avoid the employees who had been working the evening they’d arrived all those months ago.
Even then, as they neared that waiting room, the one where Leah had been detained, she felt sick. Emotionally, she was digging in her feet, clawing her way back. Marcus put a reassuring hand on her back, guiding her slowly forward.
It had been so traumatic, so violating when the previous guard had wrapped his vine around her, then threatened to have her strip-searched. But the place was small, and they probably didn’t have a lot of meeting rooms like this here.
Leah’s anxiety melted away once the guard opened the door and ushered them in. Kaylah and Eric greeted them, jumping up from the table they’d been waiting at.
Kaylah squealed, leaping to give Leah and Aspen a hug first. Eric more calmly strolled to Marcus and Ash, hugging them.
They spent a few minutes meeting the twins, gushing over their excitement to have Leah and Marcus home again. Eric assured them everything was ready for them at their estate, and that made Leah breathe easier, because they hadn’t coordinated anything yet.
“Oh yeah, here,” Leah said, digging Kaylah’s royal ring from her pocket. “I don’t want to have to keep track of it anymore.”
Kaylah slipped it on her finger, smiling. “I knew it would be safe with you.”
“Thank you.”
Kaylah then showed Aspen some more attention, and she cooed. “For the record, I don’t do diapers. I was traumatized enough the one time I changed Marcus’s.”
“Hey!”
Leah snickered. “Stinky, huh? Rachel and Guillen didn’t pour hot sauce in his kittlefruit juice as a baby, did they?”
Marcus guffawed.
The inside joke lost on Kaylah, she looked a little alarmed. “I certainly hope not.”
Kaylah explained they wouldn’t need passports for the twins this trip, but they each already had one prepared for them back at the estate. They’d do a quick customs check and then rift back to the Green Lands. Kaylah hesitated in the last part of her delivery, albeit only slightly. “Just to prepare you, we won’t be arriving at the cave by our estate. We’ll be arriving at the palace’s cave.”
A tiny squeak of terror rose in Leah’s throat. “Can’t we settle in first?”
Kaylah locked eyes with her. “It’s time.”
***
The rifting process went smoothly. Leah and Marcus each carried an infant through a Seeder rift. To make sure Aspen and Ash had the necessary engravings touching their skin, Leah and Marcus held the jade stones in their little hands with them. No fuss, no muss. They were happy, relatively unfazed.
A familiar warmth of energy rushed into Leah as she filled her lungs on the other side of the rift. Even if the people here weren’t fond of Leah, at least Mother Nature had nothing against her.
The guards at the reception cave made Leah uneasy, but she’d known they’d have to pay the piper eventually.
“Matron, Your Highness,” a guard addressed Kaylah and Eric. “Please follow me.”
This isn’t a death march. It’s going to be fine. Perfectly fine. She repeated that to herself with each crunch of twigs, leaves, and gravel underfoot as they marched through the woods and palace grounds.
Stepping inside the palace felt both nostalgic and foreign at the same time. Marcus tightly held her free hand as they walked.
After one long and one short set of staircases, they were taken to a waiting room. A couple of Catrina’s nursemaids reached for the twins. “We can see to their needs.”
It took everything Leah had to give up Aspen. Marcus’s expression made it clear he wasn’t excited to give up Ash, either.
“They’ll be fine,” Kaylah assured them. “Eric and I will stay here with them the entire time.”
Leah allowed the nursemaid to take Aspen, then fidgeted with her hands. She wanted Kaylah to be there in Catrina’s meeting with her, too. But Leah and Marcus were adults. They needed to rip off the bandage.
“Their Majesties are waiting,” the guard said.
Leah and Marcus followed. She slipped her clammy hand back into his. She hadn’t even noticed she’d extended a vine tendril and wrapped it around Marcus’s wrist, binding them together, until he glanced down at their joined hands. He met her gaze. “We’ll be okay. They just want to talk.”
It was to be a private meeting. A formal private meeting. Upon entering the queen’s office, Leah and Marcus curtsied and bowed, something they hadn’t done in so long.
Queen Catrina and King Stephan sat together on an elegant settee. Catrina gestured to another opposite them. “Please take a seat.”
The young couple followed directions, sitting thigh to thigh, arm to arm.
“We’re glad you’re home safe,” Catrina said, all business. “And congratulations on your wedding and children.”
“Thanks, Aunt Ca— er, Your ... Majesty?” Marcus said.
Catrina sighed, softening a touch. “We’re in private, and we’re still your aunt and uncle.”
Leah couldn’t fathom ever addressing them as such, even as Marcus’s wife, though the comment hadn’t been aimed at her.
As Catrina eyed them both, Stephan spoke up. “We are glad you’re back. And we look forward to meeting the twins...”
Leah smiled slightly at that.
“I didn’t realize you were so unhappy here, Leah,” Catrina said, letting the statement hang in the air.
“It wasn’t that I was unhappy, or ungrateful, because I am grateful...” She dug a fingernail into her jeans. “I just didn’t feel it was fair the way you expected me to follow stricter rules than any of your other subjects.”
She and Marcus had done plenty of preparation for this discussion. Leah wasn’t about to grovel, or apologize more than she needed to. But she was going to keep her temper in check, and use more ‘I’ statements. She was going to prove she’d grown since leaving.
“Most subjects don’t live under our roof or have access to palace secrets,” Catrina said. “And most of them don’t date our nephew. You knew what you were getting into when you signed up for that.”
Leah gritted her teeth, keeping silent, because she didn’t have anything kind to say.
“I’m disappointed,” Catrina continued. “In both of you.”
Don’t say anything. Don’t say anything. Don’t say anything.
“Respectfully, Your Majesty, I never asked to join your household, or to use your money. And I hoped that you allowing me to live and you taking me in meant you trusted me. But you never did. Not when you reacted that way about the passageways. I was never staging a coup, or trying to undermine you. I’m nothing like my parents.” Her nostrils flared as she tried to keep her cool. “And I lost all respect for you—”
Marcus squeezed her hand in warning.
“You lost my respect when you fired Robyn. Maybe you don’t know what it’s like to be afraid of a pregnancy, but you didn’t have to fire a servant when all she did was look the other way when I was panicking.”
Leah could provide a laundry list of reasons as to why she’d acted the way she had, most of which were in her manuscript, but that wasn’t the plan today. Today was about burying hatchets with the least pain possible.
Catrina waited a moment to respond. “No, I don’t know what that feels like. I was raised with high expectations, so I know they’re achievable. As for the passageways and security protocols... You’re a mother now. I would hope you would do everything in your power to keep those children of yours safe.”
In truth, Leah’s understanding had changed, but it didn’t all become rosy. They were still miles apart in their upbringing and temperaments, and always would be.
“As for Robyn, you were right.”
What? Leah was dumbfounded. Was that the closest people got to an apology from a queen?
“I still stand by what I said.”
Or not...
“For my children, for this palace, and for this kingdom’s security, I do need staff that are unfailingly loyal, that do not disobey orders on a whim when a scared girl makes a plea.”
She made it sound like Leah was a five-year-old.
“That said, I do believe in second chances, just like I gave you a second chance. I rehired Robyn the week after the two of you threw a tantrum and left.”
Leah’s eyes grew wide. “Really?”
Catrina’s face was hard. “The two of you would have known that, had you deigned to accept my requests to visit.”
No one expected a queen to chase down teenagers refusing to meet with her... Leah slumped a little on the settee. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving Robyn her job back.”
“Are there any other objections you have about your queen and king?” Catrina asked. “Anything else we should know about?”
Stephan hadn’t even been there the day Leah and Marcus had left; he hadn’t been part of the drama. And did Leah have more to say? Absolutely. Was it wise and necessary? Absolutely not.
And that was the compromise she and Marcus had come to. Leah couldn’t care less at this point if her relationship with the queen and king ever fully recovered. But Marcus still loved them. She didn’t need to have their relationship in a place where they hugged. Leah didn’t even like hugs from most people, and she wasn’t the type to run after people until they liked her. She could be okay with civility, even if it was cold civility like she had with Tobias.
If they could sit at the same banquet table and exchange necessary small talk while Marcus still got to enjoy his family, then Leah could choke down her pride.
“That’s all, Your Majesty,” Leah answered.
Catrina switched her focus to Marcus.
“No, ma’am. I’m good.”
They’d written letters of apology before leaving for the human world, so he’d already explained that the birth control tonic had been his mix-up, and that he hadn’t told Leah how long he’d been holding on to her engagement ring.
Stephan rubbed the back of his neck. “And what are your plans moving forward?”
Leah let Marcus take it from there. He explained that they weren’t sure yet. That he’d inquire about the possibility of returning to his internship, even though he’d been away for so many months. They planned to move in with Kaylah and Eric again until they could find a place of their own. Leah hoped to stay home with the twins. That part was a little more complicated, but he waited to address the book.
“And will you be needing to keep an allowance, Leah?” Catrina asked.
“No thank you, Your Majesty.” She wouldn’t be their ward anymore. She and Marcus agreed they were going to dip into Marcus’s stipend again. That was his family’s money allotted to him, and wealthy parents could do as they pleased with their investments. It would be helpful and necessary. But taking a payout from the queen’s coffers didn’t feel right anymore.
“Even after leaving the palace, you’ll have access to escorts for security. We can add another allotment to ensure the children are safe.”
That was kind of a tricky topic between Leah and Marcus. They didn’t fully agree on this one. But Leah did want to publish in both worlds, and he might be busy with work, and they didn’t always want to burden family with the twins if they needed help.
“I know it’s not my place to ask, but... Well, I... Sometimes I feel like having escorts makes me more of a target. So, maybe if I go out on my own, I don’t always need them, and maybe we could have a helper for the house instead?” She winced. “Obviously, the twins’ safety is the priority, but...”
“I think we could manage to add an extra helper to your allotment without compromising your escorts,” Stephan said. “Parenthood is hard, especially for new couples.”
Leah tried not to cringe. It was true, but how many people were as lucky as them to have servants help them through those hard times? “Thank you.”
“She’s not currently trained as a nursemaid, but would you like to have Robyn assigned to your household?” Catrina asked.
Leah’s jaw dropped. Was Catrina offering Robyn as a peace offering? Or as a way to get rid of a servant she still wasn’t completely trusting of? Leah didn’t care. “Yes, we’ll take her. I don’t care if she’s trained.”
Catrina cracked her first smile of the meeting. “Consider it done, whenever you’re ready for her to start.”
“Thanks,” Marcus said.
Nervously rubbing the knee of her jeans, Leah knew she ought not to push her luck, but she couldn’t help herself. “If we’re picking which staff gets assigned, can I make another request? Can Wren be reassigned to my escort duty?”
Catrina cocked her head, curious. “Wren?”
“Yeah, he did a really good job when I was at the cottage.” She’d love to see her old book buddy on a regular basis.
“What did he do a good job of?” Catrina furrowed her brow. “We didn’t receive any reports about security threats during your time there.”
Leah swallowed hard. There hadn’t been. And she might have just opened her mouth and gotten him in trouble. Wren had undoubtedly crossed the line professionally, but Leah and her children likely wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him. “When I say he did a good job, I mean overall, even before the cottage. He just ... you know... I felt safe around him.”
Marcus lovingly ran a thumb over the back of her hand. She’d confessed it all to him. He knew how much this man had done for her.
“We’d hope you feel safe with any of the staff, Leah,” Stephan said. “But I’m sure we can arrange for this one to be reassigned as well.”
Leah smiled, relieved.
Catrina’s focus shifted to their hands. “Now about the wedding, the twins, and the announcements... This obviously got messy. Nothing that happened here was ideal. But I suppose, despite the fact we’ve been combating rumors regarding your disappearance, your returning married and having delivered is in your favor.”
It was a politician’s job to weigh things like this, but it still rubbed Leah the wrong way to have her marriage and children discussed so clinically.
“I think the best course of action would be to do something a little like what your parents did with you and Tobias, Marcus.”
That was actually what Marcus and Leah had been hoping for. It wouldn’t be as grand, but it honestly wasn’t all that different. It had been extremely controversial at the time of Rachel and Guillen’s wedding for them to be married, and for them to adopt their boys. They’d done it all in private, only announcing it publicly when the time was right. When done properly, it gave the kingdom an opportunity to celebrate, from a subtle position of power at the palace. They’d told the kingdom ‘we’re an item,’ with the comment section closed. It didn’t mean everyone had liked it, but the deed had been done, and they weren’t offering apologies for being who they were or for loving whom they would. Leah adored Rachel and Guillen’s love story.
“We’re on board,” Marcus said.
“Very well. We’ll discuss details. It would be good to do it soon, to get ahead of the rumor mill about your return. Perhaps with a ball at the palace?”
Leah smiled once more, happy about getting to dance with Marcus again in a formal dress. She might even fit in her old gowns—Ivies tended to bounce back pretty quickly from pregnancy.
Stephan drew a deep breath. “We do still believe it would be best to keep details a little fuzzy, or ... perhaps altered, about the timeline. We can word the announcement so people will hopefully not pay attention to the order things happened in, but will only recognize that you wished for privacy, so you awayed to enjoy a private ceremony, and started your family.”
It pained Leah to entertain that, just for the fact that it was all to help the royal family’s image. But it would help Leah and Marcus’s image to look tidy. There would be less judgment. And anything that deterred scrutiny toward them would benefit Aspen and Ash. “Sure,” she forced herself to say.
Catrina smoothed her skirt. “Lovely. Then we’re settled?”
Leah bit her lip. “Well, one more thing...”
Chapter 33
CATRINA AND STEPHAN WERE all ears.
“There’s something I need your permission for,” Leah said.
“She’s amazing at it,” Marcus said.
She gave his hand a little squeeze. She had this one. “I’ve been writing a book...” She wasn’t going to address any of the fictional books right now. “A memoir. I want to publish it. And since there will obviously be mentions of the royal family, I know I need your permission.”
“I don’t know how comfortable we’d be with that,” Catrina stated. Despite her queenly nature, her voice was gentle.
Leah caught herself biting her nails. She needed this and the hope it would provide. “It’s mostly about me. About my parents and their secrets and what it was like for me growing up. And ... why I was confused enough to try to hurt Kaylah. And maybe people would understand that I just want to be a good citizen, normal.” She swallowed. “Please just consider it. I already have most of the first draft written. I want to do this for me, and Marcus, and the twins. They deserve this.”
Stephan crossed his legs. “I’m assuming Marcus would be in this book?”
“Yes,” Marcus answered. “And I support anything she writes in there. Good or bad. I’ve ... made my mistakes, and she doesn’t deserve to take the blame for them.”
