Pandora hid Hale’s search report in the bottom drawer of her dresser. She shoved the drawer shut and walked away. She wanted to lie on her bed and drown herself in her own tears. She looked towards her bed for a moment. Her pillow was soaked through with her tears, as she had been crying all morning. And presently, it was the afternoon. She had been absent from her duties for nearly half the day already. Not a single soul had missed her. Nothing she did on a day-to-day basis was that noteworthy. Her father made sure of that.

Instead of her bed, she sat at her window seat and looked out over the city. There were billions of lives on Elani’s surface, all which looked to her family as their leaders. She wasn’t worthy of her people or the planet. She hardly felt worthy of her gift. Saving the life of Elani was truly the first good thing she believed she did. She wondered if that was all she would ever amount to. Not everyone on Elani lived a flourishing life as she did. Many suffered, even in the capital city— supposedly the most prosperous place on this planet. On the lower levels, many were lacking the basic necessities, and they were forgotten because none of the wealthy could see them unless they purposed to look. And who besides her would do that? She knew the hearts of the people in her social circles, and they easily overlooked the suffering.

But she couldn’t simply watch anymore or wait for someone else to finally do something to help those who suffered. She had spent the last two months wallowing in her own despair over lost love. While she didn’t intend to minimize her own experiences, her suffering was so insignificant compared to how some struggled to have access to basic necessities. Pandora could change their lives if she reached out to them. But her father had never allowed her to be seen in person by their citizens. How could she convince him to let her help them?

She wanted contact with her people. She wanted to open the castle to them.

Sitting up from her window seat, Pandora decided to finally dress herself for the day. She wore a simple long-sleeved yellow gown and pulled her hair up in a bun. Once she was presentable, she left the protective solitude of her room and ventured out into the castle to her father. At this time, he would be in his personal office managing the affairs of his kingdom. In the past, his door had been left unlocked for her. He loved her visits when she was a child. Things were different now. As she stood in front of the great big doors to his office, she felt like a small child, for a moment, waiting eagerly to see her father.

He opened the door, but he didn’t greet her with a smile or a warm hug. She noticed the exhaustion upon his face as she went inside. Her timing was poor as usual.

“What’s going on, Pandora?” He spoke as though he knew something was wrong.

Pandora smiled hesitantly. She sat down on the sofa along the wall and fanned out her dress around her legs nervously. “Nothing is wrong with me necessarily. I just wanted to ask you something.”

“You mean you want to ask me for something.”

She hung her head. “Yes. It’s not for me though.”

He gave a drawn-out sigh. “Go on.”

To avoid taking too much of her father’s time away from his duties, she decided to be direct with him. “I would like to open up the castle to the public. Only the throne room. And only for one day a week.” She stopped to let him process her words and respond.

His frown deepened. “You know what I’m going to say. Why are you even asking me this? We’ve never allowed outsiders into our home.”

She took a slow breath. Getting angry would make things worse. “They aren’t outsiders. They’re citizens of Elani. They would be screened, and security would accompany them. We could ensure my safety.”

“No. It’s still a risk.”

“I want to have real interactions with my people. I want them to know that I care about them. To them, I’m nothing more than a symbol of elitism. No one outside of the nobility has seen me in real life. Only pictures or paintings.”

“That’s the way I want it to be. You must be protected. You’re the only heir I have been given. Don’t you understand why I fear for your life so much?”

“I do, but this would help me. I think that I could win the citizens approval for my rule. I would have their support, even if I am not married. They would see me in a positive light.”

“It hardly matters what the commoners think of you. It’s the nobility that you need to impress. Marrying Matthias is the easiest way to improve your image.”

“I care what our people think though! The nobility will always live comfortably no matter who’s in power!” Her voice had grown too loud, and her father would see that as disrespectful.

“Their support is what keeps us in power. You will never rule without them.” He didn’t scold her with his tone surprisingly. He sat beside her on the sofa. “My daughter, with their combined power, the nobility has the power to end our dynasty. That is why we must always consider them first. I’m looking out for us.”

Her blood boiled at the thought of the nobility. After all that her father had done to please them, they might change their mind about supporting him that easily. “They would kill us?”

He placed a finger to his lips. “It’s best if we don’t talk about them anymore. I only want you to understand my position.”

“I understand our situation with the nobles. But how does that have anything to do with opening up the castle?”

“Any decision we make affects them and their opinions of us. They may act as though they serve us, but the opposite is true. They wouldn’t like opening up the castle to the common people because of what that is implying.”

Pandora crossed her arms. “What that we care about our citizens?”

“Allowing commoners inside our castle has never been done in our history that I am aware of. It would be going against our traditions and the barrier between us and the commoners would become smaller.”

“That’s a good thing.”

Her father stood up and sat down at his desk. “This conversation is over. We can’t discuss this matter anymore.” His face returned to his usual look of regal austerity. But from his trembling hands, she knew he was afraid of something. Was it really the nobility? He was the king….

She walked to the door and looked back at her father. “Please just consider it for me. Please.”

“Okay. I will talk it over with my advisors. But most likely I have already given you the final answer. Please don’t mention this to anyone else. It would only cause more trouble for me.”

She nodded and left silently. While she shouldn’t have been too hopeful, she was glad he would think about her request. That was a better response than she imagined.

* * * *

The king waved his hand in front of the crystal cellarette, and the small doors swung open. He pulled out a slender bottle of clear liquor with a purple label and set it on the cocktail table between their two cushioned seats. From his cabinet, the king brought out two tumbler glasses and set them on the table. He popped the bottle open and covered the bottom of the glasses with the clear liquor.

With a weary smile, the king handed him a glass. “It’s my personal favorite. You’ll like it, Matthias.”

He found the king’s tone indicating a command rather than a suggestion. He looked down at the drink, swirling the liquid back and forth in his glass before taking a small sip. The scent overcame his senses and concentrated the taste of the alcohol. Matthias preferred his liquor to have a more subtle, more pleasant taste than this kind had. The king waited for his opinion on his favorite drink.

“It’s very… potent. I like it.” Matthias tried his best to sound convincing. The king had invited him to his private den, which was a great honor.

Content with Matthias’s response, the king sat down in the chair across from him. “Pandora hates it.”

Matthias understood why. Most people wouldn’t like the flavor because of how unusually bitter it was. “That’s unfortunate.”

The king tilted his head back and finished his drink in a single swallow. “Speaking of my daughter, how are things going between you two?”

Matthias could have lied. He could have said that he was very close to winning her heart. But this was his future father-in-law. Honesty was necessary to construct a healthy relationship with him. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I’ve had to take a step back. She’s very conflicted, and I don’t want to place more pressure on her than she’s already experiencing.”

“I think more pressure is exactly what she needs. Time is something that none of us have the luxury of, especially not her. The nobility would never take her reign seriously without having you by her side,” the king told him firmly.

“What are you asking of me?”

The king smiled. “While for a moment you may have to step back, I understand my daughter. Continue to pursue her as you have, perhaps more subtly. She likes your attention. I’ve watched you two together.”

Did she? Matthias couldn’t be sure. She attempted to return his last gift. And continued to be completely caught up in the criminal she had fallen for. “I’m not so sure about that.”

“Well, make her sure.”

“Right, it’s so easy to do that,” Matthias said sarcastically. “Your daughter… while lovely, is very difficult to please. For the first time in my life, I have no idea what to do about a woman.”

“I have a solution for you. This is the reason I invited you here.”

Matthias opened his mouth to speak, but the king held his hand up. First, the king poured them both another drink. With hesitancy, Matthias took a couple of sips to win the king’s approval.

“Now,” the king began, “Pandora wants to open the castle for one day per week so that she can meet some of the common people. I told her I would think about it, but she knows that my answer is no. However, you can use this to get closer to her.”

“By what means? I can see why you would say no. It does place her at some risk. Although, I think her idea is good for publicity purposes.”

“The nobility would resent the idea if I brought it to their attention, but I am willing to overlook them if you can use this situation to hurry along your marriage. Take her side and tell her you will convince me to open the castle for her. And after a time, I will allow it.”

Matthias remained completely quiet, thinking about this plan. From talking to Pandora in the short time he had known her, Matthias was almost certain it would draw her closer to him. What he found she longed for was support and someone to stand by her side no matter what. “You don’t think she’ll see right through us?”

“It’s a possibility, but even if she did, why would she be concerned with that. Her heart is for Elani and nothing else. That is why she needs you. She refuses to take the nobility seriously, and because of that, her reign would be very… short. You would balance her out perfectly. So, you can’t give up on her.”

Matthias gripped the arms of the chair with his fingers. “I never had any intention to. I can’t. My family would never permit it. But you understand my position. So, you know that I won’t.” The shame that would follow him if he turned his back on Pandora would be comparable to the pain of death.

“When you see her, say that you have heard a rumor about her plan. Convince her you’re on her side.”

“I will. I think this will work, and hopefully, she will be happy.” Matthias meant that. Truly.

To be chosen as the future husband of Pandora, while not a coincidence, was the greatest honor. He needed to appease both the king and his daughter. His very life was in their hands.