Anna knocked at the door and waited before going in. His Majesty was sitting by the fireplace with a glass of wine and a plate of food. His faithful jester was on the rug in front of him. Anna had never seen her father without his jester, a small man with extremely intelligent eyes and a wrinkled face.

"Your Majesty," Anna curtsied.

"Come on in. No need to sweep the floor." He nodded at a bench by his feet. She sat down on it—bringing her down to the jester's level—and kept her eyes on the floor.

"Look me in the face." Her father's hard fingers pushed her chin up. Anna fought the desire to close her eyes. "She's not bad at all, is she Harvey?"

"She has nice breasts."

"Men like breasts."

"You can't keep a man with nothing but that."

"Who knows? Richard is just a boy. He may fall for it."

Richard? Who is Richard? Thoughts fluttered like frightened birds in Anna's head. Gardwig must have noticed, for he explained, "Richard of Ativerna. He's coming here with his ambassador. His father wants to marry him off, and you're the right age. You're not bad. You look like your mother; she was dark like you."

Gardwig had a thick mane of golden hair and gray eyes, but Anna had dark hair and eyes like her mother, whom she had only seen in portraits.

"As long as she's not a fool. Have you gotten mixed up with anyone?" The jester's voice was calm, but he glared at her.

Anna flushed. She knew that this man could have her killed, but she was angry. Almost without thinking, she burst out, "Who needs me without a penny of a dowry? I have to alter my own dresses!"

"Idiot!" Gardwig spat out, his eyes flashing. "Do you think that coins and rags make up your dowry?"

Anna recoiled. She slipped from the bench and fell on the floor, but Gardwig continued to thunder away at her. "You are a princess! You may even be queen someday! Your dowry isn't dresses. Its connections, land, and treaties! If Richard takes a liking to you, you'll be the one handing out dresses and jewelry to others. Ativerna is wealthy, and I need Edward as an ally. Richard will be my ally after him. If you marry him, I won't forget you. You can have the province of Bali as your dowry."

Anna smoothed her skirt and sat back down under the jester's mocking eyes. In a calmer voice, she asked, "Your Majesty, am I supposed to charm him?"

"Yes. After he comes here, he's going to Ivernea. You're the first one he's going to see, and your job is to be the only one he thinks of."

Anna nodded. She saw visions of balls, diamonds, and knights in armor, and above all, she saw herself with an elegant crown on her head—the crown of a princess, the future queen.

Oh, hell! Why did I get mixed up with Lons?

Gardwig looked at her for a minute and then nodded. "Go calm down. Speak to Mila tomorrow. She'll fit you with dresses that will make you shine. I'll tell her. You may go."

Anna managed to curtsey again and left the room.

Once she had gone, the king's jester shook his head and said, "I don't know about this. She's selfish and stupid."

"Just like her mother."

"Do we have anyone else we can use?"

"No. The next oldest is just twelve. This one is sixteen. Edward wants his son married in the next year or two."

"True. And there's Lidia in Ivernea."

"She's plain as can be. Eighteen years old and thinks about nothing but books—an old maid."

"Mila was over twenty, wasn't she?"

"She was a widow; I got lucky with her."

The jester nodded. He didn't have the least respect for Gardwig's wife, but he valued her. He saw how she loved the king and did her best to care for him. She was like a little hen on her nest, but she was just what the aging king needed. She wasn't vengeful or sly. All she wanted was a home and children, and she gave birth to boys, which was a good thing. Gardwig would have lost his mind without the boys.

"Fine. If you think he'll go for that snotty little girl, then I'll have a talk with her. Will you permit it?"

"When have I ever told you not to do something?"

Few people knew that the jester and the king had been raised by the same nurse. They were childhood friends who considered themselves brothers. The violent, capricious Gardwig loved no one in the world like he loved his brother, and his brother worked hard to deserve that trust. Why is he a jester? Why not? He needed a day job when he wasn't busy stirring up intrigue.

♦

Anna danced back to her room.

A princess! She would finally be treated like a real princess! And if she played her cards right, she would be queen someday.

She knew that she was beautiful and intelligent. She was educated, as well, thanks to Lons' hard work. She grimaced at the thought of him. Maldonaya take him, why didn't I wait a few years? Because I always have to have what I want right away. Money, dancing, love, life!

Lons was poor as a church mouse so he couldn't give her money and dancing, but in love... Anna shivered when she thought of Lons' hands, his lips, his body. Suddenly, she froze. She was already married; that was a big problem. One thing was clear: she could never tell her father the truth.

Buy the full book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SnmD4U

Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited

If you enjoy my story then please like my Facebook page: https://goo.gl/2URgxU