CHAPTER 20

“There she is,” King Hernando said and stood from behind his desk. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

Brent closed the study door, and Romaine took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

“Good morning, Father… Good morning, Mother.”

King Hernando and Queen Dorothea each took a hand, guiding her to the couch.

“You look extremely well this morning, Romy… Doesn’t she, my love?” Dorothea asked her husband.

Romaine glanced from one to the other, and all the courage she’d built up to confront them vanished at the look in their eyes.

“What’s going on? What did you two do?”

“Listen, sweetie,” Queen Dorothea said, “since you’re now twenty-five, we’ve decided it’s time to tell you what you have to look forward to. As you know, we plan on handing over the throne sooner rather than later, but before we can, there are conditions that must be met.”

“Like what, exactly? How soon are you planning on stepping down?” Romaine asked quickly, worry causing her to tug on her ear until h