The Emperor's Substitute Bride
"This is preposterous, your Majesty. An absurdity! You give the position I worked tirelessly for to this... This... Bastard? A man with no inheritance. He is only the third son of the master of Sea travel! A master who has even surrendered to our enemies!"
"You forget yourself, Chief Topher!" Daegal's response silenced his 'father-in-law'. "Azriel's father surrendered for the safety of his family and his people and I will not fault him for it. And since you are still loyal to the empire, perhaps you can take his place as Master of Sea Travels. You have the second largest fleet after all."
Chief Topher opened and closed his mouth in disbelief. He glanced around the faces of the council member