Tori Transmigrated

Chapter 36: A Strategic Move For His Succession

She had plans, but Tori did agree to accompany him to parties he was invited to, so she felt obligated to go. She expected him to tell her about an event one of these days. However, she didn’t think he’d inform her the day before.

Tori had looked at him with disbelief. That was cutting it too close. Way too close. She needed to mentally prepare. Yet, she couldn’t go back on her word. She was the one who told him to just tell her when and that’s what he did.

This is your fault, Tori. You didn’t specify. She looked at herself in the mirror, and Ilyana, with the determination of a true soldier, tried her best to do her hair behind her. “This is just a luncheon, Ilyana. A bun or a ponytail will do.”

“No.” Ilyana was firm in her rejection. “You’re going to escort His Highness. You need to look presentable.”

Tori narrowed her eyes a bit. Did this mean that her day-to-day hair was even worse than she thought?

“Presentable is fine, but let’s not get carried away. Piers said this is mostly an academic circle and it’s a casual lunch.”

Ilyana shook her head. “You don’t know what casual means to a prince.”

Tori stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror. “You’re right. I can’t trust his level of comparison.” His opinion of a ‘low-key carriage’ greatly differed from hers. She wasn’t going to be in her element with academics, anyway. Who knew what else she’d face?

She already counted herself lucky that Csilla and Armando had helped her sort through the dresses she brought from Presidio and classified them by where it was most appropriate to wear them. Tori had no clue what to wear outside of Lycée and everyday commoner clothing.

The game was a mishmash of historical European styles. She’d seen elaborate baroque dresses to Edwardian dresses, like the one she was currently in, to simpler middle ages clothing that reminded her of Renaissance faires. Normally, she’d be curious as to see if there was a class or regional reason for the style of dress, but she had her hands full at the moment.

She limited herself to observing the tastes of the nobles and wealthy elite, which were Lions Gate’s target market. Their styles would dictate the styles the less wealthy and common would eventually wear, though altered for affordability.

Evening dresses were larger and more elaborate. There were more details, more jewelry was worn, and make-up and hair was much more intricate. In the daytime, people of means tended to wear hats to events, likely because of the sun. The clothing was still elegant, but less complex and not nearly as layered.

The ruffles on her dress weren’t as long or protruding as her rococo-era evening gowns. She also didn’t need to wear a hoop, just a simple corset that she and Ilyana didn’t tighten too much over her ‘fancy outfit’ shift. The dress was a light blue color with a high neckline. Her hat was matching in color with lace ribbons and silk flowers around the band.

“Okay, it should stay under your hat without a problem,” Ilyana said as she stepped back, her critical brown eyes looking at Tori’s hair that had been brushed and pulled back, braided at her temples, and then allowed to fall over her shoulder in curly tendrils. “I’m going to pin the hat to your head.”

“Oh...okay?” Tori tensed with a small wave of panic. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Ilyana going to her bed to pick up the wide brimmed, ice blue hat from the hat box. “Do you have much experience with this?”

“It’s simple. We take these pins that came with the hat and pin it through the hat and into your hair to keep it in place in case there is wind,” Ilyana said, holding the hat in one hand and a long metal pin with blue beads at one end in the other.

She had to trust her friend. Tori sat still as Ilyana carefully adjusted the hat over her head. “You’ve done this before?”

“My mother always wears hats, so I have a lot of experience,” Ilyana said, proud. Tori felt the metal pin slide through her hair, gently brushing against her scalp. Ilyana used two more to secure the hat before she released Tori. “And we’re done!”

She looked at Tori’s reflection in the mirror with pride. Tori tilted her head from side to side gently. The hat felt secure.

“All right. Just in time, too,” she said, glancing at the window. It felt that they had been getting ready all morning and she hadn’t had any time to lift a brush pen to begin the invitations. She let out a heavy sigh. “I haven’t gotten anything done today.”

Ilyana frowned and wrinkled her nose. “Don’t worry about the invitations. Henrik and I will get started on them.”

Tori’s eyes crinkled up a bit and she bit her lips. She learned brush calligraphy when she was twenty-eight in her original world and was pretty good at it. She’d learned to apply it to the writing system in Soleil and thought it looked nice, and wanted to use it for the invitations. Even if she didn’t use brush calligraphy, her regular handwriting was still surprisingly better than Ilyana and Henrik’s.

She wasn’t sure she wanted them to write the invitations.

“It’s fine, I can do them when I get back,” Tori said. “It’s just lunch. I should be back by this evening. You and Henrik just go with the plan to check on the prototypes at Madam Midstrom’s.”

Ilyana nodded and Tori got up from her seat. With her long-sleeved, high-necked dress, she still chose to wear a light spider silk and mohair cloak to keep the chill out. The lunch was going to be indoors, but she still had to walk through the campus, ride a carriage to the venue, then walk inside. She could take off the cloak once indoors.

She carefully put her cloak on and Ilyana followed her outside.

Most students were off campus, going around the city or working on other projects on weekends. Students who were local tended to go home at least one of the days, so there weren’t a lot of people. Ewan and Albert went home for the weekend, Henrik slept in and, if anything, was just waking up. He and Ilyana had to deal with Lions Gate errands that afternoon.

The twins were spending their weekends practicing for the spring Three-Day Competition. There were nowhere near as many people scattered across campus as usual. Still, Tori’s out of the ordinary attire, attracted the curious gazes of a few students who lingered at Lycée. She kept her eyes forward and fixed them on the main gate.

She heard Ilyana gasp behind her and Tori felt her tug at her arm. “He’s here to pick you up!”

Tori tried not to make a disturbed face. She was starting to wonder if Piers’ familiarity with her was starting to appear as romantic interest to her friends. No one voiced it, but she had a feeling. For one thing, Ilyana had stars in her eyes at that very moment and made it sound as if the imperial carriage waiting for her at the main gates were picking her up for a date.

This was not a date with Piers. This was a strategic move for his succession.

“That’s how we arranged it,” Tori said, calm. “And Axton is coming, too.” Two people trying to bring attention to Piers was better than one. At least, she hoped. Axton should’ve been the one attending these events with Piers to begin with, but Tori didn’t actually know if they attended events. Knowing Axton, he’d just go with whatever Piers wanted, which was not attending any.

“Then you’ll be with two handsome escorts!” Ilyana said, enthusiastically. She looked over Tori once more and pouted. “I hope we didn’t underdress you.”

Tori sighed as they reached the gate. “I doubt I’m underdressed.”

The door to the carriage was opened by a footman and Axton stepped out, adjusting a cravat as he gave her a nod. “Ready?”

Her eyes went up and down his dark gray suit that seemed tailored to his body. His hair was neatly combed and tied back from what she could see under his hat. Why did he look like some nineteenth century gentleman? Wasn’t this a bit much for lunch?

“Lord Gyles’ home isn’t too far, but we should leave now.” Piers leaned forward and peered out of the door. She caught a glimpse of his black coat, silvery waistcoat over a white shirt, and pants in a style similar to Axton’s. She silently screamed.

Fuck, I am underdressed. It was too late to change. Tori swallowed her frustration and climbed into the carriage, waving at Ilyana as she took her seat. Axton followed after her, taking a seat next to Piers, as the carriage door was shut. As she looked across at the two young men, she compared their outfits to her own.

Since it was lunch, she went with a relatively simple dress. It was still high quality and had small, intricate details, but now she was clearly outshined by her two friends. It bothered her that she was the odd one out in her Edwardian strolling outfit while they were in Victorian suits. Not to mention that they were already far better looking than her.

It wasn’t as if she could tell them to coordinate dressing eras, either.

“You picked a good dress for today,” Axton said, smiling. “Impressive hat, too. Not too big, so it’s good for an indoor meal.”

“It matched with the dress,” Tori said, somewhat apathetic. “Mama bought it.”

Axton nodded, as if understanding. “You don’t seem like you’d go out of your way to buy dresses for these things. Half the time I see you, you’re in training clothes.”

Tori cracked a small smile. “I think I’m underdressed. Piers said this was going to be a luncheon, so I didn’t pick anything too elaborate.”

“It is,” Axton said, waving his hand as he glanced out the window. “But like yourself, I also don’t often go shopping for such events. I can’t even remember the last time I went to a lunch like this.”

Tori drew her lips inward. That wasn’t a good sign. It seems she was right and the two hadn’t socialized much. She understood that. She’d rather be in her dorm working on invitations at that moment, too.

“We just went with what we already had,” Axton said, looking back at her with a reassuring smile. “It’s either training clothes, my uniform, everyday clothes, or this.” He pinched part of his coat and pulled it forward. “If anything, we are overdressed.”

She let out a low breath. She could trust Axton’s assessment of things a bit better than Piers’. At least she hoped it was better than Piers. She looked over at the first prince, who seemed to lazily lean back against the seat across from her, legs crossed and arms over his lap, as he looked out the window.

“When did you get invited to Lord Gyle’s lunch?”

“Two days ago. I met him at Université. He was giving a guest lecture on the fabric industry in the western region.”

Tori narrowed her eyes. So, he could’ve told her two days earlier. “What should I expect at this lunch?”

“I don’t know.”

Damn this man. Tori took a deep breath.

“I’m sure they’re just going to talk about how the western region is doing and what items can be sold here and to other places in the empire,” Axton said.

“The mohair you used for Master’s coat is from the western region,” Piers told her. “But they are now competing with imported goat hair from the eastern trade routes. The imported goat hair is softer.”

Tori narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. In this world, mohair came from a breed of goat called graycurls. Angora goats in her original world. There was one goat hair she could think of that could be softer, but because the strands were finer, it was more fragile. And more expensive.

“Is it...cashmere?” Tori asked. Piers didn’t look too surprised that she knew about it. He nodded. “In terms of availability, it’s limited. I wouldn’t worry about it taking over the existing mohair market. If anything, it will be a luxury imported good.” josei

“Hmm....” Piers nodded.

Tori looked towards Axton. She wanted to get some more information on what to expect at the lunch, what topics to consider, what questions she might be asked, but since the duo hardly went to things like this, they knew just as much as she did. Which wasn’t a lot.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against her seat, going over possible scenarios and how she should respond. Greetings were easy, but she’d need to find something to talk about. Also, they were dining; she didn’t know how seating would be arranged. Would she get to sit next to her friends?

Would she have to sit next to young women around her age? Or older women? She was usually good at chatting up older people when they weren’t refusing to acknowledge that she was in charge of a village resettlement. As for young women, would she talk about fashion? Perhaps Lions Gate and the spring and summer release?

If they weren’t into that, she’d need to think of something else. Food might be a bit much and inappropriate when they were eating at someone else’s home. It could come off as comparing or complaining. She wasn’t as worldly as she was in her original life and couldn’t talk about her travels. If they were older than her, talking about her classes would come off as boring and childish.

She was definitely not an intellectual, especially not in this world.

Tori frowned and glared out the window. There were too many possibilities to think about. She’d just have to take it as it came.

The carriage reached the third district and Tori noted that they weren’t far from Auntie Lucia’s house. However, Lord Gyles’ home was much larger and within a walled compound. Their carriage stopped outside the gate and the driver or footman had to provide an invitation before the gate was opened and they were allowed through.

Tori peered outside and admired the neat gardens on either side of the gravel driveway leading to a three-story manor house. They stopped right in front of the main entrance and someone came to open their door.

Axton came out first, adjusting his hat as he stood to the side and seemed to survey the area. Piers stepped down after him, putting on his hat, and then reaching up towards the carriage and offering his hand.

Tori took a deep breath to collect herself. Showtime. She reached out and took Piers’ hand as she gathered her skirt with the other and carefully stepped down from the carriage.

“Your Highness.” A rotund, middle-aged man with red cheeks and gray muttonchops came down the stairs. “Thank you for coming!”

“Thank you for inviting me, Lord Gyles,” Piers said. Before Tori could pull her hand from his, he had smoothly adjusted its placement against the crook of his arm. Tori glanced at Axton, silently asking what she should do. He gave her a small shrug.

“And this is Sir Nassaun,” Lord Gyles said, extending his hand to Axton. He grinned, appearing pleased as Axton shook his hand. “Your late mother, the gods let her rest, was beyond her time in business. To think that her young son built upon that to make a booming business of his own.”

Axton chuckled, good-naturedly. “To be honest, much of it was for myself. I grew tired of sleeping on the ground every night.” Tori smiled a bit. She only recently learned this, but Axton inherited property all over the empire from his mother, along with the majority of the Alvere family businesses. The inherited businesses were doing fine, but now Axton’s personal wealth came from what he built on the inherited property.

Axton owned what could best be described as a chain of modest inns along major routes through the empire. In fact, she and Kasen had stayed in one, but at the time, she didn’t know. They had very discreet names, such as ‘Oak Inn’ or ‘West Village Inn’. If Axton didn’t tell her, she wouldn’t have known they had the same owner.

“Hello, young miss,” Lord Gyles said. He appeared in front of her with an amiable smile and gave her a small nod. “You must be the famed Lady Victoria de Guevera.”

“Famed?” She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. Was it good fame? Was it infamous? Really, it could go either way with her luck.

Lord Gyles chuckled. “You made quite an impression at the Prime Minister’s evening party last month and Lord Wolfgang, who is here today, has been thoroughly impressed with your efforts at the delta and telling everyone about it.”

“Oh, no...I’m only learning as I go along. Lord Wolfgang and the professors from Université, not to mention their students and the villagers are doing most of the work.” Her eyes widened as her cheeks warmed. She didn’t spend nearly as much time on the delta as the others did and all she could do was logistical work and financial planning.

They were ushered into the manor house and Tori handed her cloak over to a valet as Piers and Axton checked in their hats. Tori couldn’t help but look around and admire the architecture as they walked through wood paneled halls to get to a dining room with one long table, and two dozen guests already mingling around.

Piers stood by her side and she had placed her hand back on the crook of his arm. His hand seemed to tighten over it as he saw the guests. Tori’s eyes flickered up and she raised her other hand to give his hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay. You’re okay,” she whispered as she leaned closer. “If it’s too much, tell me.”

He gave her a small nod and swallowed hard. He looked towards Axton, who stood to his right. Axton gave him a reassuring nod. “Say the word and we’ll leave.”

“No. We just got here,” Piers said in a quiet voice. Tori knew he was fine with a few people. He had no problem getting on a boat and surveying islands with Lord Wolfgang and the professors. He had looked quite interested in the subject. However, this many people, almost all who were strangers, could overwhelm him easily.

At the Prime Minister’s party, he’d gone to stand in a corner by himself until she arrived. This lunch was just small enough that if he did so, it would be very noticeable and very awkward.

Tori took a small step in front of him and put on her ‘business smile’. She brought him around, greeting people in a slightly less enthusiastic way than she had at the Prime Minister’s. There were a few younger people this time. She was sure she was still the youngest person there, but the average age was lower.

“Hello, Madam James. How are you this afternoon?” Tori approached the familiar faces first.

“Good afternoon, Madam James,” Piers almost repeated as he stood beside Tori.

The middle-aged woman smiled as she saw them. “Your Highness, Lady Guevera, it is good to see you! Oh my....” Her eyes crinkled up with joy as she looked at the two. “Is His Highness your escort today, Lady Guevera?”

Tori smiled and shook her head once. “No. Today, I asked to come along. I heard Lord Gyles gave a lecture on textile work in the western region and hoped to find out more.” Smart, Tori. String it together.

“My dear, a word of warning,” Madam James said as she leaned closer. “Once you get him started, we will be here until well into the night.”

Tori let out a light laugh. “I will need to be cautious then.”

“Since you are here, let me introduce you to my daughter. She attends St. Germaine Girls Academy. One moment,” Madam James turned around. “Claire!” She seemed to call for someone amongst a small group of young women. “Claire!”

Tori was smiling, but inside, she was readying herself. Would Claire be a possible customer, a pleasant acquaintance, or friend?

A beautiful young woman with waves of copper hair stepped away from her group and approached. She was at least a half head taller than Tori and wore a fitted ivory dress with pearls sewn into it. She smiled brilliantly and Tori almost winced. That had to be the whitest smile she’d seen since she transmigrated.

The young woman’s brown eyes moved over Tori and gave her a nod. “Hello.”

“Hello,” Tori said, politely. “I am Victoria de Guevera, daughter of Marquis Guevera. A pleasure.” Since her hand was firmly on Piers' arm to try to reassure him, she instead gave Claire a nod.

“Claire Dominique James,” the other young woman said. “My father is Professor Bernard James, department of mathematics.”

Tori looked impressed and nodded her head. “These are friends with whom I followed to today’s lunch,” Tori said, motioning towards Axton and Piers with her free hand. “Sir Axton du Nassaun and His Highness Prince Piers.”

Both of them gave her a curt nod, but said nothing. Claire stepped back to give a curtsy. “Forgive my rudeness, Your Highness and Sir Nassaun. I’ve only seen you from afar.”

Tori cringed a bit. Okay, that sounds moderately creepy, but I’m sure she doesn’t mean it like that.

Claire looked towards Axton with an admiring gaze. “I’ve seen many of your matches when you did tournaments, and your La Garda final exhibition match, Sir Nassaun. You really are the best swordsman of our generation.”

It took everything in Tori not to correct Claire and remind them that her brothers existed. Axton raised a brow and gave her another nod.

“I appreciate your kind words, Miss James. I am still learning and have a long way to go,” he said. Tori nearly snapped her head towards him. His voice sounded so measured and distant. Was that how Axton usually spoke to strangers? He’d been very kind to her since they met and she never felt there was such a distant politeness between them.

“And Your Highness, I’ve read your Lycée Project reports in great detail.” Claire took a small step forward, her eyes sparkling. “To think you were able to repair those ancient aqueducts for use after hundreds of years. It’s a feat of engineering.”

Tori furrowed her brows. Piers’ project was to repair ancient aqueducts? She knew which aqueducts Claire was talking about. They had passed them when she went home for winter break. From what Tori saw, they were equivalent to Roman aqueducts. Piers had to repair an ancient marvel of engineering in the countryside and his brother had to open up a local hospital?

She almost let out a small scoff. Not to diminish the importance of a hospital, but in terms of logistics and manpower, it seemed that Lycée and its staff held one prince’s abilities in higher regard than the other.

“There were simple things at the root that caused issues. After suitable repair and diversion, they were easy to use once more.”

“It made farming in the southern corridor possible again.” Claire almost gasped, as if surprised that he’d be so modest about it.

“I only improved the water distribution system. And I received much help from my upperclassmen,” Piers said. Claire seemed to want to ask more questions, but Lord Gyles called everyone’s attention to have them seated for lunch.

The seating was arranged and as Tori walked along the table, looking for her name, she found it much farther from Piers than she thought. Luckily, there was still Axton. She looked towards him and balked. Axton was seated closer to her than to Piers.

She began to grow worried. She couldn’t just let Piers sit alone with strangers. She began to think of an excuse to either get closer to Piers or to have him come sit next to her or Axton.

“Lord Gyles, my apologies, but Lord Sebastian and Lord Kasen entrusted their sister, Lady Guevera, to us.” Tori heard Piers speak and almost didn’t register that he was. She looked over at him and found that she had been led towards the head of the table to speak to their host. “As she is still relatively new to Horizon, I would like her to remain seated near me. Else, how would I face Lord Sebastian, who is one of my sword masters, and Lord Kasen, who is my senior?”

Piers had spoken so smoothly, she almost wondered if he was really anxious in such a situation. His eyes didn’t falter and he seemed sincere in his worry. So natural was his request that Lord Gyles immediately agreed. Everyone on his left moved over one to accommodate Tori.

Tori’s stunned expression was short lived as Piers brought her to her new seat, right beside him, and had a servant come to pull out her chair. She gave the person to her left an apologetic look and was secretly relieved that it was Lord Wolfgang.

“My apologies,” Tori said as he took his seat next to her. “My brothers worry about me being here alone, so they tasked His Highness and Sir Nassaun.”

Lord Wolfgang chuckled. “Not at all. It’s good that your brothers are so kind to you.” He let out a small sigh and shook his head. “My children are always arguing about one thing or another.”

Tori smiled a bit and was easily drawn into a conversation about the progress in the delta with Lord Wolfgang and those around them. She had almost forgotten about Piers on her right side, until he had the server give her his custard tart. She looked surprised as she found two small plates in front of her.

“Are you sure you don’t want it?” she asked.

“It’s too sweet,” he said. “You eat it.” As a young noblewoman, she should’ve politely rejected and insisted he keep it. She should’ve appeared demure and humble.

“It has fresh fruit on it. I already know this is going to be delicious,” she said as she took a fork to the first tart. She happily ate the sweets as she took a moment to listen to Piers discussing trade regulations on imported fabrics and raw materials, such as the goat hair they spoke of in the carriage.

He was having a proper conversation and the people he was speaking to were engaged. The nervousness in her heart settled a bit. Today’s audience consisted of various academics and regional lords who had some influence on the domestic economy. Piers’ economics blabber that she zoned out was well received.

Her plan to get him exposure was doing very well. She looked towards Axton, a few seats down and across from them. He was casually speaking with a few people his own age, but Tori got the distinct feeling he was not all that invested in their conversation. He looked across the table and met her eyes.

He raised a brow and flickered his eyes at his peers before tightening his lips. Tori held back a small laugh and poked at her custard tart. She managed to finish most of the second tart, but was already stuffed. As subtle as she could, she leaned towards Piers and tapped his arm, on the spot where he was used to having her hand.

“Washroom,” she whispered. He gave her a nod and was about to stand when she pressed her hand down on his arm and shook her head. “I’m not a child.”

Before he could argue, she slipped out of her seat and walked towards a servant to get directions. She dutifully followed and saw three young women approaching. One of which was Claire. There were two ways this could go: first, it could be a small greeting and then they’d pass like nothing happened or they would corner her and say something terrible, as was an expected trope.

“Looking for the washroom, Lady Guevera?” one of them asked as she smiled. “It’s down the corridor, just pass the landscape painting of the mountains.”

“Oh, thank you!” Tori gave them a bright smile and continued forward. Those were the same directions the servant gave her. Perhaps nothing weird was going to happen after all and she was overthinking it. As she walked along, she heard them whispering.

“She’s so adorable, don’t you think?” one of the girls said. “I wish my little sister was that polite. Her cheeks are so pink and cute.”

“And talented. I heard she made her family members coats. One of them hasn't been released yet.”

“How lucky! If I was her sister, maybe she’d dress me up, too.”

“That’s not the best part. I heard she’s an excellent cook and made these delicious dishes with foreign food. My mother said that Madam Martin and Guild master Skuldsen were raving about it.” Tori recognized Claire’s voice, laced with envy. “I want to take her home.”

Tori pushed open the washroom door with squinted eyes and her lips in a tight smile. Those were not the words she expected to come from a handful of well-to-do young women, but it was leagues better than being threatened in a washroom for being too close to Axton or Piers. Still, while she knew that her current body was actually quite cute with pink cheeks - Kasen liked to poke them; as a 40-year-old woman, it was a bit strange to hear herself described as such. And be considered for child abduction by a teenager just slightly older than her body.

After relieving herself and washing up, she stepped out of the washroom and headed back to the dining hall. She caught sight of Piers walking towards her and raised a brow.

“Washroom?”

“Yes,” he said. “Wait for me and I’ll go back with you.” Tori nodded and went to stand by one of the large windows that looked out towards the manicured grounds of the city estate. Piers didn’t take long and walked out a few moments later.

“Are there many estates of this size within the city walls?” she asked. He came to stand beside her and followed her gaze out over the gardens.

“No. Less than a dozen families have estates as large as Lord Gyles’ within the city walls. Most have sizable manors, like the Prime Minister, and then have ancestral estates in different parts of the empire. If they want to build an estate in the capital, they need to find space outside the city walls,” he said.

Tori nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Do you like estates?”

“I like buildings and architecture,” Tori said. “I also like gardens.” Generally, most places of historical, cultural, or religious importance now that I think about it.

“The Imperial Palace has gardens.”

Tori snickered and gave him an unimpressed look. “I would think so.”

“Do you want to see them?”

“When I have time,” Tori said. “My schedule is kind of full right now.” She saw Piers’ reflection on the glass tilt his head to the side and look at her curiously.

“If you’re busy, why did you agree to come with me today?”

“I said I would.” She thought it was obvious. She told her friend she would come and so she would.

“But Axton is here.”

“If you didn’t want to bring me, why did you tell me to come?” Tori countered as she looked up at him.

“You’re better at talking with people.”

Tori let out a small snort. “It’s an important skill to have, especially as a noble or a merchant.” She paused and gave him a suspicious look. “By the way, when you told Lord Gyles that my brothers entrusted me with you, and so, I had to sit next to you, did you plan that?” Piers nodded, which didn’t surprise her considering how smoothly he delivered the request. “Did you anticipate that they would seat us apart?”

Piers thought for a moment. “The name cards were on the table when we arrived. Your name card was far from mine.”

Her brows rose. She hadn’t even noticed the name cards. Piers must’ve started working on an excuse when he noticed. Tori nodded, satisfied. “You’re very observant.”

“I need to be.”

“As a prince?”

“All imperial family members have a duty to the empire. We are no longer simply the figureheads of the past. We must be active and observant to ensure we, and the empire, are not taken advantage of,” Piers told her, as if reciting something he had been told since he was a child.

Tori narrowed her eyes as she studied his face. “Piers,” she said in a solemn voice. “Do you want to be crown prince?”