Chapter 229

Violet’s POV

I had to be careful.

I knew I had a bias toward women. Everything I’d said to Olivia Bronson at the royal palace had been true. I did relate her.

Growing up as an incredibly capable woman in a world where women weren’t expected to be capable was suffocating. I was desperate to change that for future generations. I was motivated to give opportunities to women who’d spent their entire lives being deprived of the opportunities that would allow them to thrive.

I’d even asked Theo before arriving in Henosis if I was missing a better candidate as Royal Ambassador to Henosis in my bias towards women. We knew we needed someone from Henosis to represent their country if we wanted to rebuild a political relationship between the two lands. I didn’t want my experience to blind me to a potentially better candidate who happened to be male.

Theo couldn’t think of anyone better than his Aunt Marissa though.

Still, I was intentional in the questions I asked, trying not to lead them to the conclusion I expected. I asked them what they all did, wondering how they each responded in real-world situations of political upheaval. Yes, Caleb had the battlefield experience from the Bloody War.

But Marissa was the one who coordinated and strategized, who looked around corners, preparing physically and mentally, training as many people as she could. Even if she had more to learn, as we all did, she had done enough to get started. She was ready to represent Henosis in a way to reconnect our two countries.

“Would I need to leave Henosis?” was her first question.

“Ideally, yes,” I replied, “eventually. Especially in the beginning as we rebuild the relationship between the two countries that was so severely cut off. Once we get to point of maintaining that relationship more than building it, you could very realistically move back here, especially if we can upgrade your at-home technology to make you more accessible in a pinch.”

Marissa looked into her teacup.

“We have a room in the royal palace for you both to stay. We would cover any costs of moving you there.”

Marissa raised her head to look at me. “And are there rooms for all my children and grandbabies, too?”

I realized then that her hesitation wasn’t the financial burden of leaving Henosis. It was leaving the people she loved.

“I’m sure we could figure something out.”

We stared each other down.

“Why me?” she asked.

I set down my teacup on the coffee table. “Because you started serving your people before anyone asked you to or paid you to. You put in the work because it was the right thing to do for the people you care about.”

I folded my hands between my knees. “Those are the types of people we need in leadership. Those called to serve and willing to make sacrifices.”

Marissa finally broke our eye contact to look at her husband. Caleb let his smile grow as if he could see what I saw: an opportunity for her to finally use her potential. He reached out and intertwined his fingers with his wife’s.

She turned back to look at me. “I’ll want time to discuss it with my husband. And I’ll need more information.”

I picked up my teacup, smiling into it as I took a sip. “This is not a light decision to make; take the time you need to discuss with Caleb. What information do you need?”

She leaned her forearms onto her thighs. “Talk to me about the big picture. What are you trying to achieve, and how would the Royal Ambassador to Henosis play into it all?”

I smiled wider. That was a smart question to ask.

“Ultimately, a lot of that is still in the works, but here’s a breakdown of what we know now. Theo, let me know if I miss anything.” I set down my teacup again.

“We want to reunite people: rehaul the rogue system, reconnect with Henosis, and make magic legal again. One of my personal goals is to increase opportunities for females, starting with increased access to knowledge and technology. We’d also like to redistribute the country’s resources more evenly, which we hope would include resources to and from Henosis.”

Marissa nodded, so I kept going.

“The Royal Ambassador to Henosis would help improve relations between the two countries by putting a face to a land that most werewolves in our country are frankly afraid of. Personalizing the representation of something scary and educating them on Henosis will hopefully help dissolve those fears. Hopefully, rebuilding the bond with a magical land will also open up our packs to bringing magic back to our land, too.”

Marissa leaned back as she continued to nod along.

“Having a female in leadership certainly helps set the tone for providing more opportunities for females, though I want to be clear that this role is being offered to you because you are the best candidate and I could create opportunities for females equally with men in leadership. As far as opening trade with Henosis, we need someone who knows the land, who has the respect of its people, and who will protect it from exploitation. We want a partnership, not a country to rule over, and we need an ambassador who will keep us accountable to that.”

Marissa took a sip of her own tea, and I waited for a response or more questions.

“Those are admirable goals,” she replied. “Though returning magic to a place that rejected it so thoroughly may be a lofty one.” She tapped her cup as she mulled over what I’d said.

“Basically,” she summarized, “you need someone those in Henosis trust, who will win over the werewolves in your country, and protect Henosis politically and economically.”

Caleb laughed out loud, slapping his thigh. All of us turned to him in confusion.

“A firm hand who’s easy to fall in love with? That’s my Marissa, alright!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as Marissa swatted her husband on the shoulder. “Oh, you!” she chastised teasingly.

“See?” he pointed, laughing. “There’s that firm hand!”

We all laughed together as Marissa’s gaze returned to mine. “I’ll think on it.”

“Thank you.”

“Well,” Marcy’s brash voice cut through the silence. “Nothing like an impromptu interview to work up an appetite. Shall we eat dinner, then?”

We rose, everyone helping out to collect the tea as we followed Marcy to the kitchen table. Colby and Sinclair brought their chairs in with them.

“Any other bombs to drop?” Marcy teased me as we all helped set the table.

“No,” I said, “though while I’m here…”

“Here we go,” my cousin grumbled, and I rolled my eyes at her playfully.

“While I’m here,” I started again, “I’d like to see this militia you’ve all been telling us about.”

We sat down around the table, and it was Caleb who set a grave gaze upon me. “You think they’ll be needed?”

I could feel the conflicted feelings warring within him: the pride in serving his country, of training others to do the same, and the terrible loss he still felt from the Bloody War that he hoped no one would have to experience ever again.

“So much is uncertain right now, but war is coming,” I echoed my mother’s words from my nightmare of a hallucination. “That we can be sure of.”