THE FIRST FREE MOMENT I had that day was lunch, and I knew I needed to use the time to focus on damage control. While everyone headed off to the dining room after our Finnish lesson, I went back to my office and pulled Maridโs card from my desk drawer. It was clearly made from expensive paper. I wondered what his family was doing now to afford that. They must have done well for themselves, wherever their path had taken them.
I dialed the number, kind of hoping he wouldnโt pick up. โHello?โ
โYes, um, Marid?โ โEadlyn, is that you?โ
โYes.โ I fidgeted, straightening out my clothes, even though he couldnโt see me. โIs this an okay time?โ
โAbsolutely. How can I help you, Your Highness?โ
โI just wanted to say, I saw some speculation about our relationship in the press the other day.โ
โOh, yeah. Iโm sorry about that. You know how they can take a thing out of context.โ
โI do,โ I nearly exclaimed. โAnd really, I wanted to apologize to you. I know what an upheaval it can be when someoneโs life is caught up in mine, and Iโm sorry youโve been going through that.โ
โEh, let โem talk,โ he replied with a laugh. โReally, no apology necessary.
But while Iโve got you, I wanted to run an idea past you.โ โSure.โ
โI know youโve been worried about the post-caste violence, and I thought it might be good for you to have something like a town hall session.โ
โWhat do you mean?โ
โYou could choose a handful of people from various backgrounds to come to the palace and sit down with you personally. It would be a unique opportunity to hear from your people, and if you invited the press, it might also be a rather spectacular opportunity to show how well the palace listens to its people.โ
I was stunned. โActually, thatโs a wonderful idea.โ
โIf you want, I can take care of most of the arrangements for you. I have a few links with some families that used to be Eights, as well as some that have
had a hard time letting go of their Two status. Maybe we could plan on inviting a dozen or so people, so you wouldnโt be overwhelmed?โ
โMarid, that sounds perfect. Iโm going to have my lady-in-waiting call you. Her name is Neena Hallensway, and sheโs as organized as you seem to be. She knows my schedule and would be the best person to talk to about a time and date.โ
โExcellent. Iโll wait to hear from her.โ
There was a long silence, and I wasnโt quite sure how to break away. โThank you,โ I tried. โNow more than ever, I really need to prove how
much I care about my people. I want them to know that, in a few years, Iโll be as able to lead them as my father.โ
โHow anyone could doubt that is a mystery to me.โ
I smiled, thrilled to have added another ally to my arsenal. โSorry to rush off, but I must be going.โ
โNot at all. Weโll talk again soon.โ โOf course. Good-bye.โ
โGood-bye.โ
I hung up the phone and sighed in relief. That wasnโt as awkward as Iโd been fearing it would be. Maridโs words rang in my ears.ย Let โem talk.ย I knew they always would. Hopefully soon, theyโd have something positive to say.