Burning for Love by Evangeline Anderson
62
“…and so,” the Steward droned as he stood before the golden throne, holding the heavy, ceremonial crown in his hands. “Though we all miss our beloved Princess Ka’rissa, we must accept the reality of her untimely death. Thankfully, she does not leave us completely without leadership. For the late Princess’s new husband, Lord Shammington, does indeed have the blood of the Very First Family flowing through his veins. Enough so that he is, in my estimation, more than eligible to be crowned the King of our fair planet, Regalia Five.” He turned to the young, handsome Lord, who stood looking modestly straight ahead into the communications devices, which were picking up his straight, well-formed figure and broadcasting it around the planet. “Your Highness, do you wish to say anything before you receive the crown?”
“Indeed, I do.” Duke Grabbington disguised as Lord Shammington—soon to be King Shammington—nodded gracefully. “First, I wish to assure the people that the evil woman responsible for my beautiful wife’s death shall answer for her crimes.” He pointed across the stage and all the cameras zoomed out in order to include the hapless Lady Mildew in the shot.
She was standing with her hands bound behind her back and a hangman’s noose already around her neck. She was gagged as well, so that she couldn’t interrupt the ceremony.
“This horrid creature was the Princess’s Constant Companion for many years—but her heart was black with corruption and jealousy for the lovely young Ka’rissa’s beauty and status,” the Duke went on, his voice breaking touchingly on his late wife’s name. “The moment I take the throne, she shall swing from the gibbet you all see before you and my darling Princess Ka’rissa shall be avenged.”
There was an approving roar from the crowd of Nobles who were standing around the golden stage, waiting to see both the coronation and the hanging. It rebounded from the ballroom’s high ceiling, making the noise even louder, so that it sounded like thousands cheering instead of just hundreds. None of them had liked Lady Mildew—the contentious old creature—so they were delighted to see her hang for the supposed murder of the late Princess.
The disguised Duke smiled in satisfaction. Surely everyone at home was cheering too, glad to know that the murderess who had killed the lovely young Princess would have her comeuppance and that the planet would soon be safe in the hands of a qualified King. Not the dithering old Steward and not a flighty young woman but a man who would do things right.
The first thing I shall do is raise taxes planet-wide, he thought, as he nodded calmly to the cameras. And maybe enact a few more laws to put women in their place. There is entirely too much freedom for the female sex on Regalia Five at the moment.
He was mainly thinking of how Ka’rissa had been allowed to reject his suit in the first place. It seemed to him that law number one should be that no woman should be allowed to reject a man who asked for her hand in marriage. And several more laws that made wives completely subservient to their husbands would be nice as well…
“Thank you, Your Highness,” the Steward said, breaking his train of thought. He lifted the heavy crown with trembling arms and nodded.
The Duke bowed and then kneeled upon a golden velvet pillow, which had been provided for the purpose. He held his head straight, ready to receive the crown.
“And now, by the powers vested in me by the old King upon his passing,” the Steward droned, “I crown you King of all Regalia Five. May the Goddess of Mercy bless your reign and—”
But at that moment, just as the Steward was settling the rather heavy crown upon Duke Grabbington’s head, a new person appeared on the stage, right in front of him—quite blocking the view of the communications devices and cameras that were recording the momentous event. No, not just a person, he saw with horror—a woman. The Princess!
“People of Regalia Five,” Princess Ka’rissa said, as an awed gasp swept over the room. “You have been lied to and deceived.”
By now, Duke Grabbington was struggling to get up off the golden velvet pillow but before he could, she walked over to him and swept the crown—and his wig—right off his head!
Another shocked gasp ran through the room and the Duke could feel that every eye was on him. This time, it wasn’t quite such a satisfactory feeling.
“Stop! Stop her,” he shouted, pointing at the Princess. “She lies! She is a liar!”
He fumbled anxiously on the ground, looking for both the crown and his wig.
“Looking for this, Your Grace?” Another figure suddenly appeared—where were they all coming from? It was the Kindred guard who had been such a meddling nuisance, Duke Grabbington saw. In his hand, he held the powdered wig with the projection bead.
“Give it to me! Guards, arrest these two!” he exclaimed.
But the guards weren’t moving. They were just staring at him. Duke Grabbington thought he had never felt more exposed—not even after that damn duel when he had been unjustly accused of cheating!
“This man is not Lord Shammington,” Princess Ka’rissa said clearly, pointing at him. “The real Lord Shammington is dead—Duke Grabbington killed him in order to assume his likeness and marry me under false pretenses. He then tried to have me killed as well, so that he could take the throne for himself and rule our entire planet!”
Another audible gasp swept through the assembled crowd of Nobles and the Duke was quite certain that the common people in their homes were gasping as well. This time the idea didn’t give him such a good feeling.
“I…I did what I had to do!” he shouted, trying to defend himself. “If I hadn’t taken the crown, it would have passed to a flighty, foolish girl with no notion of how to rule!”
“I may be a woman, but I am not flighty or foolish and I assure you, I do know how to rule.” Princess Ka’rissa looked at him coolly. “Guards, remove the noose from Lady Mildew’s neck and place it around Duke Grabbington’s instead. He has committed High Treason and must be punished for it.”
“Now, wait just a minute, Young Lady!” the Steward blustered, stepping forward as the guards moved to obey the Princess. “You are not even the monarch—you cannot make such life and death decisions!”
“A problem which you will rectify this moment,” Princess Ka’rissa turned a cold glare on the old man. “I will not allow you to shove me aside, as you did my mother, Steward,” she told him. “I am the rightful ruler of Regalia Five and you will crown me at once. If you do not, then I will have you hung for High Treason as well.”
“Now wait just a moment, Young Lady!” the Steward exclaimed. “High Treason? I’d like to know how you can make a case for that!”
“I can make the case quite easily,” the Princess told him, her eyes flashing. “All I need to do is point out the way you allowed my Royal mother—who should have been crowned Queen—to self-immolate instead of finding her a suitor she could marry to help slake her Heat! You preferred to keep the throne for yourself rather than let her ascend to it and the power and trust my Royal father placed in you allowed you to do it! You betrayed his memory in the worst possible way. My mother would still be alive today if not for you—if that is not High Treason, I do not know what is!”
“My Goddess, she’s right!” one of the Nobles in the crowd called out. “The old Steward should be hung as well! Off to the gibbet with him! As soon as the hangman’s noose is done with the Duke, of course.”
There were general murmurs of agreement and then someone shouted, “Long live the Queen! Long live Queen Ka’rissa the Wise!”
The Steward had turned positively gray—clearly he knew that the crowd had turned against him.
“I…I never meant…” he stuttered. “I didn’t think…a woman alone cannot rule the planet!” he burst out at last.
“I shall not be alone,” the Princess said calmly. “I shall marry my Companion, Sir James. Before anyone objects,” she went on, speaking directly to the communications cameras, “Sir James shall be my Royal Consort—not the King. Though I shall consult him at times, I shall make the final decisions as Queen. And I promise all of you, that I will always have the best interests of Regalia Five in mind.”
“You…you cannot do this!” the old Steward spluttered. “You cannot choose your own husband! Especially not a foreign one!”
“I can and I am,” Princess Ka’rissa said calmly. She spread her arms, an expression of sincere devotion coming over her beautiful face as she looked at the cameras. “My people, I love you and I wish only to serve you. But I am an independent woman and I must choose my own husband—one who will love and support me for our entire lives together. I hope that in time you will come to love Sir James, my wonderful Kindred guard, as I do. And I promise that the greater good of my people and my planet shall always be uppermost in my mind.”
There was a cheer from the Nobles—mostly the women, it must be admitted, but a few of the men cheered as well. The Princess turned back to the Steward and frowned at him.
“Will you place the crown on my head or shall I find someone else to do it?”
Gray-faced and shaking, the old Steward reached for the crown.
“Kneel, Your Majesty,” he said, his voice cracking on the title. “And I shall crown you Queen Ka’rissa the Wise of Regalia Five.”
