It took a little bit of time and exposure until Regina was sure what kind of people she was dealing with in Nerlia. After a little while, she figured she had them pretty well pegged, though.

  She’d focused on the royal family primarily, because they were her most immediate contacts and the people she most needed to be sure of, although at least the younger members probably had less actual power than some of the courtiers. That was going to change and her input was required, though.

  The king’s oldest son, Raymond and Adelaide’s older brother, had been the unquestioned heir. Unfortunately, however, Prince Robert had died, leaving the situation less settled. Regina felt for his siblings, who clearly still mourned his loss, but the rest of the court was not content to let them grieve and instead pushed for an answer to the question of the succession. Something she’d already been rather aware of, whatever Galatea might think. The king’s ostensible poor health probably hadn’t helped in that regard.

  Adelaide was the middle and thus older child, and in due course would have been passed over anyway. Regina supposed her own ascension, not to mention what happened in Cernlia regarding the succession, had been what changed that, though, creating the possibility of having a ruling queen in Nerlia as well. Princess Adelaide had clearly grown up at court, though Regina wasn’t sure she liked it, and she was a smart and capable young woman. She tried to hide it, but Regina could also tell that she was feeling a bit insecure — and she had a clear admiration for Regina herself, which she really didn’t know how to feel about. In political terms it was probably a good thing, though.

  Raymond was only a bit younger, a year and a half or so, so there wasn’t much difference in maturity. He was thoughtful, rather serious, smart and notably curious. And also a bit insecure. That tended to happen in circumstances like this, she supposed. His feelings toward her and the Empire were a bit more mixed, but he didn’t hate either of them or even share much of his father’s resentment. He didn’t seem to let the possibility that his sister would get the throne he must have been raised to expect bother him, either, which Regina found admirable on a personal level.

  It wasn’t hard to see where the king’s dislike came from, of course. He had been king of his country for several decades, unquestioned sovereign of his domain. He’d been planning to pass it down to his son. And while he’d always had trouble with unruly nobles and had much less direct influence than some of his counterparts, he hadn’t done a bad job of keeping the country together. Unfortunately, arguably a single decision, to marry his younger sister to the Cernlian king and cement an alliance, had backfired epically and dragged him into the Cernlian civil war, which had brought the hive to attack them. Then he’d seen no other option but to surrender and join Regina’s empire — and she suspected that while he had agreed sincerely, he had probably also been pressured by some of his powerful vassals and courtiers. No, figuring Roger Harlon out wasn’t that difficult.

  She still wasn’t entirely sure about Rosalie Harlon. Her mind seemed calm and placid, the woman clearly had great self-control. She always treated Regina with exquisite politeness. That might have meant something; after all, in a society like this, women would probably learn to hide behind courtesy and use formality to hide or express their dislike. But she seemed to act just a bit too deferential for that to Regina, especially since, given all this, she presumably could have gotten away with less respect.

  Regina met the royal family in several settings, over lunch or dinner as well as meetings to discuss affairs of state. It was interesting to watch their interactions as well, although she was aware they wouldn’t act freely while she was watching. Adelaide and Raymond both sought her attention and asked her questions, although they also approached the drones who’d come with her, especially Max. On occasion, that left Regina free to observe the rest of the currents in the Nerlian court.

  They almost seem more upset by the inclusion of Imperial officials than losing their national sovereignty, Ira commented to her privately at one point.

  That would make sense, Regina replied. After all, it’s their direct power and influence that is getting curtailed with new ministries and agencies taking up responsibilities.

  It was a key insight to what was going on here, she felt, and explained the weird mix of emotions she picked up from many of the courtiers, who were almost all Nerlian nobles — distrust, dislike verging on disgust sometimes, but also hunger, eagerness that felt a little too intense for passing political ambition. The great dukes and wealthiest counts didn’t tend to seek her or her drones out, but the rest of them did. Combined with what she’d sensed from the Nerlian courtiers who’d made the transition to working for the Imperial administration at the capital, it gave her a good idea of what she was dealing with.

  The Empire was a whole new, bigger arena for them. It presented opportunity, but also danger of losing their wealth and influence and fading into irrelevance. As a side effect, this also meant Nerlian courtiers angling for a prestigious position in the Empire would support her reforms, trying to implement them according to her will — not because they believed in them or perhaps even understood where she was going with all of it, but to gain merit. It wasn’t ideal, but Regina would take what she could get.

  It was during dinner on her second day that things finally got a bit confrontational, something she’d honestly expected to happen earlier. It started innocently enough, a tangent about the new roads leading into a larger discussion of the Empire’s policy regarding infrastructure. Prince Raymond had asked a few questions, and Regina was happy to answer them and discuss their decisions. She wasn’t above seeking feedback, although she’d have to be careful with seeming like she needed it.

  “I am sure magic will help speed this process up,” Raymond was saying. “And many of the other inventions the Empire provides will do so as well. I remember Princess June mentioned the possibility of rituals in connection with the new railway initiative. It’s truly a shame the princess wasn’t able to come, Your Imperial Majesty.”

  “Indeed, unfortunately June has other duties to see to at present,” Regina responded, making a mental note of his words but unsure how to take them. Raymond had been honest about that remark, she could tell, although she wasn’t sure if he just liked talking to June or if there was more to it.

  “I’m sure she does,” Adelaide muttered. “Considering —“

  “Considering?” Max prompted.

  “Oh, it’s nothing, Milord, I was simply thinking that I am sure being apprenticed to Her Imperial Majesty as well as crown princess of Cernlia is keeping her quite busy. But it is indeed a shame, I would have liked the opportunity to talk to the princess.”

  “A burden that would be much reduced if she would give up one of those roles,” another man a few seats over, the Nerlian treasurer, muttered.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Regina raised an eyebrow mildly. “I hope you are not suggesting that I should oust my apprentice, Lord Thelan.”

  The noble reddened a bit and ducked his head, muttering a denial.

  “I suppose he was commenting on the stability of the Cernlian line of succession,” Rosalie said, calmly and not looking as if she was fanning the flames of an incipient argument. “Of course, Prince Robin is very young, so it should be eminently understandable that Her Majesty Queen Kiara would not name an infant as her heir.”

  “Who is still the Queen’s brother, Rosalie,” King Roger said in a faintly chiding tone. He’d drunk two glasses of wine already and his pale skin was flushed with something other than good health.

  “His only qualification compared to the princess is being male,” Adelaide said.

  They were not really talking about June any longer, but Regina figured everyone knew that.

  “And she is a sickly girl with the good fortune of being chosen as the Empress’ apprentice — no offense, Your Majesty,” Roger added belatedly to Regina. “Speak of qualifications, daughter? But,” he gestured with his wineglass, “it is the Queen’s choice that matters, isn’t it?”

  “Of course, Father,” Raymond interjected. “Must we talk of this now? Her Imperial Majesty did not come here to hear us squabble, especially about Cernlian matters,” he said pointedly.

  “Too right, brother,” Adelaide agreed. “You said the first phase of the road project should be completed in a matter of a few months, My Empress?”

  Regina took a bit of time to answer, letting the silence stretch and grow taut with tension. Raymond was paling just slightly, Adelaide grasped her fork more tightly, and Roger finally put down his wineglass and sat straighter as if bracing himself. “It should be, yes,” she said at last. “As for your topic of conversation, which was indeed ill-chosen, I must admonish you to choose your words with care. Do not let insults fester in your thoughts or spill from your lips. I will have harmony between my subjects.”

  There was another moment of tense silence, before Regina broke it with a smile and turned slightly to reach for the bowl of water presented to clean her fingers after the meal.

  “My apologies, Your Imperial Majesty,” Roger finally said. “No insult was intended to you or your apprentice.”

  Regina hummed and inclined her head slightly. “You are forgiven, King Roger. In fact, I would like to discuss some matters in private with you, perhaps after breakfast tomorrow.”

  "Of course, Your Imperial Majesty.”

  Regina smiled again and with perfect timing, for which she didn’t even have to prompt him directly, Max made a comment on infrastructure planning and turned the conversation back to their previous topic. Regina leaned back, contributed the occasional short comment and watched it wind down.

  She could have insisted on speaking to the king right now — presumably, his intoxication would only have helped her — but it would be a bit rude. That wouldn’t help. Instead, she retired to her chambers early, barely noticing the relatively luxurious furnishings they had provided. Her tolerance for such things had definitely grown. Instead, she paced for a bit and dove into the psychic link to check on the hive’s eggs and her newly hatched drones. Regina had decided that it was too risky to add any more eggs to it right now, while she was here. But following her protective instinct didn’t actually make it easier on her. Breaking her routine for several days was kind of hard, and she suspected the discomfort she felt was at least mostly psychosomatic. She focused on the bright lights of her children’s minds in the psychic link to find sleep that night.

  Breakfast the next morning was still a relatively subdued affair, although Regina made sure to appear unruffled. It was easy, since she actually wasn’t feeling bothered. Max and the others kept up a bit of chatter, and soon enough they were finished. She retreated to a formal sitting room accompanied only by Max to speak with the king, as she had ‘requested’ last night.

  He greeted her politely enough, as she went in and sat down, Max taking a seat on another chair at an angle to hers, so he could keep the whole room in view. King Roger was still clearly wary, and he didn’t even bother to hide it very much. Maybe he thought it would be pointless because of her psychic abilities.

  "I assume you did not want to speak of repairing roads, My Empress?” he asked after the initial greetings.

  Regina smiled faintly. “No, indeed. I thought it might be time to name the elephant in the room and speak about your succession. It should hardly come as a surprise to anyone that the matter has caused much discussion at court.”

  The king’s face darkened, his eyebrows drawing up. “And so, I suppose, this is where you decree my daughter must be my heir as my oldest remaining child.”

  “A shame that you seem to set against her, when she is after all your daughter,” Regina replied, a bit more sharply than she’d intended. She waved her hand abortively. “But no, that is not what I came to say.”

  “It is not, Your Imperial Majesty?” He looked at her. She only raised an eyebrow slightly. Then he sighed. “If not for Raymond, I admit Adelaide might make a good queen. But the nobles would not support her as they would him. Our traditions are what hold us together. It is not that I do not love her, I do.”

  “I will take your word for it, King Roger,” she said with only a trace of irony.

  The old man regarded her thoughtfully. “You seem to be in favor of female rulers,” he noted.

  “In some situations, perhaps. Do not misunderstand me, I deplore the systematic disenfranchisement of women that is traditionally practiced here. But I would not simply invert the existing system. Primogeniture is a fairer system than that, of course. But per se, age is only a slightly better qualification for a ruler than gender.”

  Roger was frowning again. “So you do not simply wish for the crown to pass to the oldest child automatically?”

  Regina smiled. “Is it not our choice that should count? I myself have not named my firstborn as heir —“ she looked at Max, who gave an ironic little half-bow, smiling as well. “— but the daughter I have adopted and the sister of my heart.”

  “So you would be willing to support my choice of Raymond as heir, strengthening the principle that a ruler may choose their successor,” the king mused. He looked focused and intent now. “Is it just a point of principle for you, My Empress? Somehow I find it hard to believe you would let my choice stand if you considered it entirely unsuitable.”

  “Of course I am also being practical,” Regina answered dismissively. “Since we are apparently being frank right now, King Roger, you are right. I would not allow an idiot to rule Nerlia. Adelaide is a fine princess and would be a good queen, I’m sure. She would be easy to work with. Raymond —“ She paused, thinking back to her interactions with him, her impressions. “Raymond is the one who is actually invested in what is happening, who is contemplating my policies,” she admitted slowly. “Both technical and economic. He may be harder to deal with if he takes a stand against something, believing he knows better. But I think that is more than made up for by his interest in the reforms and how to help Nerlia and his people.”

  There was a moment of silence, before the old king nodded. “I had not looked at it that way. But I believe your assessment may be correct, Empress Regina. I am glad to see you are a reasonable woman.”

  “High praise I’m sure,” Regina drawled, smiling sardonically. I’m not angling for your approval, old man. Even if it would be nice to have.

  He didn’t bother to apologize or offer more effusive compliments. Presumably, Roger was by now confident enough in his standing. Regina didn’t mind, it was better if they developed something like a working relationship.

  Adelaide was going to be disappointed. Regina only hoped she’d be able to cope well enough with it. But she couldn’t spare the princess much consideration. One of the candidates was going to be disappointed no matter what, it was her responsibility to make the decision she thought best for the citizens of the Empire as a whole.

  “I might be staying a few more days,” she informed him, changing the subject. “There are still other matters to address.”

  “Like my courtiers, I suppose,” he said, his lip twitching in something between a smile and a scowl.

  Regina only nodded. She wanted to get a better sense of the movers and shakers in Nerlia and where they stood. She supposed that the impetus of the official confirmation of an heir, if the king chose to do it right away, would also send ripples outward and allow her to gain some more insight. Even if not, she might be able to find some people with magical talent to keep an eye on.