"I'm not sure how I could possibly choose," said Mhera. "On one hand, there's Lord Telach, who introduced himself to us by calling me a whore. I cannot imagine his suit is in earnest; we've stripped him of his land and titles, surely he cannot think...and then there's this Lord Naurin, who is—how old is he, do you think?"

Matei considered the question before answering, picturing Naurin's face in his mind. "Not a day younger than seventy, or I'll eat my boot," he said.

"Somewhere close to thrice my age, then." Mhera looked down at her writing desk, which was littered with letters formally requesting her hand. "There's this one. Keidara Elsha b'Dannarin. He writes from Myori."

Matei leaned over the desk and picked up the letter, skimming the first couple of lines and then squinting at the signature. "A graceful hand," he observed. "I believe Elsha is a woman's name in Myori. Keidara translates to princess."

Mhera raised her brows and snatched back the letter. "I had forgotten you studied Myorish. I cannot say I am much of a romantic, but of all of these, Princess Elsha is the front-runner."

Settling back into his chair again, Matei fixed Mhera with an incredulous look. "I never thought you would give a woman your heart."

"You never knew me when I was old enough to give my heart to anyone," replied Mhera. "And her words are extremely flattering. 'She with hair like starlight spun into silk of silver?' She's clearly never seen an accurate likeness of me."

"I wonder, does she give lessons in flattery and flirtation?" Matei reached for the letter, a playful smirk on his face.

Snatching the page away from his grasp, Mhera grew serious. "The fact of the matter is that there's very little about this business that has to do with hearts. It's best not to pretend otherwise."

"Still—a foreign princess?"

With a sigh, Mhera folded Elsha's letter and laid it aside. "Matei, the intent here is clear. The former High Councilors have come round to putting up with you as the emperor for now; they have little choice. But it is no secret that they intend to be through with you as soon as they can. Were I to marry one of these Starborn noblemen, everything we have accomplished would be unraveled as soon as he got a son on me."

For Mhera, those words were obscene, but Matei didn't even blink—he was too surprised by her perception; he had been thus surprised often of late, when Mhera unpicked the truth behind a thread of conversation or a frustratingly tactful letter with a keenness he thought must be uncommon to noblewomen raised to marry and mother. It was no secret that the noblemen on the council hated him more than they hated the thought of a woman on the throne. With the full picture thus brought into focus, Matei grimaced. "Mhera..."

"Don't deny it. I was born a royal woman, and I know my lot: I am nothing but chattel. Had things worked out differently, I would already be wed to one of them. The matter has simply been delayed due to circumstance. As soon as I bear a son to one of these men, your legitimacy as the Emperor of Penrua can be questioned. There would be a true-born heir, one without the taint of Arcborn blood."

"One who would not be a bastard."

"I hate to hear you called that, but it's true. You've no doubt noticed that they are in no hurry to marry you off, Matei. I think it's clear by now that if we hoped the true thread of your family's line would lend you legitimacy in the eyes of a modern people, those hopes have been soundly dashed. If I bear a child before you do, they will have their heir and their reason to unseat you—and all the better if you have no children at all, no matter how tenuous their claim to the throne might be in the eyes of the Starborn people. You can't say I'm wrong."

Matei shook his head with a sigh. "And I won't."

"Although I jest, there's a grain of truth in it: if I were to marry a foreign princess, their goals would be doubly thwarted. There would be no heirs of Starborn noble blood; there would be no heirs at all." At last, Mhera gave him a half-hearted smile. "Don't let Yorek hear me say such a thing."

"You know I think that passing the throne down from father to son is a poor way to choose a ruler."

"You didn't always think that."

"I didn't always know how to write my name, either, Mhera. A man's beliefs change as he grows older and sees more of the world."

"Although it did not come about in the way we expected, has the throne not still passed from father to son?"

Matei frowned at her. "It is not a good example. I did not envision this, and you know it."

She gave him a faint, apologetic smile. "I know, dear heart. But do you truly believe you can make such a change in a generation? I am sure your intent is noble, but it is hard enough for us to restore things to balance. I simply want to avoid giving the Council reason to undermine you."

"To undermine us both. If you bend and marry one of them, you'll no doubt lose any power you've earned."

"It wouldn't matter much. If they throw you in prison or worse..."

The two of them fell silent. In Mhera's eyes, Matei saw his own thoughts reflected: once again, they were confronted with the power of their deadly bond. If the noblemen of the Council did have a plan to stage some kind of coup, naming Mhera's son as the true heir and her faceless husband as regent, they'd have no more need of Matei; and were they to execute him, Mhera herself would not be long for the world. It would be a neat end to the messy problem of the Arcborn inheritance.

"I see no path forward," Mhera said at length, looking down at the scattered proposals before her. "They refuse to cooperate unless I take a husband, and if I take a husband, I see no outcome but our undoing."

Matei reached out and laid a hand over hers. "We will come through this, Mhera. There must be a way to force their compliance. As far as I am concerned, the Starborn seats on the High Council are a courtesy; we can fill those seats with other, more deserving men."

"And cause a riot? No, Matei; it's a delicate balance. I know you'll think me weak and yielding, but we must do our best to work with these noblemen. As we both agreed before, an enemy in the light is better than an enemy in shadow."

Matei was often frustrated by Mhera's cautious approach to the Starborn nobility in Karelin; as they had begun to stretch their attention further afield, seeking to increase the influence of Arcborn folk in the countryside, too, she had proved similarly careful. She was afraid of too abruptly overturning the way things had been, while Matei was afraid of moving too slowly and losing their window to make changes. Together, they had been laying down the path forward stone-by-stone, but it had not been easy.

Still, she spoke the truth on this matter, at least. He had come to see over the past many weeks not only that the Starborn councilmembers had influence in the city but also—he was reluctant to admit—that their experience and perspectives were useful.

He rose, pensive, and went across the room to the window. They were in Mhera's personal apartments, in the small chamber that had served as a parlor and private writing room. It neighbored the empress's bedchamber and thus overlooked the imperial gardens and part of the palace. In the early winter sun, the jewel-colored rooftops gleamed, and some greenery lingered in the gardens, ornamented here and there with bright red berries. Behind him, Mhera began to leaf through the letters again, reading them without comment.

There was no path forward; she was right. Were Mhera to take a husband, she would be hard-pressed to find one who would be overly sympathetic to their cause. To marry among the Arcborn and thereby subvert any secret motives of the council was out of the question without causing further unrest. Matei, for his part, had not considered a spouse. The High Council would never accept an Arcborn consort; that much he knew.

If Mhera was right—and her suspicions made perfect sense—their path forward would be their undoing. They risked danger at every turn. Unless...

...For a long while, the chamber was silent except for the soft sound of turning pages as Mhera combed through the letters she'd received. Matei gazed out at the Imperial Gardens, his mind heavy with considerations and his heart tingling with anxiety. Could he have arrived at a solution to all of their woes?

Would he dare raise the suggestion?

They had promised one another honesty. Matei decided he must share what was on his mind with Mhera, whatever her reaction might be. He turned away from the window and looked across the comfortable little room. Unaware of his attention, Mhera sat with her head against her hand, her expression focused as she read one of her letters. It was charming to see her thus. Although she was adamantly opposed to the idea of a suitor, she was giving each of the letters her full attention. She was nothing if not thorough; she was reading each one of them from beginning to end.

Matei cleared his throat, not wanting to startle her by breaking into his thoughts. She looked up at him in question, and he did not allow himself time to think before he came to the matter at hand. "There is a way we can meet their demands without sacrificing anything we've built."

Mhera propped her chin on her fist and gave him a tired look. "You've had the solution all along, have you?" she asked dryly.

"Perhaps. It did occur to me early on, but I must confess that it's one I did not take seriously myself."

"Well? Do not keep me in suspense. If it means I needn't marry, I am already in agreement, Matei."

"Unfortunately, you would still have to marry," he said. He crossed the room toward her. "So would I."

As he reached the desk where Mhera sat, she looked up at him, confused. "And who would you marry?"

"You."

She looked at him in shock for a moment. Then, she pushed back her chair and slowly stood, putting them more on a level. "You can't be serious."

"It's the ideal solution, Mhera. They've demanded you find a husband, but the choice remains your own. They've given no thought to my marriage at all. They will not expect it, and they will not like it. But it neatly closes the matter. They'll no longer be able to throw themselves at you, and their hopes of a so-called true-born heir will be foiled. If we marry, our reign is cemented."

Pale, Mhera raised her hands, as if fending off the suggestion. "Matei, I don't think—"

Something about her reaction disappointed him, but he could not think why; he should have expected just such a response. "Don't look so frightened," he said, giving her a playful smile. "Nothing between us need change. It will hardly be a romantic match—nothing like what you could have had with Princess Elsha."

Rolling her eyes, Mhera sighed. "I've lost my taste for jokes. This...this is not a laughing matter."

"But it is." He gestured broadly, indicating in the motion the council table, the palace, the Holy City of Karelin itself—everything they were enduring for the larger goal of restoring peace to Penrua. "It's ridiculous. All of it is. Here we are, His Grace and Her Grace, wearing crowns we never wanted and facing a future we never planned. Why not tie it all up neatly? When we announced our intentions to rule together, many automatically assumed we'd wed—let us just confirm now the suspicions we denied then."

"But the succession—"

"A bridge we will cross when we come to it. We are young, Mhera. Life is uncertain, but I think we have time. It will allow us the leisure to consider the matter more fully. The question will belong only to us; let the rest of the world think what they will."

Seeing the blank look on her face, Matei broke eye contact. "If I must be direct: let the council members and the rest of the world believe we are trying to make an heir of our own. What difference will it make? They need not know the nature of our union." When he looked back up at Mhera's face, he surprised a flustered look. He could not help but smile. "I'm sorry, Mhera. I don't mean to embarrass you."

"Embarrass me?" she echoed. "Clearly not. You're suggesting...They'll think we...You told me you wanted a wife, Matei. You said you wanted a family."

He shrugged. "And you said you had no intent to marry. Neither of us will get what we truly desire. It seems to be the pattern of things for us, does it not?"

She searched his face. "You would do this for me? Sacrifice the chance for love?"

Matei reached out and took Mhera's hand, lifting it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. "You have done far more for me than I could ever repay you for, Mhera. With this match, both of us will be secure. Consider it?"

Watching him kiss her hand and then meeting his gaze, her cheeks still flushed with a comely blush, Mhera said, "I will."

*Hides behind a couch*

I know there are a couple of you who've been looking forward to a conversation similar to this one, and I just can't wait to hear what you think!

Just please don't throw anything at my head. I need my head.

The next chapter comes on Sunday, another huge milestone: Chapter 40!

I'm afraid we won't see Matei or Mhera at all, so your curiosity will have to wait for a while to be unraveled! Please forgive me! There are some other characters we need to check in on...