Chapter 86: Do You Want to Come or Not

Tori silently acknowledged her pettiness as they split up into small groups in front of the carriages that were taking them to the delta. The knights and footmen accompanying them were putting their belongings into the back of the carriages, except for the last one.

She was still irritated that Piers had colluded with his parents to sneak out of the palace, endangering them. She didn’t know what the imperial couple said or did to convince him, or if they even had to, but she couldn’t help but blame part of her recent increased stress on Piers, the enabler.

He stood with his lips in a tight line in front of the smallest of the carriages. As soon as they arrived, Tori stepped in to ‘assign’ the seating. Her friends all agreed previously, so no one protested and started piling into the carriages.

“Master, you’re also welcome to sit with us!” Ewan said, assisting her.

Axton glanced at the first carriage, where the boys were going to be, and then at the last carriage, which was now clearly meant for the imperial brothers. He glanced towards Piers, who had a slight frown at this realization.

“You know what, I’ve been meaning to try being the dungeon master,” Axton said as he whirled around and headed towards the first carriage.

“Axton.” Piers narrowed his eyes.

“Thanks, Axton! I’d feel more comfortable if a ranked swordsman were going with them,” Tori said, louder than normal. “We have Nanny in our carriage.”

Axton grinned and the rest of her friends tried to avoid looking at Piers, who they all left to deal with Gideon.

The second prince approached his older brother with an earnest expression. He had been dutifully waiting a few steps away from the gate when they arrived and kept his distance from the group until the carriages appeared.

“Piers, Lady Guevera told me that it would be a long journey, so I brought snacks,” Gideon said, lifting a small bag and smiling widely. “I’ve already tested them!”

Piers looked down at his younger brother. “Why are you coming?” he asked. “You don’t like Ewan or Tori.”

Gideon blinked and lowered his bag of snacks. “I don’t...I’m not coming for them. I’m coming because it’s your birthday.”

“My birthday was last week. This weekend is Ewan’s birthday,” Piers said. Tori munched on a cookie as she watched them from the entrance of the carriage she was riding in.

“Mother said we could celebrate it there, too....” Gideon's shoulders sank. “Everyone is going.”

Tori tried to hold back her smirk. Yeah, Piers. Everyone is going, so you should go with your annoying brother, you enabler.

Piers had an unreadable expression on his face. “Get in the carriage,” he told Gideon. His brother’s face lit up, and Gideon climbed into the carriage.

“Hehe....” Tori smirked and turned around.

“Tori, may I speak to you for a moment?” Piers stepped to the side and turned away from the door to the four-seater carriage.

Tori handed her snack bag to Ilyana, who was already in the middle carriage, and walked over. She brushed her hands together to rid herself of cookie crumbs. “Yes?”

“I didn’t know my brother was coming,” Piers said in a lowered voice as they stood far enough away from the carriages that the others wouldn’t hear.

“Yes, I didn’t know either.” Tori’s reply was a bit sharper than she intended. “It seems everyone in your family has a flair for going out when they are not expected to.”

“I will not help them next time,” Piers said with some distress. He glanced at the carriage. “May I sit with you?”

“Carriage is full.”

“What about with Ewan-”

“You make them nervous.” Piers looked distraught and Tori turned her eyes away to avoid succumbing to the handsome face. “You’ll be fine. It’s only for a few hours and you can pretend to sleep.”

“Should Axton not stay with us?” Piers asked.

“You are also an excellent swordsman.” Tori would not relent. “And, as your mother stressed, there is a full entourage of knights with you.” The entire road to Viclya was almost lined with hidden knights stationed along its entirety. After all, it wasn’t just the imperial couple, but their heirs.

Piers looked at the small carriage once more and then looked down, defeated. “I learned my lesson. I will not help them anymore.”

“Your repentance comes too late. You must accept your punishment.”

He took a deep, resigned breath. “I will pretend to sleep.”

Tori tried not to smirk. “Shall I comfort you?” He seemed to freeze before slowly nodding his head. Tori lifted her hand and patted the side of his head thrice. “You’ll be fine.” Her voice was less than enthusiastic, and Piers frowned.

“You were more comforting to Lady Agafonova,” Piers said, with a hint of annoyance. “Special treatment.”

“She had a harder time with her review session than you do just sitting with your brother.” Tori raised a brow, but Piers was still disappointed. She let out a heavy sigh and reached for his arm. She slid hers against his and put her hand on the crook of his arm before standing beside him, so their arms touched. “Just bear with it for a few hours.”

“He will follow me around in Viclya, too,” Piers said, still frowning.

“I have planned many activities since there are more people, including Sir Navarro and some other acquaintances of Ewan from La Garda. Your brother will join in,” Tori said. Piers nodded and she squeezed his hand. “Do you trust me?”

Piers didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“All right,” Tori said. She pulled him forward and brought him back to his carriage. She waited until Piers climbed in and sat across from his brother, who was so happy to be seated with him that he didn’t pay any attention to Tori. Tori reached into her satchel and took out a small folder about half the size of a sheet of paper. “This is the schedule for this weekend, which includes numerous activities. Please look it over and when we arrive, give your selection sheet to Nanny Rey. I will arrange the groups for the activities tomorrow.”

Rather than handing it to Piers, she held it out to Gideon. Gideon looked at it and then at her, and gave her a suspicious look. “You’re giving this to me?”

“You are a guest,” she said behind gritted teeth. “Do you want to come or not?”

Gideon quickly reached out and took the folder.

Tori stepped away and gave the footman a nod. Once the door was closed, she went through her satchel to take out a small stack of papers about the size of business cards in her world. They were folded over and she handed one to each knight, driver, footman, and valet who was with her.

“Tori, what are you giving them?” Axton asked as he stood outside his carriage.

“These are disposable charms with the same features as your obsidian talisman,” she told him as she handed one to the driver. “It will keep them alert and will last all weekend.”

Axton’s brows rose. “You can make disposable ones?”

Tori nodded. “I practiced a lot of charms with Kasey over the break. My focus was on protection charms.”

Axton’s face softened and he gently patted the top of her head. “Don’t be so nervous. Everything will be fine.”

Tori grumbled and headed back to her carriage. Once their things were secure, the convoy moved forward to head out of the city. JP and Sonia had fallen asleep quickly, having spent some time checking on their horses just before they rushed back to meet everyone at the gate to leave.

Ilyana and Tori quietly went over the schedule for the next day

The weekend was divided into half day segments with meals. As Tori was working on them, she had flashbacks of all the company picnics and team building events she was forced to help with.

Each carriage was given a small folder like Gideon’s that broke down the activities by duration and time. Tori’s goal was to offer activities for a variety of interests and to separate the groups to avoid having to deal with one large group. Large groups were a headache to deal with and would break up into smaller groups, anyway.

“I want to sign up for the paddling competition on the outriggers,” Ilyana said.

“Are you sure?” Tori asked, raising a brow. Ilyana nodded. “It’s two people per boat. You need a partner, and you know I’m not participating since I’m overseeing it.”

Ilyana thought for a moment and looked at JP and Sonia, then wrinkled her nose. The twins wanted to limit any chance at injury before the Spring Three-Day Competition, and while paddling was rather safe, the excitement of a race could cause someone to make a mistake and possibly hit someone with their paddle.

“Maybe Ewan?”

“Ewan already signed up and is going with his sparring partner from La Garda,” Tori said. “So, you’d be paddling against him.”

“Henrik...no....” Ilyana shook her head. Henrik was the least athletic out of all of them. They’d be lucky if he stayed to watch. “What about Albert?”

“Albert may have to accompany his grandparents.”

“Oh, boo....” Ilyana pouted a bit. “Sir Nassaun?”

“Watching Piers.”

“Mr. Zisos!”

“We’ll need to ask him first,” Tori said. “We have whale watching in the morning, lunch on Isle du Roi, then the paddling boat race in the afternoon, the birthday dinner, special event, and bingo.”

“Breakfast will happen before whale watching,” Ilyana said. “What boat will they be taking? What if a lot of people want to go whale watching?”

“The Ocean Queen,” Tori said. “They will be taken out and escorted by Cousin Deidre and her crew.”

Ilyana let out a breath of relief. “What if people don’t want to go whale watching?”

“Relaxing river and coastal tour with charcuterie brunch,” Tori said. “Whale watching and the river tour are led by Miss Sima and her brother. I’m paying them extra, and Mr. Sima jumped at the chance.”

Ilyana nodded. “Because he’s going to be a father.”

Tori looked up from the schedule she was working on. “What should we get for a baby gift?”

“Clothes, blankets, baby things.” Ilyana shrugged. “We should ask Nanny when she wakes up.” Tori nodded in agreement. After a few more minutes of going over the possible schedule, the two went to sleep.

Tori clutched her amethyst crystal on her bracelet to try to relax herself. The next two days would be hectic, and she didn’t know what other surprises it would throw at her.

“Surprise!” A pretty woman with short brown hair and hazel eyes beamed as she threw her arms in the air and rushed to hug Tori. “Hello, Little Cousin!”

“Cousin Eili, I didn’t know you were coming, too,” Tori said as she hugged her cousin back. She looked over her shoulder and saw Deidre yawning.

“She wanted to surprise you,” she said. She seemed to be in sleepwear but had a thick robe on. It was still quite cold in the morning, especially when the sun hadn’t risen yet.

Eili chuckled and stepped back. “The kids were so jealous that I got to come. Ava wouldn’t talk to me when I left.”

“Aww....” Tori said. Ava was the one who most wanted to come. She probably felt this was some sort of betrayal. “You still should’ve told me. I would’ve prepared a better tent.”

“Nonsense! You’re already working so hard with them....” She looked towards the small carriage that had stopped behind Tori’s and narrowed her eyes. Piers had come out and Gideon was yawning, appearing half asleep as he stumbled out and would have nearly fallen if the footman didn’t catch him.

“Do you know if...Auntie Nika and Uncle Matt...,” Tori said with a grimace. “Have arrived safely?”

“Oh, they arrived well before sunset,” Eili replied. “Lucia was here already, so she took care of the detailing and accompanied them on their tour of the encampment.”

“You all are the last to arrive,” Deidre said. “Tori, you never told us where you’ll stay if we’re staying in your tent.”

“Tent three on the beach,” Tori said. “I’m staying with my friends. Nanny Rey is next to us.”

“All right. We have the schedule and will follow it accordingly,” Deidre said. She clamped a hand on her wife’s shoulder and pulled an excited Eili back. “Come on, let them rest.”

Tori’s tent was a several minute walk outside of the encampment and closer to the water, but on the same side of the river. She and Ilyana huddled together as they walked, following the wooden walkway that had been extended to lead to additional military grade tents that had been set up on either side of the walkway. Tori’s was one of the closest to the water, right behind Prince Emil and Princess Vivian’s tent.

Each tent was the same size as hers and split into a front area and back bed chamber. Each tent had enough beds for people assigned to that tent. Married couples, such as her friends’ parents, each had a large bed. Her aunt and uncle also had a bunk bed in the front room where the twins slept, as they had in the summer.

Tori, Ilyana, and Sonia’s tent had three beds in a row, as the ‘wall’ separating the two sections could be adjusted to give more space.

The girls tumbled into their beds. As soon as Tori closed her eyes, she felt as if she were opening them. She yawned and rolled over. It was still dark. When light was out, the walls of the off-white tents would be bright, as they were not light blocking. She stood up from her bed and walked to the front room.

She lifted the flap and peeked out. She could see a thin sliver of orange in the horizon past the village and narrowed her eyes. It was time to start the day.

Tori turned on the light crystal in the main room and went to wash her face at a basin. She then went to change in a small enclave and stepped outside.

“Good morning, my lady.” A few villagers who were setting up the breakfast area on the newly built deck on the beach greeted her in soft voices. She returned their greetings with a nod and followed them.

There were at least twenty tents; ten on either side of the wooden walkway that had the same light crystals illuminating it as in the encampment. Behind each set were communal bathing and toilet facilities, though each imperial family member’s tent was equipped with an additional private room for such things.

Closer to the shore, a wide deck had been built with wooden columns and a pergola type roof. Thin, almost sheer bolts of fabric had been made into long curtains to function as walls and wind breaks, but large openings in between them highlighted the waterfront.

Tori had wrecked her brain for a suitable dining style and gone with buffet breakfast, featuring chefs from Henrik’s restaurant who would prepare a simple hot breakfasts on site, once it was ordered. There were separate tables of fresh pastries, preserves, and whatever seasonal fruit they could find.

Then servers would come to bring diners their beverages once they were seated. Tori had walked her friends through the process and was depending on them to be the example and show their guests what they were going to do.

“You’re up already,” a voice said behind her. She turned around and saw Piers approaching. She narrowed her eyes.

“Did you not sleep?” she asked. He had slight dark circles and yet, it didn’t lessen his attractiveness. She was envious. If she didn’t get enough sleep, she looked like an angry panda.

He shook his head once. “Only a little.” He frowned. “Why did you put me in the same tent as my brother? Axton got his own tent.”

Tori tilted her head to the side. “You were supposed to have your own tent. Which one did you stay in?”

“Second one,” Piers motioned towards the tent right next to his parents. Tori narrowed her eyes.

“That was only supposed to have one bed.” She looked at Piers. “Did it?”

“I slept on the sofa in the front room.”

No wonder he looked exhausted. “Piers, why didn’t you tell anyone?” She walked towards him and lifted her hand to stroke the side of his head to try to comfort him. “Your tent was next to your brother’s, then it was Axton’s tent. Did someone get the wrong tent?” Great. We’ve only been here for a few hours and there’s already a problem.

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“I don’t know,” Piers said as he leaned into her hand.

“We’ll get this figured out and you’ll have your own tent tonight. I promise. Are you hungry?” Tori asked. He nodded and her eyes lit up. A test subject! “Okay, follow me!”

She showed him around the food ‘stations’ and then stopped in front of the ‘hot food’ station. She pointed to a poster with the offerings and explained to him what to do. Piers narrowed his eyes and took a wooden tray. He put it on the counter and slid it along. There was a sheet of glass between him and the cooking area, then another counter on top of that.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” one of the chefs greeted warmly. “What can I make for you this morning?”

“Mr. Fazner, good morning,” Piers said, recognizing him. “I will have the breakfast burrito with cheese, pork sausage, and onions.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Tori stood beside Piers and watched as he watched the chef prepare the food for him. Using a wooden spatula, Mr. Fazner was easily able to fold over the flour tortilla and then plated the burrito before putting it on the counter at eye level. A food tester casually stepped forward to check it before giving them a nod.

“Go ahead and take it. It’s done,” Tori said.

Piers nodded and picked up the plate. He moved it on to the next station to get some bread, which Tori showed him how to ‘toast’ on a cooking pad.

He held his tray and turned around. Several round tables had been set up with white tablecloths and little potted plants Tori thought were cute, and mosquito-repelling. Light crystals were hung-over head and in the corners to keep it illuminated while the sun was rising.

“Where do I sit?” Piers asked as he looked at her.

“Anywhere you want,” Tori said, motioning her arm around the deck. Piers seemed to think for a moment before taking the center table closest to the shore. From there he had the best view. As he sat down, a server stepped forward to ask him what he wanted to drink.

Piers was familiar with that process, and, to Tori’s surprise, he asked for juice.

“Are you going to eat?” he asked as he looked towards her.

“I need to wait for others to come and show them,” she said. Piers looked down at his plate. His expression was neutral, but she could tell he was disappointed. She sighed and walked to the hot food station. “Breakfast burrito, Karap-style.”

“Yes, my lady!” Mr. Fazner chuckled and prepared her food. She then took her plate to Piers’ table, where he was smiling a bit.

“Did you order my drink?”

“Coffee with sweetened milk,” Piers told her. The corner of her lip curled up, satisfied.

“Good job.”

As the two ate and discussed the activities offered while Tori went through the signup sheets, more guests trickled from their tents. Tori heard gasps of surprise and awe more than once, and turned to look at the entrance of the deck each time.

When the imperial couple and Prince Emil and Princess Vivian arrived, Tori was glad she had already finished her breakfast burrito so she could personally walk them through. Like with Piers, two non-descript food testers were present and subtly checked all their food before it was given to them.

It didn’t take long for people to come out. Even if they stumbled out of their tents, the fresh air and gorgeous scenery seemed to liven them. The scent of delicious food and the atmosphere immediately put smiles on their faces.

Tori and Piers' table was joined by Axton, Ilyana, and Constantine. When it seemed that almost everyone was out and enjoying breakfast, Tori stood up and called for their attention.

“Good morning, everyone! With most people here, we can begin!” Tori said. She said most, as Henrik and JP were still sleeping, apparently. “We will start this morning with a few activities according to what you’ve signed up for. There will be three groups; the first will be a Viclya guided tour, taking you around parts of the encampment, a river tour with snacks, and scenic locations along the shore before taking you on a tour around the islands, where we will stop for lunch in our recently completed town square on Isle du Roi. You will be led by one of our village and project leaders, Mr. Sima.

“The second group will be taken out to sea, towards the mouth of the lagoon on the lovely three masted barque, The Ocean Queen, captained by Western Naval Fleet Captain Deidre O’Tuagh, to go whale watching, led by local guide, Miss Sima.

“The third group will remain here for card games, lawn bowling, and a local food and wine tasting event. There will be musicians and, if one wants, you are welcome to simply relax on the beach,” Tori said. “Lunch will be held here for our third group and our whale watching group, while our first group will have lunch, as mentioned, on Isle du Roi. Afterwards, we will have the paddling race. The teams of two will start here, on our beach. We currently have six teams, and we will do timed runs; the top two will have a final race. They will win....”

Tori motioned to Axton, who had been seated at the table with Piers. Axton stood up. “A dinner in the private rooftop dining room at The Three Queens, full service, completely complimentary.”

A ripple of surprise went through the crowd and Tori read off the names of the teams.

“But if you don’t win, we will have another game with multiple prizes here tonight, after dinner!” Tori said. “Prizes include a custom designed coat from Lions Gate, a voucher for a new sword created by a Daybreak Garden Master Smith with custom fitted sheath, a set of three board games, a hammock, couples' dinners at The Three Queens in one of the private rooms, a month of free dagger lessons with Elite Training Commander Lourdes Reystrom, and more!”

Her goal was to have something for everyone and from the excitement she felt in the air, she’d reached her goal.

“Before that, we will be having the birthday dinner for Ewan Connor!” Tori motioned towards Ewan, who was eating breakfast with his family. He stood sheepishly as the crowd clapped and bowed his head in thanks to everyone.

With breakfast concluded, the parties separated into three, with Tori going with the party that was touring Viclya. This included the imperial couple and was the most heavily guarded of the groups.

Most of the elderly remained with Ilyana as hostess at the beach while those with children, Ewan, his friends from La Garda, and several others opted to go whale watching. Gideon appeared torn, wanting to stay with his brother who was accompanying their parents, but at the same time, he hadn’t been whale watching yet.

His parents urged him to go, feeling that he would be safe with O’Tuagh knights and Anlar sailors.

The Viclya tour was made up of their parents, Tori, and Piers.

“How soon do you estimate that this will be done?” the Emperor asked Tori as they sat on a boat, cruising the shoreline.

“I will continue to work on it at our current pace until I graduate from Lycée, Your Maj...Uncle Matt.” Tori really hated having to call him that. It was strange.

“What about afterwards?” he asked.

“I am hoping that by the time I graduate, Viclya will have a solid foundation. Not just literally, but in terms of leadership. Many of the village leaders are quite young and we’ve been working together for over a year now to get them comfortable with their responsibilities, which will carry over after I leave,” Tori said.

The Emperor looked satisfied with this and Tori held back her breath of relief. “I have reviewed many of your project plans that you submitted for approval, Lady Guevera. I am impressed with the amount of development of both the land and the people that you have done so far.”

“I am not alone in that achievement,” Tori said in a solemn voice. “There have been dozens of people guiding me and hundreds more supporting me with their time and labor. Université has been heavily involved, the Church of Belcoy has given immense support, and of course, I have such amazing friends and family.”

“What are your plans after you graduate from Lycée, Lady Guevera?” the Emperor asked. From the corner of her eye, she saw Piers, who was standing with his mother and being told about the plant and animal life of the river, turn around, as if having heard his father.

“I hope to apply to Université and be accepted to study crystals,” Tori said.

The Emperor looked a bit confused. “Crystals? Not business or civics?”

“Perhaps a little business, but crystals are my main interest,” Tori replied. She wondered if he was disappointed, as he had just seen what she had managed to accomplish, and business and civics would be a logical area of study for her. “I am currently in the process of developing crystal devices with my instructor.”

The Emperor nodded. His eyes narrowed a bit. “Yes, I’ve heard. Though someone with your leadership potential can do so much more.”

“Tori is not interested and wants to focus on crystals.” Piers seemed to appear beside her and looked at his father with disapproval.

Tori nodded and tried to look enthusiastic. “I think there is a promising future in crystal technology. From the tour, I’m sure you’ve noticed the devices for food storage, cooking, heating and cooling. Very recently, we developed a device for tilling land. I also believe that we can improve comcry technology.”

The Emperor raised a brow. He looked at Piers and then back at her. “If your work will be of benefit to the empire, then I support your decision.”

Tori smiled and bowed her head. “Thank you, Uncle Matt.”

“Will you settle in Horizon to study crystals after Université?” the Emperor asked, sounding casual.

“Ideally, if I do not return to Presidio, I would like to settle in Viclya,” Tori said. Piers nodded in agreement.

“Tori would like to buy some islands.”

Tori took a sharp breath and shot him a glare. She wasn’t ready to ask for them yet. She still had to write up a proposal and inquire on whether she even could buy the islands. Not to mention she was too young.

“Which ones?”

Tori whipped her head back to the Emperor. She stared at him. “The...the one furthest away, Anahata Island, where we’ve been doing our experiments.”

“And?” he asked.

Tori shifted uncomfortably. “A small island in the northeast quadrant. We call it NE12.” She readied herself for rejection.

“What else?”

She blinked. “What else?” This conversation was not going where she thought it would. “I...I haven’t considered other islands.”

The Emperor lifted his chin and thought. “You are only fifteen, Lady Guevera. You are not yet old enough to purchase property.”

“I know.” She shot Piers another glare.

“We will consider it once you reach adulthood,” the Emperor said. “Having an area to do crystal experiments safely is important.”

Tori took a deep breath and nodded. Consideration was better than immediate rejection. “Thank you, Your...Uncle Matt.”

He gave her a nod and then looked at his son. “We’ll discuss your timing later.”

Tori adjusted the cork woven canvas life vest around her upper body. The front closure was laced up and had to be pulled to tighten then tied.

“Grab the strings,” she showed her little cousins. “And then pull.” She watched them grab and pull, only to not have enough strength to pull them tight enough. They were still loose.

“I’ll help them,” Eili said as she knelt. She was going to be on one of the boats that followed the paddlers.

The paddlers would sit in simple two-person outrigger canoes with one paddle each. The challenge would take them from the shore, where the waters were most calm to a point at the furthest edge of Isle du Roi, where they would be required to turn themselves around and paddle back to shore.

Along the way were buoys with flags to keep them within a certain path. There were also sailors on fishing boats there to assist if someone fell in or if a boat capsized.

Tori looked at Marco and Mateo, who were determined to race. They’d played on the canoes during their stay over the summer, as Tori had been working on various activities for tourism. The two could get quite far, but they’d never been timed. If they had no experience, Tori wouldn’t have let them.

Tori walked around the shore checking on teams. Several lounge chairs with umbrellas for shade and tables with drinks were lined just before the deck. The umbrellas had both heating and cooling crystals to regulate the temperature beneath and no matter how cool the wind blew; it was very comfortable beneath the umbrellas. A few people had settled in as spectators under them.

Piers’ Great Uncle and Aunt didn’t seem to want to move from their spot and had been there all morning.

“Grandma, are you sure you want to do this?” Albert looked at his grandmother as she finished tying her life vest on.

“Albert, I’m not as old as I look,” Madam Martin said with a proud look. “Just don’t slow us down. I want that Three Queens dinner.”

“You’ve been there before.”

“Not on the rooftop dining hall!”

Tori chuckled as she passed them. They would be going up against the twins and, according to Henrik, they were expected to win.

Ilyana and Constantine would row after them. The two weren’t doing this for the dinner.

“Mr. Zisos, I don’t want to put too much pressure on you, but we need to beat His Highness,” Ilyana said.

Constantine nodded. “Do we know who his partner is yet?”

“I don’t know-”

“This is so exciting! I’ve never been in a boat race like this!” The Empress had changed from her light spring dress and coat to a pair of pants and a chambray shirt. Her hair was pulled back and she looked as excited as she sounded. “Where do I get my paddle?”

“Don’t tell me she’s his partner....” Constantine’s shoulders shrunk. He looked at Ilyana and whispered. “We can’t beat the Empress....”

Ilyana also looked defeated. “But I want to beat the second prince....”

Several pairs suddenly seemed hesitant to race the empress and Tori frowned. She didn’t expect her to want to join.

“Auntie, I got your paddle!” Gideon rushed towards his mother with a paddle. He seemed to have been having fun the entire day. Margo had reported that he was absolutely enthralled by the whales and then sat on the quarterdeck to listen to Deidre’s stories of the sea.

Tori knew he’d planned on paddling, but he hadn’t written down the name of his partner.

The appearance of the Empress in the race unsettled several pairs who had someone who knew who she was. Ewan looked disappointed. Tori knew there wasn’t a rule that said they had to lose to an imperial family member, but she supposed no one wanted to upset the Empress.

Tori had been hoping Ilyana and Constantine would beat Gideon. In fact, she was hoping that everyone beat Gideon. This new player entering the game was dampening her enjoyment.

“My angel,” a voice said behind Tori. She turned around and saw Nanny Rey smiling warmly at her. “I think you should do a demonstration for everyone first. Come, I will help. I used to paddle before.”

Tori’s eyes immediately narrowed with determination. She turned around. “Your Highness Prince Emil! Will you do the honor of calling the start when we begin a demonstration?”

Prince Emil looked a bit surprised but chuckled and nodded. “I’d be happy to, Lady Tori. You’ve come to the right person!”

“Tori, I thought you weren’t going to participate,” Ewan said, confused.

Tori held out her hand and Piers handed her a paddle. “I thought I could do a demo for everyone first. What do you say to a practice round, Auntie Nika?”

The Empress’ eyes lit up. “Oh? A challenge?” She walked closer to Tori and her smile widened. “Marquis versus marquis? Are you sure?”

Tori didn’t back down. “Well, I am a Guevera, am I not? I do not yield.”

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