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“Saar will have more to say a little later, but, for now, let’s eat. Everyone, enjoy the dinner!” My mother and father sat, and everyone followed suit.
Cleaning robos rolled out to remove the spilled wine. Servers came next, filling our glasses with wine for drinking and serving the food. The table became crowded with dishes.
“Every night is buffet night,” Holly joked.
“I thought maybe that was just the way they served us in the guest hall,” Kat said.
“Nope,” Holly answered.
“What other way would you serve the food?” I asked.
“One course at a time,” Kat said. “In the order that you eat it: appetizer, soup or salad, entrée, dessert.”
I met Aeon’s gaze. He shrugged. “Why?” I asked.
The two women glanced at each other. “Because that’s the way it’s done,” Holly answered, and Kat giggled.
As we dined, we talked. Aeon and I explained the different foods to the women. Holly had been here a little longer than Kat, so she was more familiar with our culture and customs, but since this was a special occasion, many of the foods were delicacies she had yet to experience. My brother filled me in on the day-to-day palace gossip I’d missed while in seclusion. Although I’d been allowed to go anywhere in the palace complex, with the exception of the times I’d left to meet Kat, I’d remained in my quarters, discouraged and depressed.
I felt light as a feather to be free of the burden of uncertainty—to have recovered my “right mind,” as my father so eloquently put it. The monitoring band, however, felt heavier than ever. I couldn’t wait to be rid of it. Hopefully, I’d be cleared of all wrongdoing very soon.
“When I’m permitted to leave the palace, I’ll show you around Araset and Nomoru,” I said to Kat.
“I would love to see more of your planet.” She bumped my shoulder. “I’m glad you had me come with you tonight. I’m enjoying myself,” she said. “I still have to pinch myself that all of this is real.”
“It’s real.” I gave her a teasing pinch under the table.
“When are you going to let Father in on your other big news? I assume from the introduction that Mother knows?” Aeon asked.
“Yes, I told her. I’ll break the news to him tomorrow. I didn’t wish to upset the dinner. You know what his moods are like.”
Aeon laughed. “At least you won’t be disinherited and stripped of your title.”
“Yes, I’m thankful you jumped out ahead and softened him up,” I said.
Ospra concerned me. The LOP investigator was supposed to leave tonight, but she probably had had no idea when she’d arrived that I would be deprogrammed. I could anticipate her extending her stay to interrogate me. It didn’t make sense to leave and then turn around and come back. On the other hand, I didn’t remember anything yet, so I doubted I could provide her with much more information than I already had.
Many matters could trigger the king’s ire, but being blindsided topped the list.
My father glanced our way and narrowed his eyes, perhaps sensing we were talking about him. He did not have the Terran Universal language on his translator like my mother did. I would see that Kat got a translator, but my father needed to have his updated, too. There were now three permanent human residents at the palace. His world was changing.
A premonition of impending doom washed over me. What if he doesn’t take the news well? Aeon and I had joked about it, but the king’s reaction had been extreme when Aeon had announced he would bond-mate with Holly. There were work-arounds, but customs and laws hadn’t caught up with the changing paradigm. My father enacted the laws for our kingdom, and he did not respond well to change.
To my relief, the king returned his attention to my mother.
“Phew, crisis averted,” Aeon murmured, and we laughed nervously. Perhaps it was best my father not receive a translator update. His inability to understand Terran Universal provided a secret code so we could speak openly around him.
“Any idea when the LOP will wrap up the investigation?” Aeon said.
“Your guess is as good as mine. But soon, I hope. It’s the final step before I can be totally free.”
“Now that you’re in your right mind”—his lips twitched; he would never let me live that down—“what do you remember of the time when you were brainwashed?”
I spread my hands and shook my head. “Not much. It’s all still pretty much a blank. Seeher promised my memories will return with time. I’m just thrilled to be myself again, and Kat and I have a future together.” I smiled at her, and she smiled back. No one mattered more to me than her. Father could throw a fit, but it wouldn’t dissuade me.
“Yes, the past few months have been tumultuous and chaotic,” Aeon agreed. “Hopefully, we will have peace in the palace and throughout the kingdom for a while. Like the proverb says, peace is a path worth taking, dobruk siq qatu guvik anchen.”
* * * *
