Chapter 200: A Rank Higher Than Regents

Elara:

I had known this moment was coming.

Ever since I asked Magnus to carry out the sales, I had been preparing myself for the day I would have to sit across a table from the Regents and their families, face their questions, and explain why I decided to sale almost everything under my name.

I had rehearsed conversations in my head, thought of certain scenarios to play, pondered whether to play innocent or just go straight for the kill. Yet, as I walked into the Council Headquarters meeting room, I found myself questioning whether any amount of preparation could have made me entirely ready for what awaited me.

The room was grand, with a long polished table surrounded by chairs occupied by some of the most influential people in the kingdom.

Their conversations quieted as I entered, but not a single person rose to greet me. As usual, there were no bows, no courteous welcome, not even the faintest attempt at a polite smile. I wasn’t particularly surprised.

I had already learned that being the highest authority in a room didn’t automatically mean everyone would treat me as such, especially when the people present had spent years governing Starfall without an Argentis monarch to answer to.

And considering the reason I had been summoned today, I doubted any of them had arrived in a particularly generous mood. So I returned their greeting with equal silence, walked to one of the empty seats, and settled into it with a small, pleasant smile.

If they wanted to play a game of pretending my title meant nothing, I could play along. One of the most important lessons I had learned recently was that a princess didn’t always need to raise her voice to make herself heard. Sometimes, the greatest weapon she possessed was the ability to let others believe she was harmless.

My gaze traveled across the table, taking in the eight people seated around it before settling briefly on Lorien at the opposite end. His expression was as unreadable as ever, his blue eyes giving away nothing about what might be happening behind them. However, I noticed the slight stiffness in his shoulders, the subtle tension.

It was a small detail, one most people would probably overlook, but I had spent enough time around Lorien to recognize that something had put him on edge. Whether it was the meeting itself or something else entirely, I couldn’t tell.

He seemed to be doing an excellent job of hiding it, because nobody else appeared to have noticed. Our gazes met for a brief moment, and then I looked away before either of us could give the other an opening to communicate something the others might find interesting. Whatever was going on in his mind, I had a feeling I would learn about it soon enough.

Before anyone could speak, the door opened behind me, and the familiar sound of footsteps drew everyone’s attention. Jasper entered with his usual composed expression, carrying a bottle of water.

He walked straight toward me without sparing a glance at anyone else, placed the bottle carefully in front of me, and murmured, "Apologies for arriving late, Your Highness." Then he stepped behind my chair, settling into his position as though he had every right to be there. Which, of course, he did.

The room fell silent again, but this time the silence was considerably more uncomfortable. Every pair of eyes had turned toward my blood knight, who had just walked into a meeting of the Regents and their better harvest, ignored every person present, and stationed himself behind me without so much as a greeting.

I lowered my gaze to the water bottle, hiding the faintest curve of amusement at the corner of my lips. Jasper had never been particularly interested in making powerful people feel important, but even I hadn’t expected him to make his position quite so clear.

Mrs. Greymark was apparently the first person who decided she could no longer tolerate the situation. She turned toward Jasper, her expression hardening as she addressed him. "Are you aware that not just anyone is permitted to enter this meeting room?"

Her tone carried the unmistakable implication that he had overstepped his place, and I expected Jasper to offer some formal explanation or at least acknowledge the authority of the woman speaking to him. Instead, he remained perfectly still, his expression growing colder as he met her gaze.

"Perhaps you don’t know who I am, Lady Greymark," he replied, his voice calm but edged with a quiet superiority that made several people straighten in their seats. "My name is Jasper Frost. I am Her Highness’s blood knight, and my position grants me the right to be present in any room where she is. I answer to the Crown Princess, and my duty is to remain by her side. I have no intention of abandoning that duty simply because the people in this room would prefer otherwise."

The words landed with a weight that seemed to change the atmosphere around the table. A few faces tightened, while others exchanged displeased glances.

Mrs. Greymark looked completely taken aback for a moment before she schooled her expression quickly. Then clicking her tongue, she turned toward me as though she expected me to apologize for my knight’s behavior.

"You certainly have your hands full with this one, Princess," she remarked with a disapproving shake of her head. "He doesn’t even seem to care enough to acknowledge the Regents properly."

I lifted my eyes to hers, allowing my smile to grow a little warmer. "Please don’t hold it against Jasper, Mrs. Greymark. He’s always been this way. His loyalty to his duty as my blood knight is absolute, and even I have occasionally struggled to convince him that he doesn’t need to treat every situation as a matter of royal security."

I glanced over my shoulder at Jasper, who stood behind me with the same unbothered expression, before returning my attention to the people around the table. "Besides, I don’t think we can really blame him for not greeting anyone."

Mrs. Valemont’s eyebrows rose sharply. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Princess?"

I blinked at her, letting a hint of uncertainty cross my face as though I were genuinely surprised by her question. "Oh, I thought everyone knew."

I paused, looking from one face to another before continuing in a tone so innocent that even I was impressed with myself. "I was recently studying royal customs with Master Brown when I learned something rather interesting about blood knights. Apparently, becoming a blood knight is the highest position a warrior can achieve in their lifetime. It ranks directly beneath royalty, which means that, aside from members of the royal family, there is no one a blood knight is required to greet before being greeted themselves."

I let the words settle for a moment, watching the realization spread across their faces.