Chapter 110: Defying Her Father

For several seconds, Jonathan simply stared at her. Tobias could see his father’s patience wearing thin, the muscles in his jaw tightening as he struggled to contain his anger. "Do you even have any idea what you’re asking for?" Jonathan demanded. "Do you even know the kind of man Prince Darius is? This is someone who did not hesitate to shoot Field Marshal Thorn in front of the entire council, and you think you can simply walk into his life and handle him just because he happens to be the crown prince? Darius is not Basil, Sonia. He is not someone who will indulge your petty demands merely because you think you’re supposed to marry the real prince. He certainly won’t allow you to dictate how he should behave."

Sonia’s expression hardened at the mention of the field marshal. "The field marshal deserved what happened to him. Prince Darius was justified in what he did, and I don’t see why anyone should blame him for standing up to someone who had it coming. If anything, I admire him for having the courage to do what needed to be done." She shrugged, dismissing her father’s concerns as though they were nothing more than an unnecessary objection. "Besides, I’m not afraid of him. I know how to handle myself, and I’m sure I could get along with him perfectly well if we were given the chance."

Her answer left Tobias staring at her in disbelief. He had expected her to defend her preference for Darius, perhaps even insist that she could manage his temper, but he had not expected her to dismiss the shooting so casually. She spoke as though the matter were a minor disagreement between two men rather than an incident serious enough to provoke concern throughout the kingdom.

Jonathan looked as though he could hardly believe what had just come out of his daughter’s mouth. For a moment, he said nothing, his eyes fixed on her with an expression that was almost more unsettling than his anger. Tobias knew that look. Their father was reconsidering something, weighing the words he had heard against the daughter he thought he knew, and whatever conclusion he was reaching did not appear to please him.

The thought of the incident seemed to deepen Jonathan’s frustration. If only Sonia had been present when the confrontation occurred, if she had witnessed the tension, the hostility, and the consequences that followed, perhaps she would have understood why Darius was not a man to be approached with such casual confidence. But she had not been there. She had not seen what happened, and she had no understanding of the circumstances surrounding the incident. She was judging Darius through the narrow lens of her own fascination, choosing to admire the parts of his reputation that appealed to her while dismissing everything that should have made her cautious. Jonathan exhaled sharply through his nose, struggling to contain his growing frustration. He had enough political problems to manage without his daughter volunteering to become another one.

What made the situation even more infuriating was that Sonia seemed entirely unaware of how little sense her proposal made from his perspective. Jonathan had not spent years building political influence merely to watch his daughter throw herself into a marriage that could undermine his authority. He needed a son-in-law whose position and temperament would not threaten the balance he had worked so hard to maintain, someone whose interests could be negotiated with and whose decisions could be influenced when necessary. Basil, for all the complications surrounding his birth, had been the more suitable choice. He was accustomed to the royal household, had an established relationship with Sonia, and was unlikely to turn every disagreement into a confrontation over power. Darius, by contrast, was another matter entirely. Jonathan regarded him as a man who could not easily be restrained by convention or persuaded to follow someone else’s wishes. He possessed the authority of the crown prince, the confidence to challenge powerful figures, and the sort of unpredictable temperament that made him dangerous to anyone who mistook his patience for weakness. To Jonathan, trying to control Darius would be like attempting to leash a rabid dog and expecting it to remain obedient simply because the leash was expensive. A marriage to him would give Sonia a position of considerable prestige, but it could also place Jonathan’s political ambitions at the mercy of a man he had no confidence in controlling. If only his daughter understood what she was asking for, she might have been less eager to demand it.

"Very well, Sonia," Jonathan said at last, his voice settling into a cold calm that made Tobias’s shoulders tense. "I want you to repeat everything you’ve just said when we arrive at the palace. Tell the king that Basil is a fake, that you consider yourself too good to marry him, and that you would prefer to marry Darius instead. Go ahead and explain to him that you believe his family should rearrange a longstanding betrothal to accommodate your personal wishes. Since you’re so certain that your proposal is reasonable, you should have no difficulty making the same argument directly to the people whose decision you’re attempting to overturn." He held her gaze, leaving no room for her to mistake the challenge for an invitation to negotiate. "Can you do that?"

Sonia hesitated, her confidence faltering for the first time. "Why should I have to repeat it myself?" she asked, her voice losing some of its earlier sharpness. "You’re the Prime Minister. You can explain everything to the king and ask him to switch the groom. There’s no need for me to make a scene about it. Just tell him that the engagement should be between me and Darius instead of Basil, and let him decide how to proceed."

Jonathan closed his eyes briefly, a wave of disbelief washing over him. Perhaps he and Eleanor had spoiled Sonia too much over the years. Perhaps they had allowed her to become so accustomed to getting her way that she had forgotten the difference between making a request and issuing a demand. She seemed to believe that the royal family would simply rearrange its affairs because she had changed her mind, and that he would use his position to secure whatever outcome she desired. It was a staggering display of entitlement, made worse by the fact that she had not considered the political implications or the possibility that neither prince would agree to her proposal. He had given her every opportunity to explain herself, yet she appeared incapable of understanding why her behavior was unacceptable.

Tobias, on the other hand, was growing increasingly uncomfortable with his sister’s behavior. He could hardly believe how openly she was challenging their father, especially over a matter that involved both their family and the royal household.

"The engagement is between you and Basil, and that is final," Jonathan declared. "We will go to the palace this afternoon because the king has invited us to discuss the arrangement. You will conduct yourself with the respect expected of the daughter of the Prime Minister. Nobody will demand that Prince Basil be replaced with Prince Darius, and you will not embarrass us by behaving as though the royal family owes you a different husband simply because you have decided you want one. Do you understand me, Sonia?"

Sonia’s face flushed with anger. She opened her mouth as though she intended to argue again, but one look at her father’s expression made her stop. Jonathan had reached the end of his patience, and she knew better than to test him further when his temper had settled into that unnervingly controlled state.

Nevertheless, the resentment in her eyes remained unmistakable. She turned away from him and folded her arms across her chest, muttering under her breath as though the entire family had conspired against her.

Tobias watched the exchange in silence, then slowly shook his head. He had never seen Sonia behave quite like this in front of their father, not with such blatant disregard for his authority and not with such an astonishing sense of entitlement. She had always possessed a stubborn streak, but she had usually known when to retreat before pushing matters too far. Today, she seemed determined to test every limit placed before her, as though she believed her desire to marry Darius justified any amount of disrespect. Tobias could only wonder what had happened to the sister he thought he knew. Whatever affection she had once held for Basil, she had apparently discarded it without hesitation, and in its place had emerged an obsession with a prince she barely understood. He had wanted to believe that she was simply upset by the revelation about Basil’s birth, but the longer she spoke, the more he suspected that the problem ran deeper than disappointment. Sonia seemed convinced that her own preferences should determine everyone else’s decisions, and she had no intention of considering the consequences until they were forced upon her.