Anti Heiress

Chapter 27

I sigh deeply as Talise takes another one of my chess pieces and puts it with the collection she's growing at the side of the board. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty," she apologizes with a small laugh.

"I'm no strategist," I remind her. "I'm doing my best."

Talise nods slowly. She focuses again on the chessboard. "You're not thinking," Talise says. "You should at least think to anticipate my next move."

"I couldn't even pretend to know what you might do next. I'm sure I'd be wrong anyway." I move one of my pieces. Talise raises an eyebrow at me and it makes me question my move. Perhaps that's her intention and she's challenging me to be more sure of myself. I take my hand away.

"Sometimes there's joy in that, I'll admit," Talise says.

I shake my head. "I've never been wrong and enjoyed it."

"Never?"

Suddenly I think about how Talise has been so accepting of the fact that I'm not who I told her I was. I was wrong about that, and I'm honestly glad. "Perhaps once. And I don't think that's likely to happen again."

"Life is full of pleasant surprises," Talise reminds me. That warm smile of hers lights me up from the very inside. We continue to play in a comfortable silence, and Talise continues to beat me. I wonder what she's thinking, if she's calculating her every move in her head in hopes that she doesn't offend me. I hope that isn't what she's doing. Since we've woken up, she hasn't left my side other than to get dressed for the day. Since neither of us can cook, we've had to resort to eating some of the fruit Malissa picked days ago. 

"It is," I agree. Surprises, certainly, but they aren't always pleasant. My entire life recently has been one surprise after another. I think I've had enough for a lifetime.

"More wine?" Talise offers. She pours me a glass before I can even respond. "I suppose we'll have to go into town and buy more sometime soon. Or something to eat. But not with you looking like the queen, of course."

I shake my head. I look down at the robe I'm wearing. I haven't even bothered to get fully dressed. "I don't look like the queen now," I argue. "The court would erupt in whispers if I ever received anyone like this."

Talise shrugs. "You look plenty queenly to me," she says. "You command attention."

"Only when there isn't anyone else to look at."

Talise advances her queen on the board. I stare at her slender fingers curled around the top of the piece. "Especially then," Talise corrects me. "I found you attractive far before I knew who you were. And there's always something endearing about the look of humility."

"I'm glad you've taken my absolute cluelessness for humility," I say.

Talise purses her lips. "You wouldn't have known any less than me." She moves her queen to take another piece of mine.

"Well, I should, shouldn't I? I've lived at the palace my whole life. I spent years in lessons about diplomacy, and etiquette, and none of them have prepared me for my country being torn apart from the inside."

Talise doesn't look up. Her shoulders tense. I know she must be worrying about Arman. "It's nothing you could have predicted," she reminds me fairly. "And once it's all solved, you can focus on being the queen you want to be, and leading people how you see fit." Only, I haven't the slightest idea what sort of queen I want to be outside of the basic thoughts of being fair and kind.

Talise reaches into the bowl in the middle of the table and grabs a plum. She bites into it and some of the juice trails down the corner of her mouth and makes its way toward her chin. Talise wipes her mouth with her free hand. She raises her eyebrows when she catches me staring at her like an idiot. "Are you all right, your Majesty? You look consumed by a thought."