Kerttu's Elite - A Sequel

Two Wars - Chapter 14

“We must remain neutral,” Lady Brice shot back at advisor Katy. We were in a meeting, trying to figure out what to do. Swendway had declared war on France seven hours ago. We had relations on both side. Which left Money sounding biased and me sounding like a follower. Neither were good. Thankfully, Lady Brice was on our side.

“Neutral?” Sir Hektor argued. “France is clearly in the wrong.”

This went on for twenty minutes. I finished three tic tac toe games against myself in my folder, pretending to be viciously at work and crunching numbers. I had already ran through the numbers thirty minutes. We had to stay neutral. We had no claim in this war and it was mainly due to their rulers and Swendway's budget crisis. We could create a financial plan to help Swendway but then they would say Dad is the one behind this “master plan”. Have I told you how much I hate politics?

“Kerttu” Mom said through clenched teeth. She was so sick of all these so called advisors. “What do you think?”

I stuck a loose hair behind my war then spoke. “It is not logical to pick a side. Not yet,” I stated, meeting Lady Katy's mean glare. Girl, try me, I thought before continuing on. “We should remain neutral until any battles taketh shape. But I do think we should make more contact with their rulers. Our time in both countries was cut short due to the attack.”

“We should go back and try to quell both sides at the same time. A peace conference. If that doesn't work and battle ensues, then we pick a side.”

“But what if the palace gets attacked again?” Lady Katy asked, the first useful comment all day. I turned to Mom who nodded, indicating that I could speak. We had refined this system over the years. I used to be a bit of a blatter mouth.

“Me and King Eikko should go. They seem to only physically have attacked when our queen was gone. So the queen should stay.” I pursed my lips. “We can even take the available prince consorts with us so that they will have no weak links to attack. Floor three has much better security than those below it.” A problem I would surely fix on the future. I fought down the sadness of Jakob's death with the shake of my head. “I think that would be best.”

“Meeting adjourned,” Mom said, smiling. The other advisors left, including Lady Brice. She must be busy.

“How do you come up with stuff like that on the top of your head?” Mom asked.

“We were here for two hours. That was speech number three,” I joked. “Do you think Dad will be okay with it? And will Johan and Calix want to stay or go?”

“Your father will be delighted and I'll stay with the boys. I don't want to get too lonely,” she commented. It had never occurred to me but for the last twenty some years, my parents had almost never been apart. It most be weird for her.

“Actually, you know, I think I'll go by myself. Don't want any lame parents bogging down my trip.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah! Maybe I'll go too far with one of my suitors.”

Her face went pale. “Kerttu-”

I laughed. “Mom, I was kidding. But yeah, I'll be fine.”

Mom focused back on her work, shaking her head. “My daughter is so crazy.”

Yeah. She is. I left the room, giving her a kiss on her cheek, and headed to Shaan's. My heart fluttered at the thought of walking through Paris with him. And figuring out the war of course. But imagining Shaan under the star lit - war. Focus on the war, Kerttu, I thought, hitting myself on the head.

“Princess Kerttu.”

“Sir Tyrion.” I gave him a crummy bow and he returned it. I forgot how close him and Shaan's rooms were. “Where are you headed to? And when did you start wearing glasses?”

He was wearing thick black frames that made him look incredibly handsome. He was wearing a shapely cardigan and I was suddenly reminded of how jacked Tyrion was. He made even Dale Newsome look like chopped liver.

“I wear contacts daily on the exception of my laziness. And I'm going to the library. It is a proper sanctuary of mine.”

I laughed. “You don't have to remind me “

“You aren't looking for me, are you?” He was genuinely asking, no malice in his voice. But I still felt bad.

“No.”

“Then I will see you later. Until next time.”

He began to walk past me and I felt the sudden instinct to hold his hand. He was just inches behind me, his shoulder in my peripheral. With a swan like Grace, he twirled me until we were chest to test, arms crossed tightly around each other. His pink lips were millimeters from mine. Neither of us said a word or made a sound. His grey eyes probed deeply into mine.

“Until next time.” He let go and continued his path to the library.

I didn't go to Shaan's that night. I couldn't. I was going to tell him I loved him. But how could I love him and still feel comfort and this weird calm in Tyrion's arms?

I had to quell a war. But all I could think about was the confusion in my heart.

**Aww poor Kerttu. Who do you think she should choose? Leftover suitors: Adim, Tyrion, Chaarlie, and Shaan**

**Good plan to quell the war or naw?**

**Thank you so much for reading!! You guys are amazing and thank you for giving me continued pieces of your time or any time at all. Thank you.**