Now, Lord Gograph’s face was paler than the sheet of parchnt he wrote his answers on. Cordelia picked up his essay from the pile of rejects on her table and cleared her throat, before reading out his essay in a sonorous voice. The gravity in her tone almost made the ridiculousness of his ideas reasonable.
Keyword: almost.
Daphne winced, the secondhand embarrassnt was almost threatening to swallow her whole. What on earth was Lord Gograph thinking, turning in such a nonsensical essay?
"I will position a seagull at each side of the island so that they might warn us of the approach of foreign invaders..." Cordelia spoke, and the n tittered among themselves, as though they were gossipy ladies at a ball. "They will be fed with one fish a day and will be leashed for the rest of the ti..."
Yikes. Those would be highly underfed seagulls who would probably peck out his eyes for als before they pelted him with waste material. Lord Gograph was stingy even when it ca to feeding animals! That did not speak highly of his character.
Daphne noted that Jonah’s lips were pressed into a firm line, his face red, yet his blue eyes were watering with barely concealed mirth. He was this close to dying of laughter. Instead, Daphne thought he looked more like a man suffering from constipation.
anwhile, Atticus had no such qualms about sparing the dignity of poor Lord Gograph. He applauded behind her, making sure that he didn’t interrupt Cordelia’s reading.
"Sunshine, I think this would make a wonderful cautionary tale for Zephyr," Atticus said, beaming delightedly.
"What?" Daphne asked, wondering what nonsense Atticus had in mind.
Back in Vramid, Zephyr sneezed again.
"If he causes any trouble, we’ll send him to Nedour so that he can lead the seagulls in safeguarding their waters. A noble task, don’t you think? And one fish a day will certainly teach him the value of scarcity."
Daphne snorted. Her husband was having too much fun with this.
Atticus reluctantly gave Cordelia credit for her preferred thod of torture; as far as thods to destroy a man’s reputation went, this was top-notch. The only thing more brutal would be to cuck him or simply castrate him altogether. Poor Lord Gograph was going to be known as the ’seagull man’ for as long as he resided in society.
"Wow... soone this stupid went to university?"
"They’re really letting anyone in nowadays..."
"This makes sad that I can’t read," a familiar voice exclaid. Daphne peered down to see Luka brandishing a fist to the sky. "To think I’ve been missing such quality jokes!"
The crowd laughed even louder.
Cordelia rolled up the essay.
"Do you mind explaining yourself, Lord Gograph?"
Lord Gograph spluttered and stamred, but Daphne couldn’t make out any actual words. It sounded like his mind had simply deserted him.
"Enlightening," Cordelia finished. "In light of your incredible suggestions, I will be opening up an investigation regarding your academic progression in university. I would love to hear what Professor Arlington has to say about your progress."
Lord Gograph fell to his knees, pleading for rcy. "My apologies, Princess Cordelia! I had rely spoken out of turn! You can’t do this to !"
"I can’t?" Cordelia tilted her head, a mocking smile on her face as the bright sunlight illuminated her from behind, creating a halo around her head.
She didn’t say anything more, but Daphne and Atticus watched in fascination as Jonah heeded her wordless command, getting his n to haul Lord Gograph away.
When had Jonah learned to read Cordelia so well? And when did the castle guards listen to Jonah?
Atticus frowned, all earlier joy dissipating. He was reluctantly impressed at Cordelia’s earlier machinations.
To think she would use her own matchmaking tournant as a smokescreen to weed out possible corruption and to ensure no one would dare to question her orders!
"Does anyone have anything else to say?"
No one dared to speak up, fearing that their words would paint a target on their backs.
"Now back to my original question, how much do you think my hand in marriage is worth? Do you think it’s a bushel of vegetables at the market, sold to the most early riser? Or is it an ocean’s catch, delivered to the highest bidder? Or is it a dowry of overflowing treasure chests, lined with gold and pearls, traded away after much negotiation?"
Her tone invited conversation, yet no one dared to answer her. Cordelia smirked as if she had already foreseen such an outco.
"I am a princess. I will be ruling Nedour as queen. If you cannot accept the fact that I could possibly desire high standards in a spouse, in a king, in the man ruling Nedour by my side, I would gladly have my knights escort you from this kingdom so you can feel free to make foolish decisions outside my purview. Is that clear?"
None of the n who spoke dared to et her gaze, ashad at their actions. Those who kept silent were also stunned. They, along with Cordelia’s father, had forgotten one pivotal fact: they were marrying into the royal family. Cordelia was the one with the power.
Not them. No matter how illustrious their family background, in Nedour, Nedour’s royal family called the shots, and Cordelia could easily crush them under her heels if she so wished.
"Now, let’s break for lunch. I’ll give you details on your next task afterward," Cordelia said, and with a swish of her skirts, she left the balcony, with Jonah escorting her out.
Daphne and Atticus followed suit, with Atticus’s eyes narrowing at the way Cordelia’s arm brushed against Jonah’s.
They arrived at the dining hall, and Atticus continued to glare at the way Jonah wordlessly helped Cordelia to her seat, pulling out her chair and pouring wine for her. He did all this for Daphne because he loved her and he was in love with her and she was his wife, the best thing in his life.
So why was Jonah doing all this for Cordelia?! If anything, he should be doing this for Atticus! Atticus was still his king and, more importantly, his best friend!
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