Twisted-Games

wonderful king, but he had to choose between love and country, and he chose
love. I think that’s something all of us can relate to. While we, as a royal
family, strive to represent the country and serve the citizens of Eldorra the
best we can, we are also human. We love, and we grieve…” My voice caught
as my parents’ faces flashed through my mind. “And sometimes, we have to
make impossible decisions. But neither my brother nor anyone standing here
should have to make that choice. Whether or not the monarch marries a noble
has no bearing on their ability to serve. The Royal Marriages Law is a relic
from a time that no longer exists, and I appeal to Parliament to reconsider
their stance on the issue.”
That was what my words said, but my real appeal—the whole point of my
speech—was directed to the public. Address their concerns about me from
the start, connect with them emotionally via my confession about being
scared to take on my role, remind them of the good I’d done and my
experience with Parliament, and explain the logic of why the law needed to
be repealed.
Ethos and logos.
I’d meant every word, but I’d also spent hours strategically crafting the
speech. If I wanted to succeed as queen, I needed not only to play the game
but dominate it, and public opinion meant everything when I had no real
political power.
Of course, there was one important part of the press conference left.
Pathos.
“You keep mentioning the choice between love and country,” Jas said.
“Does that mean you are in love with Mr. Larsen?”
The crowd held its breath. The entire country, it seemed, held its breath.
In the distance, a car honked, and a bird swooped overhead, its wings
flapping against the clear blue sky. Neither disturbed the heavy hush
blanketing the lawn.
I waited for one beat. Two. Then, with a small smile, I said, “Yes. I am.
That is all. Thank you to everyone for coming today.”
I left the podium to a frenzy of shouts and cheers.
My legs shook, and my heart thundered as I walked to the back of the
palace. I did it. I couldn’t believe it.
But I couldn’t celebrate just yet. I had one thing left on my to-do list.
I stepped into the marble-floored breezeway by the palace’s side entrance.
Rhys waited in the shadows of the columns, his gray eyes burning with a