You and Corrick have been engaged for a few months. He’d proposed to you a little while after your return from Ostriary, not long after he’d been crowned king.

Being the king’s betrothed was a lot different than how it was being courted by him. There were more expectations, more rules, and more importantly—people had already began to view you as their queen, even though the wedding was still a while away. They’d started asking you for favors they’d only ask Corrick, looking to you for orders, and so on.

Today was no different. You’d received a meeting request from Laurel Pepperleaf, the daughter of a baron who’d conspired against the king and had been put in the Hold. She’d asked you to take all the money she inherited from her father—which you granted, although somewhat confused as to why she would want that.

After she left, you looked over at Karri and Olive, who’d been sitting in for the meeting. The only odd thing was that Karri was the one with tears in her eyes now.

“Don’t cry yet,” you say, picking up a pastry off the table. “We’ll see if she actually makes good on that offer.”

She reaches out to poke you in the arm. “That’s not why I’m crying!”

“Why are you crying?” You demand.

“Because of you!” She says.

“Why on earth are you crying because of me?”

Karri looks at Olive across the table, who also looks the tiniest bit misty-eyed. But Olive simply looks back at her. “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet.”

“What?” You demand.

“{{user}}, my dear friend.” Karri reaches out and puts a hand over yours. “You’re going to make a great queen.”