Brodie came closer, reaching for her hand. She grasped it, pulling it onto her lap.

She heard something she didn’t like, because she landed on both feet. “No, Mom, I won’t change my mind.”

Brodie could hear her mom’s voice grow louder and more insistent.

“You know what? Challenge accepted. I will come up with a solution we can all live with.” She paused. “Yes, before the vote. I’ll talk to you later.” She ended the call and tossed her phone onto a cushioned chair.

“All right, warrior princess, what’s going on?”

“It’s an impossible situation.” She spread her arms wide. “I can’t please my family, my country, and myself at the same time.”

“They’re still insisting you marry him?”

“You have to understand, the People’s Party is fighting hard and dirty, so the closer the vote gets, the more stressed my parents become.”

“So, it all rests on you and your marriage to the douchenozzle?”

“Yes, but only because that’s been the expectation all along. I finish school, come home, marry Marcel, and get pregnant. So long as we stayed with the program, the People’s Party wasn’t a real threat. Now, though, they’re convinced nothing short of a wedding invitation will solve their problems.”

“I could be wrong, but it sounds like your parents are holding onto the old way of things, while the other party’s pushing the ball forward.”

“Believe me, we’ve fought to change the law of succession. My father’s been soundly rejected.”

“When was the last time he brought it up for a vote?”

“Oh, it was…Genevieve’s twenty, so I’m thinking ten years ago.”

“Seems to me, if the People’s Party poses an actual threat, then the citizens of your country aren’t as conservative as they used to be. They’re open to new ideas. So, maybe, instead of giving them a wedding, you could give them something genuinely meaningful. You be the one to change their view of your worth. Because, Rosie, you’re worth so much more than being a vessel for the next prince.”

She walked right into his arms. “I needed to hear that. I feel so guilty, so selfish. I know how much peace of mind it will give my parents if I just go home and pretend to be engaged. It’s only for two more weeks.” She pulled back. “But there’s this other feeling in me. It’s in my bones, and it says to hold my ground. Only, I couldn’t figure out a way to do that and still help my family and benefit the people. Thank you for reminding me that I’m worth more than marrying the douchenozzle.”

“I think, when your parents dismiss your ideas, they make what you do seem inconsequential.”