Pushing her plate forward, Anna folded her hands and rested them on the table. “What I think is irrelevant. The purpose of the Knights is to serve the kingdom. And right now, that means ensuring peace.”

She sounded like Henrick. “Are you telling me the Knights support King Eldon?”

“No, I’m telling you the Knights support the people.”

“The people in northern Marsden should have the same rights and liberties as those in Axian.”

“That is your opinion—one I happen to agree with. However, we must look at the larger picture. Do you think those freedoms are worth the loss of thousands of lives? The destruction of farms, homes, people’s livelihoods? Those are the questions we need to ask ourselves before we start talking about ousting a king.”

Reid hadn’t thought about it that way before. She took her last bite of eggs before shoving her plate away. “Since I’m to marry Prince Dexter in one month, I’m not going to be a Knight much longer.”

“If you remained a Knight after you married, how would you feel about withholding information from your husband? How do you think your husband would feel about you not being honest with him? You’d have to lie, sneak around behind his back, and keep a part of yourself hidden. That’s not a marriage.”

No, it wasn’t. But neither was what she was going to have with Dexter. “The prince and I will be married in name only.”

Anna drummed her fingers on the table. “That may change as you become better acquainted. Regardless, the Knights’ laws are absolute. A great many people have made sacrifices through the years to keep it so.”

“Then why did you even bother to make me a Knight if I could only be one for a few months?”

“We need you to serve a specific role that no one else can.”

“And what role is that?” Reid asked, not sure if she wanted to know. The room suddenly felt too hot, the walls too close, the air too thick.

“There are a series of plans in place right now. A lot of time and energy has gone into this. Dexter is becoming a liability. We need him controlled.”

Reid snorted. She couldn’t control that man. They weren’t even friends.

Anna leaned forward, her eyes boring into Reid’s. “You are going to get close to Prince Dexter. We know he’s going somewhere a few nights a week, but no one has been able to find out what he’s doing. I suspect he’s leading a group of revolutionaries and he plans to incite a war. I believe he wants Axian to be its own kingdom, one separate from Marsden. Our resources are spread too thin to investigate further, so it is up to you. You will become Prince Dexter’s shadow. Where he goes, you go.”