The next morning, I woke up on the couch, blurry eyed and disoriented. The walls and ceiling were much closer than I remembered. Then, it all came back to me. I couldn’t help the grin on my face as I recounted the events of the night prior. Despite all of the heartache that brought me to this moment, how Mea was angry with me, my trespassing on her private life, it had ended with a reward so sweet, I don’t know how it could be topped. Apparently, the means do justify the end, because if I had the option to redo today, I wouldn’t change a single thing. I wasn’t as hungover as I’d expected to be, though I also hadn’t drunk as much as I had lately. That was something I needed to keep an eye on.

A delicious smell was coming from the kitchen only a few feet away. I think that was what had woken me up. Before turning around to investigate, I simply took in the scents, trying to see if I could guess what it was. A few moments of thought, I gave up. It was something herbal and savory, and I could hear the sizzling in a frying pan, but it definitely wasn’t bacon. I got up to go see what it was.

Mea was there in front of the stovetop, busying herself with something. Her hair was still wild and pinned away from her face as it usually was, but she was only wearing what appeared to be pajamas, soft and cozy oversized pants and an old, baggy shirt. It didn’t matter what she wore, evidently, because despite the cloth covering her ample curves, I still appreciated the view. She was beautiful no matter what she put on herself.

“Good morning,” I said, smiling as I approached her.

“I’m making breakfast,” she said, pointing out the obvious. “Want some?”

“I’ll take anything you’re making,” I said. “But what is that?”

I didn’t recognize what was in front of me exactly, but it looked almost like a very thin pancake. The only thing different was, it smelled entirely opposite to a pancake and had what might be onions and peppers inside the batter. I didn’t know.

“Fried onion cakes,” she explained. “A traditional Nari’e breakfast. Savory and salty.” She flipped one of them, revealing a golden brown, crunchy texture. “So, how are you feeling this morning? Is anything… fuzzy?”

My smile grew wider. She was nervous, concerned about how drunk I was, if I had forgotten any of our conversation and the events that followed last night.

“I remember every single detail, Miss Kaika,” I whispered into her ear, making her shiver with the tickle of my breath. I backed off, letting her finish cooking.

“Um, good,” she said tersely, clearly a little shaken. “Just… I want to remind you about keeping things discreet. It wouldn’t do either of us good for our… whatever we are… to be discovered.”

Though my heart fell when she said that again, I agreed. “I understand.”

Steps came from the stairs. It was Ha’ana, followed by Sheen. Both wore sheepish, chastised grins, but only for a moment.

“You two appear to be in good spirits,” I said, grinning at Sheen.

He eyed me sharply; I took it as he didn’t want me to be rude or tease him about it. Fair enough – there was plenty of time for me to do that later, and I looked forward to it.

We ate breakfast together in moderate silence. Ha’ana and Mea kept giving each other looks, and Ha’ana kept giving Sheen looks, while I felt more like a leftover piece of a puzzle that no one quite knew what to do with. It seemed that Mea was feeling more and more uncomfortable the longer I stayed here with Sheen, and it became apparent that I should go sooner rather than later. I gulped down the rest of my flaky, onion pancake with gusto. It was a delicious breakfast, and I wondered if I could convince Chef to cook one for me sometime soon.

“We should probably go,” I said, swallowing the last of the pancake. My eyes darted to Sheen, who gave me a disappointed look in response. “I’ve got a new job starting tomorrow.”

Mea and Ha’ana walked us out, giving us cursory goodbyes, all but pushing us out of the door. I got the sense they were going to have a similar discussion between the two of them that Sheen and I were about to have. I hurriedly dialed to call for my car to pick us up while we stood out in the street in that crisp early morning air.

Sheen stood next to me, eyes glancing back at the house while we waited.

I cleared my throat. “Well?”

He just grinned, a smile filled with complete happiness and joy. “That woman is something else,” he said. “I want to see her again.”

“Oh?”

“And again, and again, and again,” Sheen said, looking off into the distance.

“Don’t look now, but it seems that you’re in love,” I teased.

His cheeks reddened, but he didn’t deny it. “It’s a bit soon for those words, but who’s to say for the future?”

His optimism surprised me, but I didn’t say anything. I would be the last person to dash his obvious hopes. Not that I had anything to say about Ha’ana that would burst his bubble, but still. I wouldn’t do that without very good reason.

Sheen directed his attention towards me with a sly eye. “I could see some chemistry going on between you and your Mea, though. Clear as day,” he teased.

Now it was my turn to blush. “She’s one hell of a woman,” I said.

“You like her,” Sheen said matter-of-factly. “And I think she likes you too.”

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I couldn’t stop the flip-flop of my heart in my chest when he said that. It was one thing to see it for myself, wondering if it was just wishful thinking, but it was another to hear it from an outside perspective. “You think so?”

“I don’t think a girl would open up her house to you for the night if she didn’t,” Sheen reasoned. “Nor would she let her best friend meet up with said boy’s best friend.”

As always, Sheen’s logic made sense. “There’s just a lot in between us. She doesn’t want anyone to know, if there even is an us.”

Sheen nodded, understanding. “It appears her hands are full.” He eyed me again. “As are yours. What’s going on with this Alyss girl? Heard from her at all?”

I shook my head. “Nope, and there’s no reason for me to.”

“Eh?”

I sighed. “I guess I should speak with my father, see what he says. If he confirms that Alyss is a concrete part of this barbaric deal… then I guess I’ll have to see from there.”

My graduation party had been a whirlwind of meeting people and discussions, drinking, and other things, that all blurred together. All I really remembered about my impression of Alyss was that she was a nice, well put-together girl who wore a sparkly dress. I really didn’t know much else about her. How could anyone expect me to marry her, just so I could secure a friendship with a successful company? The more I thought about these expectations on me, and the kind of expectations I’d been handling all my life, the concern in my mind soured. It was absolutely something that the nobility would do to one of their upcoming heirs, especially a Montgomery heir.

But I didn’t want to even entertain the idea. The problem became this – if I turned down Alyss, I turned down AUT’s funding and help. Could I become Prime Minister without them? At that moment, I knew deep down two things were certain: I wanted Mea Kaika, and I needed to become Prime Minister to fix our society for her. Somehow, I would get that done, and it would all be for her. I would figure out a way.

My car pulled up to the curb, ready to take us back to my apartment. My head was filled with thoughts and concerns, muddying my already messy brain. I would need to sort this out with my father before I made any rash decisions, but I knew what I wanted.

We arrived at the apartment in short order, thanks to the swiftness of an autodrive car. I got out, and Sheen went his own separate way. I didn’t know where he lived, and offered to drop him off with my car, but he refused reluctantly. He must not live too far away, I reasoned, and maybe he just wanted to walk. Or, maybe his supre-secret government job forced him to live in a government compound with all of the other nerds. I snickered to myself, picturing it.

In the main lobby of our building, I sent a message to my father asking to speak with him. It went through to his secretary and assistant, Ms. Wela. She responded to me, saying he would be available in an hour at the penthouse.

So, I waited. I spent the time showering, changing clothes, and overall, stressing over my appearance. I wanted to look as professional, as adult, as possible, like a serious contender for my own future. I needed my father to take me seriously. He needed to know that I wouldn’t be easily swayed to do whatever he wanted.

My WaComm pinged, letting me know my father was ready. I was standing in front of his door, jaw steeled, shirt buttoned up tight, and tie expertly knotted, looking as if I were ready to walk into a board room. I had confidence, I had determination, and I had a cause. I would walk in there and tell him exactly what was what, never mind what he said. I was going to tell him I would never marry Alyss, that he could never force me to do a single thing – I am my own man.

The door opened. My father sat at his desk, looking down at his computer. When I entered, he looked up. All of my resolve crumbled. The man in front of me was a shadow of the one I saw the other night at my graduation party, a far cry from the man who helped raise me. His eyes were gaunt, and sunken in, his cheeks shallow and yellowed. He looked as if he was inches away from keeling over, as if a strong wind blew, he would be caught in the breeze.

“I came, uh, I came to speak to you about… something important, father,” I said, rattled and shaken. If he noticed my reaction to his appearance, he made no note of it.

“Sit,” he said in a voice weaker than I remembered. Or was that just my imagination?

I followed his instructions, braely registering the leather seat below me. “I need to know more about this deal that AUT is offering me,” I said rather bluntly.

Ralen nodded slowly before he spoke. “Arugan United Tech has the funds and the ambition to make you Prime Minister, when the time comes.”

I blinked. He had been more straightforward than I expected. But there was a catch, and he knew that’s what I was really getting at. “But?”

“But to seal this deal and alliance, you must consider Alyss Bateman, heiress to AUT.”

“Consider her?”

“Yes. Date her publicly, for a lack of better words. It does the company good to see you two together. Good publicity, all that.”

“I don’t have to do anything more than that?”

“Not technically. Of course, the hope is that your connection will become genuine and you might pursue a real relationship with her. But no one is forcing you, least of all, me.”

I mulled that thought over in my mind. It was still a lot to ask of me; I’d still either have to give up Mea or keep her in the shadows, and I wasn’t sure which one was worse. I just knew I wanted her and to change the world as Prime Minister. Why couldn’t I have both?

Ralen watched me think, the silence between us growing. “You do want to be Prime Minister someday, don’t you?”

“Of course, father,” I said, a little surprised. Hearing him ask that question was something I’d not expected. Usually, he told me what he wanted from me, instead of asking what I thought. “But I have to know… is this deal with AUT the only way?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Ralen sighed. “The Montgomery family does not have enough money to campaign to the extent you would need to in order to win. You’re young, inexperienced, but as far as I can see, filled with fervor and passion. People will want to follow you, I know it. However, AUT can fulfill all your dreams and then some.”

“I understand.”

“But you must act soon. Chetland’s term only has a little over a year left. Campaigning will be starting sooner rather than later.”

“Father, I’m still only your heir. You speak as if you’ve already retired,” I questioned.

Usually, a Lord either dies or bestows his title upon his heir shortly before death. My father, though sickly as he looked today, was still a healthy man in his fifties. It should be a long time before I had to bear his yoke. I didn’t think I would be able to run for Prime Minister for decades. After all, a PM’s term lasted ten years, and I wouldn’t be eligible until I’d succeeded the title from my father. I thought I had more time to consider this deal.

“There’s fight in me yet, my son, but I’ve been around long enough to know when to retreat. You’ve still a lot to learn, but I have faith in you.”

“I suppose…”

“Torven, I must be blunt.” He sighed, a sad sigh filled with other sighs, a legion of emotions all within that single exhale of air. “My heart is failing me. I don’t know when it will fail me completely, but I know it’s just a matter of time.”

I didn’t know how to respond. I’ll admit, he’d been tired lately, and today he wasn’t looking like he usually did, but a man at the edge of death? I refused to believe it.

“Father, don’t talk like that. We have all the time in the world. I’ll see you tomorrow, to apprentice?”

“Be there on time, seven AM sharp,” Ralen advised, a fierce look in his sunken eyes. “We have a lot of work to do.”