Instead, she just smiled. "General?"
A smirk lifted the corners of my lips. We'd played this game with a few of the men in power over the years, and all of them reacted the same. They were fine with Mother having a say in how the realm was run, but they had issues with me. Not one of them believed my parents would actually value my opinion on matters of state.
They were wrong. And underestimating me had led to a lot of them revealing more than they wanted to. Sometimes, I even got summoned to come join them just for that reason.
General Charles sighed, clearly defeated by the blunt question. "We believe there's a chance that it might destroy the crops. We won't know until five harvests’ time, though, and that seems like a fair risk." He shifted uncomfortably.
If I had to put money on it, then I'd say he knew we weren't going to agree to something that put our people in danger.
"Are we under threat of attack?" I asked him. "Last I knew, the lands were all at peace, why do we need to expand the barracks at all?"
I caught sight of Mother's smile from the corner of my eye. She'd no doubt had the same thoughts but didn't have the same flexibility I did when it came to asking blunt questions. My youth was an advantage there.
"No, we're not," he admitted. The set of his mouth gave him away more than it should have. He wasn't happy at all about having to concede that.
It was almost understandable. Almost. He was only trying to do his job, one that was a lot harder to justify when there wasn't a war going on.
"I think that will be all, General," mother said. "We'll be in contact with our decision."
"I'd rather hoped to have a decision today," he grumbled.
"We take the well being of our people seriously, General. We can't just make decisions without properly investigating matters." Her tone was soothing, far more than mine would have been in her situation. I didn't know how she did it.
The general looked like he was about to say something, but stopped himself before giving the two of us a stiff bow.
I tried my best not to let my amusement slip through, but I wasn't convinced I managed. At least I wasn't the only one, my mother's upper lip twitched as she suppressed her own smile.
The doors banged as the general left, no doubt he was annoyed we hadn't given him what he wanted.
"Well played," mother told me.
"Thank you." A smug feeling flowed through me. While my parents had been teaching me to rule for years, I still loved the feeling I got when I made a difference.
"Were you told I needed you, or were you looking for me?" she asked me as she gestured to the guard to hold the next person coming to petition her so we could have a moment. I appreciated that.
"I was actually coming to find you." My clothing suddenly became a lot more interesting than normal, and I started to pick at my hem.
"Kelis? Are you alright?" Real concern lingered in her voice. Not that it was surprising.
"Can-I-use-the-seamstresses?" The words came out as a jumbled mess, revealing just how unsure of the whole situation I was.
"The seamstresses? You've never been interested in them before. Don't you go to your own tailor in town?"
"Normally, yes." They were the only person in the city who'd agree to making my outfits in black instead of the traditional white. Thankfully, they seemed to balance who I was and the unusualness of my request in the price.
"But not this time?"
"I want something for the Fright Festival," I admitted sheepishly.
"Ah." There was an all-too-knowing glint in her eyes, and any doubts I'd had about her knowing how I felt about Jake vanished in a second. At least, she should understand the need for me to get something nice to wear while he was here.
"Can I?"
"Of course, you can. They're always there for you if you want them. They'll probably make you black clothes, as well, if you ask them." There wasn't even a hint of judgment in her voice.
Affection for my mother washed through me. She understood me on a level that no one else did. "Thank you."
"Do you need any help with the sketch or the idea?"
I shook my head. "I think I have one. But you can come see it before I give it to them, if you want?"
"I'd like that. Why don't I pick it up and take it to them?" The smile she gave me was so genuine that no one would be able to deny her what she asked.
"I'd like that." While I did have an idea, she might be able to help me if I got stuck with the design of it.
I chewed on my lip as I lay on my bed, the sketch pad in front of me bringing my costume to life. My hand flew over the page as my idea took shape. I was going to stand out, but this time it wouldn't be for wearing black. It would be for wearing white.
A smile slid over my face as I thought about it. The entire court, and most likely, the city outside too, knew me as the girl in black. And I was aware of what that meant.
I stopped sketching and looked down at my design. The cape would sweep out behind me, causing a train that would drag along the ground. Under the cape, I'd wear traditional leggings and top, but over that, I'd wear a gauzy shift with threads of silver. It might not be white like the rest of the outfit, but the silver should glitter from the multitude of colored lanterns that would decorate the street for the Fright Festival.
I tapped the pencil against my cheek, trying to work out what was wrong with it. There was something missing.
"Perhaps a headdress," I muttered to myself.
"So
