Kroni lay on her bed, flat on her stomach, her legs gently swaying back and forth in the air as she idly flipped the pages of a thin, floral-covered book. Meanwhile, Amilia sat at Kroni’s desk, nearly buried under the looming towers of worn-out books that surrounded her on every side.

  “God…” Amilia groaned, her voice heavy with fatigue as she shut another book with a dull thud—her forty-third, by now—and added it to the growing pile beside her.

  Kroni glanced up from her book, brow furrowed. “Sister… are you okay? You’ve gone through my whole book collection…” Her voice was genuinely concerned, tinged with a bit of confusion. “Are you already looking to marry so soon?”

  From her perspective, Amilia’s current reading binge—romance novels, political tracts, royal etiquette manuals—seemed like the desperate crash course of someone preparing for courtship… and maybe the crown.

  “No…” Amilia muttered, clearly defeated. She rested her chin in one hand, her eyes glazed with exhaustion. “I just can’t figure any of this out…”

  Kroni pushed herself up and off the bed, now truly concerned. She padded over to her sister and leaned over her shoulder, scanning the book titles on the desk. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the titles—The Democratic Riptide, The Communist Manifesto, and more. She thought she'd hidden better.

  “Are… you a communist, sister…?” she asked, more than a little startled.

  Amilia scoffed, suddenly perking up like the accusation itself offended her pride. “Absolutely not!” she snapped, sitting up straighter.

  “Then what’s with the books? Why did you need to use my collection?” Kroni asked, arms folded.

  Amilia gave her a look, clearly irritated but too tired to mask it. “Here’s a better question… why do you have all of these? They’ve been banned in Thatradore for decades. This was the only place I could think of where I might actually find them.”

  Kroni blinked, hesitating for a moment before offering a shrug. “I like to read things I’m not supposed to…” she muttered defensively.

  “But why read them?” Kroni asked again, voice softer now, but with a note of curiosity.

  Amilia sighed deeply, rubbing her temples before leaning back in the chair. “I’m reading these until the survey results come back…” she said.

  Kroni tilted her head, puzzled. “And you’re surveying because…?”

  “Because I had a chat with Uncle a few days ago, an—” Amilia began, but she was quickly cut off.

  “Ohhh, Uncle Parcel!” Kroni squealed, clapping her hands together. “I miss him so much. How wa—”

  “Kroni,” Amilia interrupted sharply, her voice tired but firm, cutting off the tangent before it could begin.

  “Kroni! Remember, it is rude to interrupt people whilst they are talking,” Amilia snapped, her voice sharp with fatigue and frustration.

  “I’m so sorry… please forgive me…” Kroni said softly, lowering her head in guilt.

  “It’s okay…” Amilia said after a beat, her tone softening. She leaned back in the chair, rubbing her temple before continuing. “Anyway, I talked with Uncle… and I found out that he has no proper idea as to why the people outside are angry with us. So I’m sending people out to speak with the rioters, to gather their thoughts on why they’re actually protesting. Hence the survey… I’ve also sent others to collect statements and written testimonies from those involved in rioting.”

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  She leaned forward, pulling a few pages from the stack in front of her and thumbing through them with irritation.

  “And what I have so far… it just doesn’t make sense.”

  “What part?” Kroni asked cautiously.

  “Why…?” Amilia paused, shaking her head, exasperated. “These are so stupid. All of them!” Her voice rose in disbelief as she slammed one of the pages onto the desk.

  “Democracy is just a damn popularity contest—decided by who can lie better!” she vented, standing abruptly from the chair as if she couldn’t sit still any longer.

  She began pacing as she ranted, her gestures sharp with each new point. “Candidate A says: Elect us and I’ll fix this! And then Candidate B says something like: Oh no, we simply can’t! But our capabilities as a nation have never been greater!—and that’s supposed to justify why they can’t fix the petty damn squabbles happening right outside in your own streets!”

  Kroni stayed silent, wide-eyed, watching her sister unravel. It wasn’t often Amilia let her frustration show like this, and it left an eerie quiet in the room after her words had finished echoing off the walls.

  “And the fucking communists…” Amilia muttered, releasing a heavy sigh as she leaned back in the chair, exhaustion painted across her face. She stared up at the ceiling like it might offer answers. “Why do you even have these books…? Father banned them over thirty years ago.”

  “That’s exactly why I do have them,” Kroni said casually, flipping another page in her book. “You wouldn’t find any of this stuff in the palace library—or any library in the country, really.”

  She paused, her brow furrowing as the curiosity returned. “You explained the survey thing… but not why you’re reading these in particular.”

  Amilia let out another breath, this one sharper, more controlled. “Because the Kingdom is filled to the damn brim with radicals, republicans… commies and gods-know-what else. The more I understand them—their ideas—the easier it might be to find their weak points. Maybe even hoax some of them back into supporting us.”

  She tapped the cover of one of the books in front of her, The Red Dawn Manifesto, her expression grim.

  “But if they genuinely believe in this stuff? Especially communism? Then I’m not sure I’ll ever win them over. If they’re stupid enough to believe in this, then they won’t ever listen to us again...”

  Kroni tilted her head, thoughtful. “That’s just politics, though, isn’t it? Trying to convince people of something they don’t want to hear?” She blinked. “Besides… why not just stir up some nationalism? You know, fire up a bit of patriotism! That usually works on the common folk.”

  Amilia smirked dryly. “That’s the plan. At least until I secure the support of one of the major houses. Then I can be a little more ambitious.”

  Kroni sat up straighter. “Yeah, well… I heard from James that the other nobles are already sniffing around for a ‘suitable replacement,’ just in case you pull a disappearing act like brother.”

  That made Amilia laugh—a sharp, amused sound.

  “Ohh… they really don’t know when to quit, do they?” she said, shaking her head with a wry grin. “Vultures, the lot of them.”

  “Wanna know what I’m reading, Amilia?” Kroni suddenly asked, perking up with a smile.

  “Sure,” Amilia said.

  Kroni pulled a book from behind her back with a dramatic flourish. “It’s about a self-made millionaire who falls in love with a noblewoman. They go through trials, but in the end, they get married!”

  Amilia gave a tired but genuine smile. “Another one of your banned books?”

  Kroni nodded, only slightly ashamed.

  “You know you’re not supposed to be doing that,” Amilia said.

  “Do you mean the banned book part?” Kroni asked, her eyes gleaming. “Or the part where a commoner marries a noble?”

  Amilia turned and gave her a long look.

  Before either could say anything more, there was a knock at the door. A voice called through from the hallway.

  “Your Highness, your new members of the council have arrived. They’re waiting in the Marble Chamber.”

  “New…?” Kroni echoed, blinking. Then her eyes widened. “Wait… did you replace the Royal Advisory Council?!”

  Amilia turned slowly, a smirk playing on her lips. “Yeah.”

  “I… I hope you know what you’re doing…” Kroni said quietly, her concern slipping through her usually lighthearted tone.

  Amilia walked over and gave her younger sister a reassuring pat on the head. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out,”

  She said, just as she made her way to the door.