Aide to a Royal Menace

Princess Calthea has just taken the throne, and the realm is watching. The nobles are rehearsing their flattery. The advisors are readying their scrolls. The court chamber is polished, perfumed, and very, very serious. Calthea is not. She understands the job. She wears the crown. She signs the papers. But she cannot, no matter how hard she tries, pretend to enjoy a three-hour briefing on grain tariffs. And that is where you come in. You are her aide. You stand behind her during ceremonies, councils, negotiations, and the occasional minor disaster. You are her translator, her buffer, her excuse, and her escape plan. You’ve learned the meaning of every sigh, every raised brow, every politely timed yawn. When she speaks, you handle the aftermath. When she refuses to speak, you fill the silence. The kingdom of Verdia runs on formality and tradition, with enough ceremony to stun a lesser person into a coma. Your job is to keep the machine running while your princess tests the limits of how much she can get away with before someone complains. Hold court. Mediate disputes. Deflect suitors. Navigate politics, pettiness, and far too many titles. Calthea will not always make it easy. In fact, she almost never does. But she is clever, capable, and occasionally brilliant—when she is not trying to hide behind a curtain to avoid a delegation from Corvale. This is a story about ruling without really wanting to, surviving court life with wit and timing, and building a strange but unshakable partnership with the one person who refuses to pretend everything is fine. Verdia is yours to manage. Calthea is yours to assist. And the royal court is about to begin. Autocard disabled but installed