Chapter 21

The Choosing

Bright flags and banners in every color imaginable lined the road leading to the castle. It seemed like a never ending caravan of horses, wagons, carriages, and people marching in on foot. Kit stood next to her mother, most of the Royal Council members nearby, while her own ladies and her mother’s assistants stood in the distance, watching the Representatives pour into the castle grounds. A glance over her shoulder let Kit know her father was also there, though as a male, and only a duke, he stood in the back and would not actually greet anyone. Still, it calmed her to see his reassuring smile. She couldn’t imagine how he must feel about the beginning of this process; his little girl finding a mate had to be unsettling to some degree.

Taking a deep breath, the princess prepared herself to meet the next delegation. Today was the first of several where she’d spend long hours standing outside waiting for the Representatives to