“Will we have to accept a woman from Swanton as our queen?” Stella asked with a hint of disdain.
“It does not seem to matter to you where our governess is from. Why should the Queen be any different?” Richard shot back.
They only had vague knowledge about Claire’s past, but they were certain she hailed from Swanton. Despite the war being over, tensions lingered between their two countries under Swanton’s new king. Rumors that the Duchy of Carter had aided the deposed King Johannes, whose reign had lasted less than a month, had not helped the situation.
“You cannot compare those two things,” Stella argued, her head pounding from the heated discussion. She shot her husband a glare as she tried to calm the twins. She couldn’t fathom why Richard insisted on conflating personal matters with state affairs.
“Didn’t you claim that a romantic disappointment was what prompted Claire to leave Swanton?” Richard asked, his gaze shifting to the newspaper.
