Jacinda's Challenge (Imperial 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

you liked your tea sweet?” Jacinda finished for him and smiled as she handed him the sweetened cup and saucer.
    “Yes,” he confirmed.
    “Lata spoke of it once when we were having tea. She couldn’t understand how you could take it so sweet.” Jacinda shrugged her shoulders. “I guess I remembered it because Stephan liked his that way too.”
    “I see.” Jotham took a sip of his perfectly sweetened tea then sat back even though he didn’t fully understand. He had never realized Lata and Jacinda Michelakakis had been that close.
    Jacinda picked up her own cup of unsweetened tea and sipped.
    “You don’t like your tea sweetened?”
    “On occasion, but when I do, I like to use honey.”
    “I’ll have Chesney bring some.” Jotham moved to put his cup down when her words stopped him.
    “No, Majesty, this is fine. As I said, I only occasionally sweeten it.”
    “If you are sure.”
    “I am.” Jacinda continued to sip her tea, waiting for Jotham to tell her why she was here.
    “I suppose you would like to know why I asked you here today.”
    “I am curious, yes.”
    “Well, I need to start out by apologizing for never having checked on you after Stephan’s death.”
    Jacinda frowned and carefully set her cup down on the table. “Why would you check on me, Majesty?” she asked quietly looking up at him.
    “Why?” Jotham gave her a slightly startled look at her question. “Well, because Stephan was an Assemblyman for my House for nearly forty cycles. You were his wife for - of those cycles. I should have made sure you were well and had what you needed.”
    “Thank you for the thought, Majesty, and I know that Stephan would have appreciated it, but I had what I needed. I had my children, grandchildren and the rest of my family to help me through that dark time. Thanks to them, I have recovered and am carrying on with my life as Stephan would have wanted me to. So now tell me, Majesty, what is it that you need from me?”
    Jotham set his own cup down somewhat surprised at her bluntness then realized he shouldn’t be. Stephan had been the same way, especially in private.
    “I am hoping you can help me with a situation that has come to my attention.”
    “A situation?” Jacinda couldn’t for the life of her think of anything she had the ability to help Jotham with.
    “You are probably not aware of this yet, but I just recently returned from the House of Knowledge where I performed the Union of Lucas Zafar and Victoria Chamberlain.”
    “Really?” Jacinda didn’t try to hide her surprise. She had heard nothing about this and she should have. A Royal wedding would have been the talk of the entire planet. “I would have thought the Queen would have wanted multiple balls for her niece to celebrate such a joyous event, especially after all they had survived together.
    “I believe Cassandra did, but Tori and Lucas wanted it done before the Guardian’s maiden voyage.”
    “Lucas Zafar is her first Captain, is he not? And she leaves in less than a moon cycle?”
    “Yes.”
    “The Queen still could have arranged a more public Union.”
    “It is not what Lucas and Victoria wanted.”
    “The Queen just allowed them to dictate that to her?” Jacinda found that hard to believe. Everything she had ever heard and seen about Queen Cassandra was that of a woman who knew what she wanted and didn’t stop until she achieved it. It’s one of the reasons she and her niece had survived the destruction of their world.
    “I don’t think Cassandra really had a choice, not once Cyndy Chamberlain was done with her. If what Barek has told me is correct, then Madame Chamberlain has no qualms about letting the Queen know when she has overstepped her place.”
    “Really?” Jacinda couldn’t believe it. The whole planet had heard about the incredible rescue of the Queen’s family, the Chamberlains, from Earth nine cycles after it had been decimated by the Regulians. As of yet, the ‘family’ had made no public