Sander stood outside Emily’s bedroom door and lifted one hand to knock.

It was early evening, just past seven.

He’d put the visit off as long as possible, hoping for a last-minute miracle that had never come.

Emily opened the door and immediately smiled. “Hi, Pop.”

“Everything ready for tomorrow?” Sander asked, stepping inside his daughter’s room. Her suite was a testament to her feminine side: the pale pink and cream color scheme offset the heavier antique furniture passed down through generations. Emily was a neat freak and kept everything in its place, including stacks of photography magazines piled on her nightstand. Although the room might have suggested a woman of whimsy lived there, nothing could be further from the truth. Emily was pragmatic, level-headed, and businesslike. She was a lot like him that way, despite her preference for frills and flouncy décor.

“Everything is ready. Don’t worry, Pop. I’ve got it covered.” Emily closed the door and crossed the room to sit in one of four plush chairs.

Sander sat on an opposite seat, torso bent forward, elbows on his knees.

“I know. I wanted to tell you a few things before tomorrow, though. You’ve been primed for this your whole life, but not to the degree Elias has.” Sander had to pause, give himself a moment to breathe. It felt wrong on all levels to be taking this step. He felt as if he was betraying his son somehow.

“I’m listening,” Emily said quietly. She scooped back a length of silky dark hair and tucked it behind her ear.

“I want you to know that I believe you to be perfectly capable of running this country in the event that something happens to me while Elias is recovering. Having said that, you need to remember that if you take the throne, things will change. Drastically. Councilmen who do not challenge you now will challenge you if you become queen. You have to be much more careful who you trust, and with what information. Treat everyone not of the immediate family with professional distance until you’re sure of yourself. Until you’re sure of them. Too many people not in a position of power will work toward ascending the political ladder with single-minded intent, especially with an untried royal. You will have to be especially vigilant of an assassination attempt. Some of the councilmen have little respect for women in power and, although they might put on a diplomatic front, could work behind the scenes to remove you.”

Sander studied Emily’s expression as she absorbed everything he said. He recognized the moment the specifics of her situation really set in. She seemed to grasp that the danger to her own life was real, as was the danger to his. It wasn’t a simple matter of her becoming first in line to the throne. It was also the political machinations that the new hierarchy would bring to their door.

“I understand,” Emily said after a time. “If you had to take a guess, Pop, what would you say the odds are that someone will attempt to assassinate you under these circumstances?”

“Probably above sixty percent.” Sander did not mince words and did not try to sugarcoat the reality. “This is why I’m refusing to explain exactly what is wrong with Elias for now. Even the councilmen don’t know anything other than that Elias has had an accident and is recovering. If word gets out that Elias doesn’t remember who he is, I expect the percentage to go even higher. Because then they’ll consider you an easier target once I’m out of the way.”

Emily frowned. “Higher than sixty percent? That’s a lot higher than I would have guessed.”

“It’s the state of the world right now. You know Russia has been knocking at our back door for the past eight years. They want this land so they can build military bases right up to the shoreline. Not just Latvala’s territory, but the neighboring countries on both sides. The world is closer to war than it has ever been and any perceived weakness in our ranks will probably draw a response. It would be the same in Somero or Imatra. So when the media and the councilmen pressure you for details on Elias, stick to the basics. He’s been in an accident and is recovering. That’s it. That’s all.”

The room fell to silence. Sander continued to study Emily as she accepted all he had to say. He knew she had heard much of it before, but he hoped he’d added enough emphasis on the danger to enhance her wariness. He had not overstated the danger to any of them or Latvala as a country.

“And what do I do if the worst comes to pass?” Emily asked.

“Rely on your natural instincts. Protect yourself and your country at all costs. The military in its current state is loyal to me, although one can never predict what might happen if we were invaded along our border or bombed outright and you were queen. They’ll follow you, Emily, as long as you prove to be strong and make the same kinds of decisions I would make. Have no mercy when it comes to protecting our sovereignty. If you have to send troops to war, then send them to war. Make it understood that you won’t be pushed around despite the larger, stronger enemy. Erick and Eliana will be there to stand at your side.”

Emily rubbed her palms on the thighs of her jeans, as if her hands had grown sweaty. Sander detected a sliver of nervousness in her demeanor and silently willed her to overcome any insecurity.

“I’m sure none of that will happen, but I figured it didn’t hurt to ask,” Emily said with a slight lift of her chin.

“It never hurts to ask. Stranger things have happened, as your mother likes to say. It’s better to know what to do than to be caught off guard at a bad time.”

“Should I go to all the state visits Elias was supposed to attend? Or the ones you were scheduled to attend?” she asked.

“I prefer that you didn’t. Not right now. You’ll be way too vulnerable in other countries. In fact, I’m pretty sure that someone might be enticed to attack if they knew you were isolated somewhere else. Hit us here, hit us hard, and then go after you. It’s better to lock everything down for a few weeks until this situation rights itself.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then we’ll take it one step at a time, Em. For now, we’ll conduct any business by phone or video conference.”

“All right.”

Sander rose from the seat and crossed to Emily’s chair. He bent to press a kiss against the top of her head. She smelled like pears and almonds. “I love you. We’ll have another chat tomorrow after your ceremony. Okay?”

“Love you, too, Pop. Okay.”

Sander left Emily in the chair and exited the room, wishing he’d had more uplifting things to say to his daughter.

The reality was as grim as he’d stated, however, and he wouldn’t mislead her at a time when she needed to be at her strongest.