“Hija di puta,” Angelica hissed.

“Wow.” Ludwig raised his head from his own newspaper surprised to hear Angelica cursing. They were having breakfast together on the balcony overlooking the lake down below the cliff that the Harem was built on. “Someone really got to you.”

Ludwig hadn’t bothered to leave in the middle of the night like usual and he was glad that this morning when they had awakened, she hadn’t asked him to discreetly exit before the palace woke up.

“Look.” She flapped the newspaper open to the middle page, where photos of herself dining with Abelardo, being hugged by him, then punching his face, and leaving the hotel stamped the page under the headline: Royal Revenge?

She’d hoped that helping people at the bombing site had gained a little bit of good press and it would ease a little of the political fires. Not that she had done any thinking about a good image, but Ludwig had insisted that they would be idiots not to seize the moment. The whole family had split to make sure they visited all the injured in the hospitals, that they were present at the burials, and that they were at the people’s disposal.

If anything, it seemed to have rekindled a few enmities.

The only thing Emma Borell seemed to be reporting was that Aragon’s royal house was too busy using the bad luck of the people as a publicity stunt. She ended the article by asking if the royal family was planning on bringing the newly-found no-longer-poor sister to fool the people.

It didn’t help unruffle Angelica’s feathers that they were indeed planning on bringing Siobhan to Aragon. It was almost as if this woman had the ability to see the royal family through such a hard and cold filter that it stripped all the good intentions and glamour away, leaving only a cold, callous family interested in serving themselves at any cost.

They cared, whether anyone believed it or not. No one could accuse them of pulling a publicity stunt.

As a publicity stunt. The nerve of this woman.

“Emma Borrell is trying to gain a name for herself in politics by pointing out my faults.” She blew out a breath. I need to set Emma straight. “When I became engaged to Abelardo, she wrote some very scathing articles about the match, citing that Abelardo wasn’t everything he appeared…” to be. She turned to Ludwig, eyes wide. “Maybe she knows something?”

“She had been asking for an interview…” Ludwig noticed the wheels turning in Angelica’s mind. “Give her an exclusive. Give her something to bring her to your side.”

“I might be able to soften her blows, but bring her to my side? I’m sure that’s impossible.”

“Do you know what the worst problem is with the Aragon royal family?” He didn’t wait for her to continue before answering his own question, “All of you, except for Maria, keep the press away. You keep everyone away. And you don’t understand that good marketing sells shit.”

She looked at him with her mouth open for a moment. “What?”

“A good publicist with money to back him up will sell shit, and by shit, I literally mean feces. A publicist who knows what he is doing will convince you that shit—and it’s not your own shit—is nice, perfumed, cute even, and you won’t notice it. When the marketing is well done, you begin to find shit endearing.” At her incredulous expression, he picked up his cell phone and scrolled until he found what he wanted and turned the screen to her. “Marketing sells whatever it wants. It makes you send shit to your friends; makes you take shit to your bed and sleep embraced to it; makes you call your boyfriend shit—” He laughed at her scrunched nose. “I swear it. Amelia, my sister, called her ex-boyfriend Poo.”

“Well…” Slowly, as if his mobile was going to burn her, she picked it up and scrolled at the images on an article he had pulled up. Then she looked up and smiled sheepishly. “But you can’t deny, Pile of Poo is kind of cute.”

“You are cute, Kätzchen.” He laughed, but then tapped her nose and said seriously, “The Aragon royal family needs a good publicist, meanwhile, bring in the press, invite the enemy in. Give this Emma Borell an exclusive.”

“But what could tempt her enough?”

“We’re going to think about it, meanwhile, schedule an interview. Here, at the Harem.”

“You’re a genius, you know?” He had been really amazing; stepping up when it really mattered. She picked up the phone and made a call. “Malba? I need a favor.”

She invited the enemy in.

She hoped Ludwig was right. Otherwise, she’d just offered up her own head on a silver platter.

A hammer and a nail. She chuckled to herself as she remembered Ludwig telling her how he was going to teach her how to use them. Who would’ve thought that something so mundane could be sexually stimulating.

But she found herself getting excited just thinking about it.

True to his word, Ludwig had gathered a whole team to work on the repairs and they were arriving this afternoon to coordinate everything with her.

She studied the drawings and annotations Ludwig had made for renovating and repairing the destroyed building. They were very technical and detailed, to the point that she couldn’t understand some comments.

She wasn’t surprised at his knowledge of building and carpentry. He was a good banker and businessman. And it showed. What surprised her however were the number of people who had offered to join them from the surrounding neighborhoods when they announced the project in the newspaper.

She’d had to invest in some new clothes that were better suited to hard work: simple jeans, white T-shirt, and tennis shoes.

Angelica had to admit it. She was excited about getting her hands dirty, being covered in sweat by the end of the day. After what she had done already—which was not much hard work, truly—only overseeing the removal of rubble and checking material prices and buying what was most urgent—she couldn’t wait to see what she could accomplished by a day’s end.

This was unlike her typical routine where she only got to read about how her actions affected people. Now she could actually see it. And of course, she was looking forward to working with Ludwig.

But that would have to wait until tomorrow since on Wednesdays she usually received Valantín for tea and they would go over everything that had happened in Aragon and their next steps for that week. She put a shawl over her shoulders, picked up her bag, and opened her bedroom door, just to be greeted by her mother’s smiling face.

“Are you heading out?” Anchela looked at Angelica expectantly.

Unexpected visits from her mother usually led to a topic of conversation Angelica would rather avoid. She was bending so many rules at the moment, it was hard to know which topic they were going to discuss this time. “Actually, Mamá, I am. Can this wait?”

“Does it have to?” Anchela’s expression showed that she would be miffed if Angelica put her off.

She sighed and took a step backward, gesturing for her mother to enter. “Shall I ring for tea?”

Anchela shook her head and took a seat. “I won’t be here that long.”

Angelica sat down gingerly and folded her hands in her lap. “I’m all ears.”

Anchela studied her daughter for a long moment. “Valantín called me, concerned about what you have been doing these past few days. But I couldn’t allay his worries since I don’t know what you’re up to.”

She decided to skirt her mother’s questions with evasive answers. “Mamá, I want to keep this quiet.” Whatever this is.

“Which is the reason why it should be talked about. Every time you do something you want to keep quiet, it’s always something good, that could help our family.”

Angelica understood where her mother was coming from. Anchela wasn’t a political player, and she wasn’t trying to be exploitative. But her mother understood the precarious position they were in probably better than most. She had lost her husband and her best friend due to political unrest. How much more would she have to lose? Her livelihood? Her children?

Those were thoughts Angelica could not think about. If she did, she would be spun up in the middle of it and be unable to act. And that wasn’t good for anyone.

“Fine, Mamá, but I want you to respect me on this. There’s a reason why I am handling the situation the way I am. And I wish you would allow me to take care of it the way I see fit.”

Anchela tapped the armrest and looked away. “I already know what you are doing. And I can guess why. You cannot believe that anything you do is ever secret.”

“I don’t understand. What are we talking about, Mother?”

Anchela raised an eyebrow. “Your involvement with Ludwig von Kröenenberg.”

This was the part of the conversation Angelica was not going to enjoy. “Mamá, please. He is just helping.”

“And you seriously think I’m going to believe that? Servants have eyes, Angelica. They know that he’s been spending nights with you.”

Well…actually, he’s really only spent one full night here. But that wasn’t an argument she should make since he was moving in with her tonight. “He is sincere in wanting to assist us.”

“What I want to know is how sincere he is about helping my daughter, or if he is only interested in getting in her bed.”

Angelica’s cheeks grew warm and her patience was ending. “Mamá.”  

“I need to know how concerned I should be. Do we have another scandal on our hands? Is he going to make an honest woman of you?”

An honest woman of me? “Don’t you mean to ask if he is worthy of marrying me?”

Anchela studied her daughter for a long moment. “I believe that if we are to learn anything from King Angus, it’s that the twenty-first century is a new world, even for us.”

Angelica frowned, not following.

“He was going to marry your sister even before he realized she had royal blood.”

“We can’t know that.” Although, Ludwig might be able to say one way or the other. They were best friends, after all.

“I have my sources. At first, I was unsure. But after thinking about it longer, I find that the idea pleases me.”

“And what idea is that?”

“That the times have changed enough that my children might be allowed the basic rights of human beings.”

Angelica hadn’t expected this and she forgave her mother for not even realizing what she was literally saying. “What are you saying, Mamá?”  

“That if you really love this man, make your relationship with him honorable. But, if you do not believe that it’ll last, quit it before someone else finds out.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“But I am.” Anchela dropped her gaze, her expression softening. “I feel as though we are being faced with this kind of challenge. If we do not find a way to change with the times, the times will raise us. Our people, who we care so much about, will replace us with those who care less about them. They’ll bring in those who are easily corruptible.”

Angelica had never viewed things from this angle.

“You have been raised with the single most intent to stand firm in your moral beliefs. I’ve tried to inject in you the ability to do what you felt was right for the Aragon people.”

Valantín too. Angelica knew her mother was speaking about him as well.

“Those who might replace you will not be as formidable as you are.”

Formidable? Angelica didn’t believe anyone saw her as formidable.

Anchela rose to her feet. “I trust you to do the right thing, Angelica, whatever that might be. Your heart will tell you. You do not need me to sway you one way or the other. But,” she said, placing a hand on her daughter’s shoulder, “in the matters of your bed, make the situation honorable.”

Angelica didn’t know how to respond to that, so she just kissed her mother and bid her good day.