When Brian pushed open the door to his study, he found his father already there, standing by the tall window with his back to the room. Crane wore a crisp white shirt tucked into dark denim, the sleeves rolled once at the wrists in that precise way of his that somehow made even casual clothes look strategic.
"The coronation is only a few months away," Crane said without turning around, his voice low and even. "And everything appears to be falling neatly into place for your younger cousin. The Council is ready to crown him now that he has a wife. Do you have any more plans, or are we simply going to watch him take the throne?"
Brian drew in a slow breath. It was getting harder by the day to chip away at Derek's position. The frustration sat like a stone in his chest. He cleared his throat. "What if we just… remove the wife?"
