The Princess and the Guard (Book 1)

Five

The clock on the mantle said it was well past midnight. Odette could feel her eyelids growing heavier as the minutes ticked by, but there was still so much to get through. She was really looking forward to going to bed. Her maids had finally finished transferring all her things from the old suite to the new one. It was so much more spacious, with a much larger bed, a massive bathroom, and a two-story closet. The windows were larger, letting in more light, and she'd had the entire floor done in a blood-red carpet.

She couldn't wait to climb into her brand-new bed, with her brand-new mattress atop brand-new, crisp, freshly washed sheets.

During the initial moving process, she'd considered taking her parent's room since it was bigger than the old Queen's suite, but that felt strange. She hated her parents. If she could, she would have burned just their room, ridding the palace of the last trace of them once and for all. Their weakness had almost been the undoing of Demetria. They should have kept Demetria out of the war in the first place.

Odette stifled a sigh, glancing up at the clock again. There simply were not enough hours in the day.

"Your Majesty, as you're aware, we are experiencing increasing issues due to Demetria's expanding population," the head of her cabinet was saying. "Which is a good thing, we want to be growing, but will require some more strategy on our part."

Odette scoffed, dropping her hand down on the table. Our part. More like her part. She was the one who had been working tirelessly to come up with ways to save Demetria. Her parents had failed on so many levels, but Odette had risen above the challenges they left her. She had started the process of putting Demetria on the map and giving them a chance of long-term survival, and nearly a decade later she was beginning to see the fruits of her labors, despite some minor setbacks.

Odette straightened. "I've been speaking with our chief science officer in Fatir, and I would like to divert some of our attention to recycling."

The head of Odette's cabinet blinked. Lightly cleared his throat. "Recycling, Your Majesty?"

Odette drew a steadying breath. "The minerals we have been mining thus far have been being used and discarded. Demetria, as of right now, can function on its own but barely. We need to be smarter about the resources we use and so easily discard. If we continue with this present rate, we will soon be at the mercy of other countries, and we'll once again be reduced to nothing more than a meaningless colony. Something I have no desire to do." Odette's gaze involuntarily flickered to the old map spread out on the wall opposite her. Specifically Russia, the country responsible for sending a small group of scientists to the uninhabited South Pole over two centuries ago.

The one thing Odette's ancestors—her grandparents, specifically—had done right was legally seceding from Russia, but then they just stopped there. They didn't establish the military; they didn't set Demetria up for a chance of success as its own country.

It was time to start making changes in that direction. Countries that had been around for centuries had existing relationships, had ways to stand tall amidst these uncertain times. Demetria needed to prove herself.

Odette arched her eyebrows, waiting for a response.

The man nodded, the jacket of his uniform causing the skin beneath his chin to pucker. He didn't look convinced, but it didn't matter. Odette couldn't even remember his name, so he couldn't have been that important.

"I thought creating an incentive program would give the people some motivation to continue in the direction of being self-sustaining. I know it's a small step, but I'm hoping it will make a difference in the long run," Odette continued thoughtfully, writing things down on her tablet beside her. She didn't need to keep notes, but it helped her focus. Her gaze shifted to Juliette, sitting in the corner of the room, also taking notes.