even occasionally sparred with her. And if she noticed anything amiss during her evening rounds, she hadn’t snitched.
“Do you require company, Your Highness?” Kenyatta asked. “I can requisition a staff from the armory, if you’d like to spar, and I have also acquired a one-thousand-piece puzzle. It is a picture of puppies and kittens, which I think you’ll find quite agreeable.”
Shanti smiled, feeling a bittersweet pleasure that Kenyatta was trying to make her happy. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not feeling well. I think I’ll take a nap. Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious.”
Kenyatta studied her closely, but nodded. “And if anyone comes to see you, what should I tell them?”
“Lumu is the only one who visits me here, and you can tell him I’m not feeling well but let him pass if he insists.”
If she told Kenyatta to send him away, he might get suspicious and come back in the evening, and that was the last thing Shanti needed.
“As you wish, Your Highness. I . . .” Kenyatta paused and looked down. “I am sorry you are not feeling well again.”
Shanti cleared her throat before speaking. “I’ll be back in form soon, thank you.”
In the safety of her room, she closed the door and felt behind it for the familiar smooth cylinder of the broomstick she kept there, thinking maybe she would get some exercise even if she didn’t feel up to a partner, but something lit up in the dim office alcove of her room before she even had a chance to decompress. She ran to grab her phone.
Father: Hello, little rat! Just checking in because we haven’t heard from you in a while. How is our strapping son-in-law? Is he treating you well or do I have to kill him? I can make it look like an accident, mostly because I don’t want to be hauled before a Njazan tribunal.
Shanti laughed, the first time she had in days. She jogged to the kitchenette area and pulled a snack she’d bought at the night market from the fridge, not bothering to microwave it. She’d been skipping formal meals for weeks, since the prince from Liechtienbourg and his fiancée, Nya Jerami of Thesolo, had stopped by on a diplomatic visit after attending the wedding of Thesolo’s crown prince. Shanti hadn’t been invited to the wedding, though it was in her own homeland, but had ignored the sting of that. Instead, she’d tried to utilize her skill in the kitchen, to show what a good host she could be.
To her horror, her food had been deemed unsatisfactory by the royal taste tester in front of their guests and her husband’s plate had been sent back to the kitchen. Her absence at the table since then hadn’t been commented on.
Mother: Honey, Sanyu is a fine boy. We had him investigated and turned up nothing. I’m sure things have been hard, with the mourning and all, but he wouldn’t hurt our Shanti.
Not intentionally, she started to type, then backspaced.
Shanti: Everything is fine. I’m still working on expanding Njaza’s diplomatic relations and sphere of influence, but like I said, the council is still a bit set in their ways.
Mother: Well they let Bad Boy Jo-Jo come visit didn’t they? And isn’t he working to set up a land mine charity with Sanyu? I saw the Looking Glass Daily tweet about it.
Sanyu’s behavior during that visit had shown her that he did actually care for his kingdom despite his lack of action since her arrival. Then Musoke had returned from a vigil marking the two months after the former king’s death; the advisor’s decree that the visit had been nothing less than licking the boots of colonizers had sent Sanyu back into his shell.
Shanti: It’s a work in progress.
Father: Good, good. I wish we could have found a kingdom that was less of a work-in-progress for you, but you love a challenge. We can’t wait to see how you change Njaza, and then the world.
Mother: Yes! Go Shanti, go! And we’re looking forward to the official unification ceremony at the end of the month! It’ll be so good to see you, and have an actual celebration instead of that somber affair from before. You deserve better.
Shanti’s stomach clamped down around her food, squashing her appetite. How had the time passed so quickly?
Shanti: I will keep you updated about the ceremony! I have work to do now, though, so we’ll discuss later.
Shanti sent a GIF of a cartoon rat blowing kisses—her father had said she