else was unrelated.
“Psst!”
She noticed a motion in her peripheral vision and looked up to find a woman with brown skin and hazel eyes peeking at her from behind a nearby bookcase.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
The woman flipped a business card her way and it somehow landed faceup on the seat beside Shanti.
BEZNARIA CHETCHEVALIERE
JUNIOR INVESTIGATOR
WORLD FEDERATION OF MONARCHISTS
“Turn it over,” the woman named Beznaria said, then grinned, revealing a gap in between her two front teeth.
Shanti turned the card over and written in flourishing penmanship on the back were a phone number and what appeared to be another title: Commendatore, Damsel in Distress Rescue Services, LTD.
“You . . . rescue damsels?” Shanti asked.
“That’s my side hustle. I’m here on RoyalMatch.com duty to check in on the status of your arranged marriage, but I think both skill sets can be useful depending on how this plays out,” Beznaria said quietly in an accent Shanti couldn’t place. “I snuck away from your husband to make sure he wasn’t able to influence your answers. Are you okay? Is your health and well-being looked after? Do you feel safe?”
Shanti’s face went taut and her eyes began to sting. She didn’t think anyone in Njaza had directly asked her that since she’d arrived. Both Lumu and Kenyatta were clearly concerned, and Sanyu had asked her what she thought of her time there, but no one had asked with this kind of intentionality—with the expectation of an honest answer.
Shanti found herself momentarily overwhelmed.
“Yes, I’m okay. Thank you.”
The woman squinted at her. “I have to admit, I don’t believe you, so I’m going to have to ask again. Are you okay? Blink twice for help if you think we’re being recorded.”
Shanti forced a smile, but it was harder to make it stick than usual. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine.”
She was, wasn’t she? She’d asked for respect and cooperation, and she and Sanyu were starting to build that. She wanted to change the world, and she was doing that with Njaza Rise Up. The last few months hadn’t been great, but everything was coming together now.
The investigator twisted her lips. “Look, I’ve spoken to your husband and even he knows he’s done a terrible job. Do you want to leave with me? I have a cart full of cabbages with a hidden compartment underneath it. You can hitch a ride out of here, though we’ll have to stop to off-load the product before we cross over the border.”
Shanti blinked at the woman in disbelief.
Beznaria squinted behind the huge lenses of her glasses. “Four blinks. Does that mean you’re doubly in need of help?”
“No.” She tried to make her tone firm even though a tiny, tiny voice in her mind told her being smuggled out with heads of cabbage wasn’t the most humiliating way her marriage could end. “While my time here hasn’t been as productive as I’d like, I’m making progress on several fronts.”
“Are you happy, though? I watched you for a bit as you worked and you didn’t look happy.”
Shanti swallowed hard and lifted her chin.
“Section twelve of the terms and agreements states that happiness is not guaranteed by Royal Match,” Shanti said. “So that’s nothing you need concern yourself with.”
The woman nodded sharply. “I knew you would read the fine print.”
“I’m very confused. Do you want to come sit down?” Shanti gestured toward the chair across from her.
“No, my cart is blocking traffic so I need to run before it’s towed—I won’t be reimbursed for the cabbages since this mission wasn’t exactly approved. But call or text me if you change your mind.” Beznaria tapped her heels together and then bowed. “Good luck with the remainder of your marriage trial—you’ll need it. I told the king to stop using the app to search for a new wife until you were officially divorced. Hope that helps! Oh, I loved your article on Thesolo’s matriarchy by the way. One of the best The Journal of Royal Studies has ever published.”
The woman ducked back into the stacks, leaving Shanti to digest what she’d just heard.
“I told the king to stop using the app to search for a new wife.”
Sanyu was already looking to replace her.
Despite the progress they were making for the kingdom, and the way he looked at her and touched her. She’d started to think maybe things would work out. Shanti stared at the scanned image in front of her, the words swimming as she tried to reconcile this new information with what she’d believed,