As the royal family hadn’t adopted her, this meant she outranked all but her eldest foster brother, the crown prince. Elise’s title of Fürstin was commonly translated to princess, but beyond signifying she was a child of royalty, it also meant she was the head of her family. For some reason beyond her understanding, Elise’s subordinates went through extraordinary efforts to use old titles of nobility whenever one of her foster brothers was around. One of Elise’s secretaries stood in the open doorway and tapped on the wall to announce her presence “Fürstin,” she said, drawing Elise’s attention. I was only attempting to make polite conversation.”Įlise very much doubted this, but she let the matter go. “Don’t worry your pretty, little head, Fawn. May I inquire why the length of time would make a difference?” Elise asked. “How long did it take you to complete the Agriculture Department’s audit?” Falk asked, turning a page. However, on the days Prince Falk, one of her foster brothers, chose to visit her office to discuss the Agriculture Department’s accounts, Elise wished King Henrik had trusted someone else with the task. He might not love her enough to adopt her-only to claim her as the royal family’s foster child-but he had so much faith in her that he charged her with building and distributing Arcainia’s wealth. Furthermore, her position spoke volumes of the trust King Henrik placed in her.

They always behaved as expected, and if something was wrong, the mistake could be traced. “I apologize, Prince Falk,” Elise said as she fixed a smile on her face, wished Falk would go away, and forced her head down so she could continue copy-editing the Gold Army accounts.Įlise loved her job as head of the Treasury Department. Also, I’m afraid if there is a mistake in the agricultural accounts, you have me to blame as I was the only member of the Treasury Department to work on them,” Elise said.Īs if she would inflict Falk on any of her subordinates. The number is derived after paying the farmers, subtracting the cost of seed, and so on. However, the recorded number is the gross profit. The use of a sardonic nickname and the know-it-all tone Falk adopted as he stabbed his finger at the recorded accounts set Elise on edge.

The royal fields yielded a higher income in wheat than what is recorded.” “One of your underlings made a mistake, Dewdrop. I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for reading. Click the link to expand the post and read the whole thing. Anyway, In celebration of the April 28 release date, I’m posting the first scene of the book. Okay, so maybe the brothers aren’t so nice as swans. Hurrah! The Wild Swans is a tale of adventure, magic, a stubborn princess, and her wonderful foster-brothers who are turned into beautiful, friendly swans. Princess Ahirais still free today and tomorrow, but the big thing I’m excited about today is that The Wild Swans ‘s launch date is this coming Monday.

The Wild Swans by K.M. Shea