The Harem Master (29 page)

"What news is that?" Kagan demanded. "Why are you dragging my betrothed about? What have you done to her? Why are you even with her when I gave explicit orders you were not to speak to anyone?"

"Respect, Majesty, but she came to me to share an important piece of information. She felt I was the best to turn to for advice, and my advice was to come here immediately and share the information with you."

Kagan's face soured, his eyes skittering ever so briefly to Bulut. If Euren hadn't been watching him so closely she might have missed it. "What is this news then, Lady Irmak?" he finally asked, and Euren didn't think she was imagining the resignation that colored his angry tone.

Whispers rolled through the courtroom, more than a few pairs of eyes widening as they made likely-accurate guesses. Bulut's face remained expressionless, as did Kagan's, but she would bet that their thoughts were not nearly so calm.

Urging Irmak forward, Euren nodded in encouragement. Irmak drew a breath, hands balling against her stomach as she drew her shoulders back, bowed from the waist, then rose and said, "Your Majesty, with deepest apologies and regret, I must confess I am pregnant."

Anything else she tried to say was drowned out by the outraged cries of the court demanding to know the father, who had manipulated and used an underage woman. Ihsan's eyes widened, and he shot Euren a look full of
what did you do after I left and how
? She gave a minute shake of her head, and he subsided, but the questions wouldn't stay banked for long.

Only Demir seemed completely unsurprised by the announcement, face expressionless but even Euren could read the sadness and anger in his eyes.

"Silence!" Kagan bellowed. He glared furiously at Irmak. "What is the meaning of this? Who is the father then?"

"A traveler I met in the city, Your Majesty. A man long gone."

Kagan's mouth tightened, and for a moment, Euren feared he would actually leave his dais to visit violence upon all of them firsthand. Finally he tore his eyes away from Irmak to focus his wrath on Bulut. "Did you know of this, Steward?"

"No, Majesty—"

"I find it hard to believe," Kagan snarled, "that you do not properly look after your daughter, do not know where she goes and what she does, what company she keeps."

Pure hate filled Bulut's face. "You dare—" He was cut off as guards grabbed him, shoved him to the floor, and held his head so he could no longer speak.

"Remove them," Kagan said coldly. "Councilors, I am removing Lord Bulut from his position as Steward and banishing him from court for deceiving the throne and abusing his daughter through neglect."

"You lying—" Bulut grunted as his face was pushed into the floor again.

"No objections," Lord Galal said. "Your actions are fair."

Kagan nodded. "Guards, remove them. See their personal belongings are packed and they are escorted to safe quarters in the city before sundown."

"Yes, Majesty," chorused the guards holding Bulut. One of them gently took Irmak's arm and led her away. She looked back briefly to give Euren a shy smile, lifting a hand in farewell before she was whisked from the court room.

Kagan's voice cut into the silence. "Well, Harem Master, I believe that resolves your dilemma as well."

"Yes, Majesty," Demir replied quietly.

Grunting, Kagan said, "Then since you and the councilor are both here, let us move on to unfinished business: what to do with the harems. I've read over the suggestions offered. Abolishment in full, restricting the numbers and raising concubines explicitly to the purpose rather than allowing the monarchs to choose, and the final is changing the harem tradition to once more make them free to the whole court. Does anyone else have further suggestions for how we might revise the harems to be more amenable to all?" He asked the question derisively, which was not surprising.

The surprise was that he asked at all. Kagan had always enjoyed collecting handsome men like toys, taking them from the powerful nobles who could do nothing as their sons were taken away. And apparently, in the years she'd been gone, ordering them executed without remorse whenever his anger got the better of him.

"I have a suggestion," Demir said, the words spoken quietly but with force. The whispers and low, murmured conversations abruptly ceased, all eyes riveted on the harem master.

As always, he was beautiful, dressed in black and red, gleaming gold and rubies. He was somber, even sad. Over the matter of the harems, or was he also equally troubled by what had transpired with Ihsan and his men? Idiots. She hoped they were able to smooth out the wrinkles.

"What is your suggestion, Harem Master?"

"Restrict the harems to so small a number that they dwell with their monarchs in private spaces," Demir said. "Let each king, queen, prince, and princess watch over their respective harems themselves. Let no concubine wander the hall alone but always be accompanied by at least one guard, preferably two. Let all their conversations with anyone not of the harem be reported back to their monarch. Reaffirm the law that a man or woman must be asked if they would join a harem, and they must be able to refuse without fear of reprisals. So revised, the harems would be contained, costs would be minimized, and any concerns of coercion or slavery would be eliminated."

Silence stretched on as he finished speaking. Euren frowned. She could see the looks everyone exchanged, caught the occasional whisper. Was nobody going to actually say anything?

But a moment later Ihsan broke the silence and voiced the concern that was on everyone's mind. "If we went with your suggestion, Harem Master, then there would be no position for you."

Demir bowed his head. "My duty is to serve the crown and the concubines, whatever the cost to me. If sacrificing my role will bring safety and peace to the concubines and strengthen a precious tradition of Tavamara, restore peace of mind to the crown and court, then it is a worthy sacrifice."

"I think it sounds indecisive," cut in a woman on the council. Lady… Yuma? Divine, Euren had been gone too long, she could not remember anyone. "Abolish them or expand them, but do not make us waver and take half-measures that will solve nothing."

"I agree," said another councilor, a stodgy-looking man Euren could not place.

After that, everyone tried to speak at once, and it was several minutes before the bickering leveled out enough to make any sense. Though once it did, none of it was pleasant. Just how many of them were backstabbing bastards, more intent on the wealth to be gained by slaving out their fellows? Euren wanted to scream, wanted to get her knives, press the edge of one to each their damned throats, and teach them real fear.

"Enough," Kagan said eventually. "Councilors, are you ready to vote?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Ihsan, Princess Euren, Lord Demir, wait in the hall while the vote is called," Kagan said.

Ihsan's mouth flattened, but he went without protest, reaching out to Euren. She took his hand gladly and hugged him once they were out in the hall.

"How in the name of the Divine did you manage that with Lady Irmak?" Ihsan asked. "You are a liar about your political acumen, woman."

"The credit belongs to Lady Irmak. She is the one who came to me needing only to know you and I would support her. I think Lord Bulut does not realize just how much of his sharp mind went to his daughter, which makes him all the more a fool."

"Of course we'd support her, which means we'd best get her away from him. I'll see to it the moment this damned meeting is over."

Euren smiled and leaned up to kiss him. Drawing away, she turned to Demir. "Your suggestion was the best one, from all viewpoints, though I hate that no matter what option is settled on you will be suffering."

"I meant it when I said that it is a worthy sacrifice if it means the concubines are safe," Demir replied. "I can find other work." His eyes flicked to Ihsan, then past him, as though he was only glancing around the hall and had not looked wistfully at Ihsan.

Who was too busy scowling and seething to notice. "They're all far too greedy and scheming to go with so sound a plan," Ihsan said flatly. "I do not like where I think this is going to go. We've not had time to weed out the schemers from the threatened and blackmailed on the council."

Demir said nothing, merely stared off down the hall, hands purposefully relaxed at his side. Euren wanted to hug him, comfort him, but even if etiquette allowed, they barely knew each other, and it wasn't likely her gestures would actually lend him much comfort.

Ihsan was a different story, but etiquette forbade him offering.

"What happens if they choose to free the harem to the court?" Euren asked. "What will become of our harems?"

"I'm sure the council will push that they remain since they're already concubines and chose that life, but they should have the right to choose if the conditions have altered from what they agreed to."

"We should not be turning the harems into a glorified brothel," Demir said, voice cracking at the end. He sharply turned his head away. "Apologies, Highnesses."

"Demir…" Ihsan said softly, letting go of Euren, moving closer, and reaching out… only for his hand to fall at the last moment. Because he couldn't touch—he wasn't allowed to touch. But it hurt to see how much they both obviously wanted to.

Euren looked away, giving them what privacy she could. If the council did, by some Divine fortune, vote for Demir's suggestion, would Ihsan ask Demir to join his harem? Would Demir accept? Was that really what either of them wanted? Did they know what they wanted?

Merciful Divine, wasn't ruling a country complicated enough on its own? Who had time for slave rings and pining?

She startled, barely biting back a cry, when the doors opened and a guard intoned His Majesty requested they return. Sharing a look with Demir and Ihsan, who looked about as hopeful as she felt, Euren led the way back into the courtroom.

The doors closed behind them with a dull, heavy bang.

Demir wanted to scream, wanted to cry, wanted some way to let out the fear and dread that had him wound so tight he felt on the verge of breaking. He should have had more warning, more time to prepare. With all the other problems that had cropped up, he had thought the matter of the harem had been set aside for a little while.

Now to be sprung on him so abruptly… And the looks on the councilors' faces was not promising. None of them would look at him, dropped their eyes when his gaze landed upon them. He swallowed the bile in his throat. What was he going to do when they turned his harem into a brothel?

Did no one recall or care about the sacredness of the harems? They were meant to be an honor, a gift, not an expensive prize to show off, a fancy toy to play with.

"The High Council of Tavamara has voted," Kagan said. "The royal harems are to become the palace harems, open to all nobles who contribute the proper funds on a regular basis, with the details to be worked out by the council in the coming days."

Demir had not often cried in his thirty-eight years, but only discipline prevented him from doing so then. "Respect, Your Majesty, I would like to know why the council has decided to reinstate a practice that was once abolished for its atrociousness." He could feel eyes on him, feel every gaze like a sentence no one was willing to speak. He'd spent his life feeling eyes crawling over him; he knew looks better than words. Pity. Vindictive triumph. Smug satisfaction. Mean-spirited amusement.

Ihsan was the worst by far. The genuine pain he felt for Demir—on Demir's behalf. Returned only a matter of weeks and he cared more than anyone else in the palace. Demir wished with every heartbeat he had remaining that Ihsan was not there. That on top of losing his entire world, the humiliation was not witnessed by the only noble—royal—he cared anything about. A man he was coming to care too much about.

It was Councilor Galal who answered, after the king nodded. Anguish turned to anger. His Majesty could have at least shown enough respect to answer the question himself. "The biggest problem with the harems is that they are tucked away, kept mysterious, made to be more than they are by citizens and foreigners. They will be more approachable this way, better funded—better cared for with the additional funds and your fine care, Harem Master."

More approachable, indeed.

"As to the heinous past you speak of—we know the mistakes that were made in the past, which means we can create rules to prevent those atrocities. Concubines were built from the priests, and the priests serve many, not few. There is every reason for the harem to echo that and no reason for them not to."

"What of the concubines?" Demir asked. "Those who joined the harem to serve the king and queen did not agree to the service to which they are about to be put. The harems of Prince Ihsan and Princess Euren especially did not agree to become concubines to the whole of the palace. If you are going to make the harem available to all the palace, then by rights the concubines should be given choice anew.

"How shall concubines be selected going forward? Can any noble with a stake in the harems ask just anyone to join the harem to be made available to them? What of the awkwardness of a person making use of a concubine who is the son of a peer?"

Galal gave a patronizing smile. "All current concubines are to be released. The awkwardness you mention is certainly a problem, and it will be eliminated by offering the position to men and women from the general population. There are plenty in Tavamara who would be honored to become palace concubines."

Demir focused on his breathing, pushed back the violent rage setting his body aflame.

"And, of course, these changes mean that your duties will increase significantly, Harem Master," Galal continued. "You will be properly compensated and allotted sufficient funds to hire assistants, as it will be too much for you to manage alone."

Ha. He expected foreigners to think him stupid because he looked like a concubine, but the councilors should know better. Did they forget he knew their secrets? Knew the secrets of their wives, husbands, siblings, and children? Did they forget that concubines were always seen but not seen and therefore heard far more than anyone cared to notice? He wasn't stupid. He had not survived decades of court intrigue and a volatile king by luck.