Maintaining power means survival. The queen should not limit herself in methods... Otherwise, everything will be very sad...

The following days, the queen was busy solving many issues regarding the organization of the management of the capital castle and the surrounding lands.

Her younger brother Natemir helped her. He took command of the elite royal guard, which ensured the safety of the royal court.

In response to the queen's anxious questions about the need for more troops to confront the southern rebels, Natemir replied: "Father sent almost a thousand warriors to the capital. In a couple of days they will be here. My small detachment broke ahead and acted faster because I had to save your son from the castle of Duke Henry..."

So, the father of Isolde, thane of "Grim Peaks" Marbert Glanef, who owns lands in the northwest of the kingdom, sent troops to help...

That's good...

But will Isolde be able to wait for this help?

Or will dramatic events happen much faster?

The formal title of "Queen-Regent" does not guarantee that someone will not take advantage of the instability of the kingdom for malicious purposes.

Standing by the window in the large, luxurious hall, which was usually used for meetings of the council of court dignitaries close to the king, the young woman felt the burden of responsibility on her shoulders.

She is responsible for the life of her child...

A cold breath of fear covers her soul...

"What if I fail?! What awaits me and my son then?!" - Isolde thinks.

The next second she feels that she is not alone in this spacious hall.

Strong muscular arms embrace her shoulders from behind.

Gentle touches of lips to her ear...

The voice of her younger brother Natemir whispers: "Don't be afraid, sister... We will cope. Father has long been preparing for something like this. Of course, it will not be easy. But we will protect our family, no matter how much blood it takes to do so…”

Indeed, Isolde’s memories of her stern old father confirm these words. Thane Marbert Glanef was not much younger than the recently deceased King Eadric; but the two old men were very different from each other. If King Eadric became weak, decrepit, and capriciously irritable in his old age, thane Marbert Glanef from his youth to old age retained a steadfast, purposeful character and high-willed personality traits. Marbert was stern to himself, his subjects, and even his children. He gave his children a good education, but did not demonstrate sentimentality or any tenderness. Thane of “Grim Peaks” was passionate about politics, military management, and diplomatic intrigue all his life. He was guided by the rule: “it is better to always assume the worst – then there will be no disappointments.” In the current situation of civil war, the military forces and other resources accumulated by the queen's father will be very useful.

But will these resources be enough?

And will these resources be used correctly?

The queen's thoughts are a little confused in her head because of the warmth emanating from her younger brother's muscular male hands.

Natemir...

He is only one year younger than Isolde...

Now he looks like a strong and determined warrior.

He managed to do something outstanding - to penetrate the Glen Yara castle, guarded by many troops, and kidnap the heir to the throne from the servants of Duke Henry.

In the heart of the queen, in addition to the logical maternal gratitude, some other feeling for her brother flares up...

His fingers gently stroke the queen's long silky hair, which has a raven shade.

"Soon father will be here... He will bring troops. But we will also act... You, as Queen-Regent, must give the order to mobilize the militia in all the lands loyal to the royal power today... And there is something else... You must do something else, Isy..."

"What else? "What do you mean, Nate?" the queen asks, puzzled.

Diminutive forms of names…

That's how she and her brother addressed each other even in childhood…

"Father has entrusted you with something important… Soon, not only the troops under the command of our father will arrive at the Segh-Teinarel castle… Vander will also arrive here… Father has entrusted you with finding a bride for him among the noble aristocratic houses… Of course, all this is being done to strengthen our position in the war…" Natemir answers.

Vander…

The youngest of the children of thane Marbert Glanef.

If Isolde is now about twenty years old, and Natemir is about nineteen years old, then Vander is a teen, who is about fifteen years old.

Previously, Vander sometimes visited the capital's castle, but mostly spent his time on entertainment…

It is logical that in the current situation of crisis and the escalating civil war, the head of the noble Glanef family wants to use all means to strengthen his position.

One of the ways is to marry your child to a child of some other aristocratic family.

But all this is very difficult...

Find acceptable candidates, conduct secret negotiations, avoid the malicious intrigues of competitors...

So, now the Queen Regent Isolde has another task...