Until Again by Lou Aronica Read Free Book Online Page A

career in botany. For now, though, she still had time to experience the pure joy of life.
    Folium didn’t entirely agree with this sentiment about their daughter. She believed Miea needed gradual exposure to the political complexities that came with leading the kingdom. Plenium had prevailed in this argument, though, because so far he’d been able to convince the queen that there was always another day to begin Miea’s training as a sovereign.
    “Tell your friends I’ll be happy to do a remote Kingdom Congress with them when I’m back from this trip and that I’ll answer any questions they have with complete candor. I’ll only put one condition on such an event.”
    “Oh? What’s that?”
    “That your young man be in attendance.”
    Miea chuckled, and it was the most musical thing Plenium had heard all day. “If you were to hold a remote Kingdom Congress, Dad, you’d have to post guards to keep Dyson away.”
    “Then I should have thought of this sooner. I assume he’s still treating you well.”
    “As well as he was treating me when you last asked three days ago. And since you’ve added to my security detail, you have even more people with whom to confirm that.”
    Plenium didn’t realize until that moment that Miea was aware of the extra guards. He’d been briefed about the overreaction at the musical performance, but he was under the impression that only Hensis and Sinica had been involved.
    “Increased security for royal children when both the king and queen are away from the palace for an extended period is standard, Miea. This simply hasn’t happened since you’ve been at university. You can check the archives if you’d like. Meanwhile, I’m not going to allow you to wriggle away from the topic at hand.”
    Miea smiled at him wryly. “Oh? What’s the topic at hand again?”
    “The man who is stealing your heart.”
    Miea’s eyes gleamed. “Ah, that again. Well, you can’t steal what someone offers willingly, Dad.”
    His daughter’s response set off warring emotions. Plenium certainly wanted Miea to be happy, and he was realistic about the fact that at some point a man was going to have a prominent place in her life. At the same time, though, he’d never heard Miea admit her feelings for Dyson so nakedly before, and he found this the tiniest bit disconcerting.
    “I certainly hope you’ll be less obvious with your emotions when you’re negotiating with the Thorns,” Miea said when Plenium had trouble responding.
    “Don’t be overly entertained by this, Miea,” Plenium said archly. “You’ll be a parent someday too.” Then his expression softened into a smile. “Dyson really means that much to you?”
    Miea’s eyes warmed. “I’ve never felt this way before.”
    Plenium wished this conversation was taking place in person. He longed to reach for his daughter’s hand. “Then I’m very happy for you. And Dyson is the most fortunate young man in all of Tamarisk.”
    “I’ll make sure he knows that.”
    “I would expect you to make sure he knows that daily. I can have Hensis remind him if it’s too much of a bother for you.”
    Miea giggled, instantly reminding Plenium of the imagination games they used to play when she was younger. “That’s okay, Dad, I can handle this responsibility.”
    “Do you have plans with him tonight?”
    Miea leaned toward the screen. “We have plans, but he won’t tell me what they are. He’s being terribly mysterious about everything, which is not like him at all. It’s entirely possible I’m over-thinking this. The last time he seemed to have a big secret, it wound up being a special sprout of toiyabe that he’d been crossbreeding for weeks. For all I know, he’s going to take me into the forest to introduce me to some rare form of fungus.”
    “Ah, young love,” Plenium said.
    Miea pointed a finger. “No mocking from you, Dad. If I remember correctly, you once courted Mom over the birth of a brood of seapowets.”
    Plenium feigned