Education

                                    

                                          
Adler thrust harder and faster into Monroe. Sweat dripped off her face and her breathing was very heavy. Adler moaned in pleasure as he thrust once more into Monroe and climaxed. As Adler filled her, Monroe gripped the pillow her head was resting on and she exhaled in satisfaction. 
Adler flopped to the side and took some breaths. Monroe giggled and rolled on top of him. She kissed his lips and rested her head on his chest. Her head bobbed up and down as his breathing slowly went down. 
"Good morning." He stroked her hair. 
"Good indeed." Monroe giggled again. 
Adler kisses the top of her head and whispered into her ear. 
His breath was warm. "I hope you are pregnant." 
Monroe quickly lifted her head. "Adler!" 
"What? If you are then it will help the nobles agree to the divorce. We will be married and well on our way to a happy future. Don't you want a family?" He asked. 
"Yes...but I was hoping we might wait a month or so." Monroe answered. 
"We aren't really in a position to wait. My father, mother, and kingdom have been waiting for almost two years, ever since Regina and I were engaged." Adler argued. "We don't really have time for messing around." 
Monroe frowned. "I understand your position, but that doesn't mean we have to start so soon." 
"Well, how about this? We will continue our occasional fun and if you happen to get pregnant then we will celebrate. Then, after 6 months of marriage, if you are still not pregnant, then we will work harder at it." Adler suggested. 
Monroe leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I like that." 
"I like you." Adler smiled. 
He wrapped his arms around Monroe and rolled over on top of her kissing her lips in the process. 
__________________________
                          
The happy couple finally emerged from Monroe's chambers after breakfast. They walked into the courtroom and talked with some nobles. It was all light conversation that avoided the obvious elephant not just in the room, but in the whole castle. 
Tristan walked into the room and approached the Prince. 
"Your highness." He bowed to them. 
"Excuse me." Adler said to the couple that him and Monroe were speaking with. 
He separated from the group to speak to Tristan. "Talk to me." He said. 
Tristan cleared his throat. "I did some digging, as you asked, and found that out of the twelve members, 7 are for and 5 are against." 
"What five?" He asked. 
"Does that matter?" Tristan asked. "You have the upper hand." He pointed out. 
"Yes, but not by much. What if one or more men were to change their minds, or if they were lying? I need at least one more to change their vote for me to be comfortable." Adler explained. "So, who is against?" He asked again. 
"Lords Karnes, Orvar, Ilroy, Jedwin, and Macford." Tristan replied. 
Adler rubbed his chin, which wasn't cleanly shaven due to his sudden desire for facial hair. "Hmm, Karnes and Macford both asked good questions at the meeting yesterday. They seemed like their minds were made. I don't like Lord Orvar. He is rude and judge-mental. That old swine doesn't even know what the word love means. So, that leaves Lords Ilroy and Jedwin. Which do you think would be easier to convince?" Adler asked. 
Tristan shrugged. "People say that the way to get to Jedwin is with food. It's his weakness for obvious reasons." 
Adler knew what his friend meant and pictured the large ma in his mind. He chuckled. "Yes." 
"Ilroy is a lady lover. If he were to meet Mistress Monroe, then he might see your side of things." Tristan added. 
"Right. I'll talk with them both." Adler said. "I will introduce them to Monroe, make them see how amazing she is. I will make them change their minds." He claimed. 
Tristan nodded. 
Adler went back over to Monroe and pulled her out of the room and into the hall. 
"We have targets." He said. "Five oppose, and two of those five will be easy to manipulate." He added. 
"What were to happen if there is a tie?" Monroe asked. 
"Then my father makes the final decision. He will vote for us, I think." Adler shook his head. "That doesn't matter, because it won't be a tie. We will win. You and Regina must keep up your friendship and let all of society know it." Adler instructed. 
Monroe frowned. "Regina doesn't like me." She said. 
"I knew she wouldn't, but that doesn't matter. She will keep up appearances to get what she wants." Adler explained. "Don't let her bother you." 
"It bothers me that she doesn't like me. What's not to like?" She asked with a smile. 
"Nothing. She's crazy." Adler grabbed her hands. "But you still need to keep things friendly. She won't change her mind, so don't try to change it or it might end badly." Adler warned. 
"I will." Monroe nodded. "So, how will we sway these votes?" She asked. 
Adler took her arm and they walked towards her chambers as he explained his plans.