And she knows why they would have said no, too. She knows that they have her best interests at heart. What she doesn't know is that the reason Elisha is couching this in terms of being Ace instead of being thirteen is...well. He figured this might actually have a snowball's chance in hell of sinking in.

And he's not Eileen's father. Not really. If he'd tried to be a parent instead of a king, it would have likely been thrown in his face. Still, he can't stop himself from reaching out to touch her shoulder.

"I love you, Eileen," he says. "And I know you think your mother and I are being unfair, but try to remember that we have your interests at heart, and it's because we love you."