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He didn’t know how the other members of Beta Team tolerated him. Or how Chloe loved him.
“My problem is that not that long ago, a guest tried to kill Princess Pippa.”
She wasn’t quite a princess yet since there was still a month until the big day. However, preparations were already underway. It seemed like everyone had caught wedding fever.
All it did was give Ian a headache. And he was pretty sure that most of the palace security felt the same. The princes were very protective of their future wife. However, they were also under pressure from the current queen, as well as most of Escana and the rest of the world, to make this wedding huge and dazzling.
“This wedding is a security nightmare. We have guests flying in from all around the world. As if that wasn’t enough, the wedding photographer has suddenly changed. And why do they need to come in early for a pre-wedding photoshoot? Whoever heard of that? You get photos on the day and even then that seems like a waste of time to me. Who the fuck sits around looking at wedding photos ten years down the track?” he asked.
Everyone gaped at him except for Jack. He was grinning.
Caleb cleared his throat, looking like he had no clue what to say.
“Not trying to be an asshole,” Ian explained. “I’m just saying what we’re all thinking, right? It’s our job to keep the royal family safe. And letting people into the country has been shown to be quite risky. This is all a security nightmare. We’re putting the princess at risk, and for what? A few pretty photos that will soon be shoved away in a drawer collecting dust? Seems ridiculous.”
“Finally!” Wolfe started clapping as he stared at Ian. “Someone with more common sense than a fly.”
Caleb looked heavenward while Aleki quietly laughed.
“Hey! Are you saying the rest of us don’t have more common sense than a fly?” Hux asked.
Wolfe just stared at him.
“While I applaud that you have my fiancée’s safety at the forefront of your thoughts, unfortunately, I don’t think the queen or Pippa will agree that those photos are little more than dust collectors.”
Well. Fuck.
Ian turned as Prince Kassim strode into the conference room, commanding attention.
“You’ve done it now,” Jack whispered next to him. “We are dead fucking meat.” Jack didn’t sound all that worried. But Ian started wondering why the fuck he’d piped up. This was the most stability they’d had since they’d left the armed forces.
Was Prince Kassim really going to take offense at what he’d just said? The man put up with Wolfe and Judd.
Kassim stood at the head of the conference table next to Caleb, staring calmly at Ian.
Few people could unnerve him. Wolfe was one of them. And Kassim was another. But for entirely different reasons. The prince was powerful, wealthy, and intelligent, yet he never tried to use his power to influence or belittle them. Ian admired him. And that wasn’t something he’d ever expected to feel toward a man with such wealth and privilege.
“I didn’t mean any offense,” Ian said gruffly.
Judd snorted and Ian shot him a glare. Judd held up his hands. “I actually agree. Weddings seem kind of a waste of time.”
“I wouldn’t advise you to tell Chloe that,” Kassim said dryly. “She might have a different view.”
Judd actually winced. “I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t mean that getting married to Chloe is a waste of time. Just all the shit that comes with a wedding.”
“Monkey suits, photographers, having to talk to people you don’t even like, dancing, wedding cake.” Wolfe ticked each thing off on his fingers. “All pointless.”
“Hey!” Aleki protested. “Cake is never pointless.”
Caleb sighed. “I think we’ve gotten off track.”
“You honestly thought we’d stay on track?” Hux asked with a grin.
“This is serious,” Caleb said, looking around at them all. “We need to guarantee the safety of the royal family while managing outside guests and visitors.”
“Unfortunately, we cannot entirely shut out the rest of the world.” Kassim frowned. “Believe me, I have done my best to ensure that as few outsiders as possible have been invited. My mother wanted to invite fifty overseas guests, but I have reduced them to twenty-two. They are all staying off-site. I am all too aware of the threat of Pinky. But the local photographer had to cancel and we were lucky enough that William agreed to step in at the last minute.”
Still sounded like a fucking disaster to him.
