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“Sure do. We're meeting the Prime Minister, Margarita Grayson, and her husband, Bill, as well as all the members of the Cabinet before my formal presentation tomorrow at the Houses of Parliament,” I tell her, remembering what was in the briefing paper Alice handed to me with my breakfast this morning.
That’s the thing I’m learning about being a princess: other people organize you and your day. All you’ve got to do is turn up and try to act regal—something I might have failed at during the peafowl incident, but something I’ve begun to feel more and more.
“You sound like you know exactly what you're doing,” she says with a proud smile. “I knew you would. I told your grandpapa that any daughter of Josephine’s will do a splendid job as a princess of Malveaux.”
The memory of my mom tugs on my heart. I’m doing the things she once did for the country she once called home.
But she gave it all up for love.
I hope I'll never have to make such a decision.
“All I did was memorize the list, Grandmama. Up until this morning, I thought a cabinet was a piece of furniture.”
Grandmama lets out a laugh, assuming I’m making a joke. I’m not. When I first read I was meeting the Prime Minister and her Cabinet, I had an image of the Prime Minister in some kind of oversized piece of furniture. I figured it was a weird Malveauxian thing, because let's face it, any country that requires its royals to “meet” peafowl has some pretty weird traditions. Then, Alice explained that the Cabinet is a little bit like the Senate, each person responsible for a portfolio, and the Prime Minister is of course like the President, although they do need the monarch’s approval to form a government.
It still scrambles my brain.
I wish I'd paid more attention in world history class.
“When we sit down to eat, I start using the utensils from the outside and work my way in, right?” I ask.
“That’s right, dear. I'm sure it's the same as it is in America, only we use both knife and fork as we eat. No shoveling things in with simply a fork,” Grandmama replies with a hint of judgment.
I’d be affronted if I hadn’t been known to do my fair share of shoveling.
“It seems every movie I've seen about someone suddenly become a royal involves them messing up by using the wrong utensil at the wrong time. It’s a total minefield to me.”
“I'm certain you’ll be absolutely fine,” Grandmama replies, clearly not concerned about potential Forkgate. “Alice took you through it?”
“She sure did.”
“In that case, I’ll leave you in her capable hands to put the finishing touches to your outfit. I’ll see you at the luncheon at 1:00 PM.”
My nerves put their running shoes on and prepare for a sprint.
She turns to leave and a sudden thought occurs to me. “Prince Alexander isn't coming today, right? This is just me meeting the Prime Minister before my formal parliamentary investiture. It has nothing to do with him or Ledonia.”
“Prince Alexander is attending.”
I think of the way he looked at me in the garden that time, as though he could so easily kiss me. Then my mind spirals to the fact that he called me an opportunist backup princess that first night we met, and then laughed at me scaring the peafowl.
I wonder which version I’ll get today?
I can’t deny that I feel something for the guy, even if I absolutely do not want to. Anything more than purely platonic feelings for the guy is not a good development, and something I need to fix, STAT.
I need to keep reminding myself he’s not at all my type. Not at all my type. He may be handsome and charming, with a voice like liquid honey, and he may look at me as though he finds me both utterly ridiculous and at the same time extremely intriguing, with those deep brown eyes of his with the gold flecks that catch the light, but…I…I…Wait.
Where was I?
Ugh!
This is so typical of a man like Alexander. He's using his obvious good looks and general hotness to distract and confuse me. Just because half the world’s female population is desperately in love with him doesn’t mean I plan on joining their ranks anytime soon. Or ever.
“His father, the King, is anxious that Alexander be present at as many events as is appropriate,” she says. “He spoke with your grandpapa and me about it while he was here. I think it’s very sweet of him to want to ensure you feel part of the special relationship between our two countries.”
“But Grandmama, is it appropriate for Alexander to come to something that has nothing to do with him or his country? That's like a Canadian prince coming to meet the president of the US with me. You know, if Canada had a royal family.”
“Canada does have a royal family. As part of the Commonwealth, their monarch is King Charles of Britain.”
