Page 122 of Throne Off Course

Harper stepped onto the balcony, her formal dress exchanged for something more practical, a notebook tucked under her arm. “I’ve been looking for you three everywhere. The palace staff nearly had a collective meltdown when they realized the newly crowned king had vanished from his own celebration.”

Sebastian grinned, producing a fourth glass from seemingly nowhere. “Come to join therebellion, Sinclair?”

“Someone has to document it properly,” she countered, accepting the champagne with a knowing smile. “The official historians will get it all wrong.”

“Present company excluded, of course,” Alexander added with a nod to Emilia.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Emilia teased. “I’m finding myself increasingly biased these days.”

Alexander clutched his chest in mock offense. “Miss Carter, are you suggesting that your academic integrity has been compromised by your affection for the crown?”

“Not the crown,” she corrected with a smile. “Just the man wearing it.”

“And this,” Sebastian groaned, “is why I needed the good champagne.”

Harper laughed. “And how exactly will you be framing today’s events for tomorrow’s headline?”

Harper’s eyes gleamed. “I’m thinking: ‘Modern Monarchy: Palace Reform Signals Shift in Power Dynamics.’ With a subheading about the intersection of personal choice and political consequence.”

“Riveting,” Sebastian drawled. “‘Historic Royal Wedding Paves Way for Constitutional Crisis’ would sell more copies.”

“I don’t write clickbait,” Harper retorted. “Unlike some politicians I know who can’t open their mouths without causing a diplomatic incident.”

“That was one time,” Sebastian protested. “And how was I supposed to know the German ambassador’s wife was standing right behind me?”

“Perhaps by turning around before describing her hat as a ‘taxidermied peacock having a seizure’?” Alexander suggestedmildly.

Sebastian pointed his glass at Alexander. “Speaking of diplomatic incidents, now that you’ve been crowned and successfully reformed the marriage laws, what’s next? What’s the grand vision beyond making history with our brilliant historian here?”

Alexander straightened slightly, his expression growing more focused. “We’re done with symbolic gestures,” he said, his voice quiet but intense. “From now on, we’re about tangible change—transparency in royal finances, restructuring the charitable foundation to focus on education and economic mobility, redefining the monarchy as a force that unites rather than divides.”

Though his delivery remained measured, there was an unmistakable conviction in his words. “The crown has been a symbol for centuries—it’s time it became a tool for actual progress.”

This was the Alexander that Emilia had come to know—reserved in manner but unwavering in purpose. His quiet intensity commanded more attention than any grand speech could. Even Sebastian, for once, didn’t interrupt.

“Now that,” Harper said, making quick notes, “is a headline.”

“Not bad,” Sebastian conceded. “Though you might want to work on your delivery for the more conservative members of Parliament. Lady Aberdeen nearly fainted when you mentioned ‘progress’ at the reception.”

Emilia stifled a laugh. “In her defense, she’s eighty-four and still thinks electric lights are a passing fad.”

“Exactly my point,” Sebastian said. “You need to ease them in. Say something like ‘measured advancements rooted in tradition.’ Keeps them from clutchingtheir pearls.”

Alexander rolled his eyes. “So, in other words, lie.”

Sebastian smirked. “I prefer ‘strategic phrasing.’ But yes.”

Harper arched a brow. “Is that what you’re calling it now?”

He poured more champagne into their glasses with a flourish. “To the new monarchy: slightly less stuffy, significantly more entertaining, and absolutely dependent on my political savvy.”

Harper snorted. “That almost sounded humble.”

“Almost,” Emilia murmured.

“To Sebastian’s ego,” Alexander countered, raising his glass. “May it someday fit through standard doorways.”

Harper laughed in surprise while Sebastian barely reacted—just rolled his eyes as if this were entirely expected. Emilia, meanwhile, hid her amusement behind her glass.