“Those things we’ll figure out together. Without threatening to take everything from each other.” Darragh looked at Helena. “Leave out the piss-off clause.”
“Are you certain? Both of you?”
Finn thought about it. About the man beside him who’d kneeled in front of him and held out a ring. A man who agreed that Thursdays were the perfect day for them to be together all day, no matter what. A man who was looking at him now as if he mattered more than any crown or title.
“Leave it out.” Finn’s voice was steady. “We won’t need it.”
Helena made a note. “Very well. Though I’ll point out you’re both either very confident or very foolish.”
“Probably both.” Darragh grinned. “Anything else we need to cover?”
“Actually, yes. Several things.” Helena pulled out another sheet. “Responsibilities and duties, financial arrangements, succession planning - though your nephew covers that - protocol expectations, staff management, official correspondence...”
“Can I have input on hiring decisions?” Finn interrupted. “For castle staff?”
“Of course. You’ll be managing the household.”
“I will?” Finn hadn’t been expecting that.
“Someone has to.” Darragh looked far too amused. “I hate dealing with the housekeeper. She terrifies me.”
“The housekeeper - that really nice lady I met the other day? She terrifies you?” Sometimes Finn wondered if he’d ever understand the man who was about to become his husband.
“She was on her best behavior because you were a guest. Mrs. Donnelly has been here since my father’s time. She once made me stand in the corner for tracking mud through the east wing. I was twenty-eight at the time.”
Finn laughed. “I’m sure we’ll get along fine.”
“Famous last words.” But Darragh was smiling.
They worked through the rest of the contract details - financial provisions, official duties, household management, protocol expectations. Helena insisted on including a clause about appropriate behavior at state functions, which Finn accepted with only minimal grumbling. Darragh added a provision ensuring Finn could visit Winrone whenever he wanted, and that he would accompany him when official duties allowed.
“Is that everything?” Finn’s hand cramped from signing his initials on what felt like every third line.
“Almost.” Helena pulled out one final document. “The timeline. The wedding needs to happen within three weeks.”
“Three weeks?” Finn nearly dropped the quill. “Why three weeks?”
“Protocol requires the king’s spouse to be officially recognized before hosting major diplomatic events. The World Council summit is in five months, and that’s going to take a lot of work and castle resources to pull that off successfully. You need to be married with enough time to be formally presented as kingconsort.” Helena tapped the parchment. “Three weeks is actually pushing it. Two would be better.”
“Can we even plan a wedding in two weeks?”
“You’re royalty now. You can plan anything in two weeks if you throw enough resources at it.” Darragh didn’t sound concerned. “Though it’ll have to be small. We don’t have the time for a massive state ceremony, although you totally deserve one.”
“Small sounds perfect.” Finn meant it. The thought of hundreds of strangers watching him marry Darragh made his stomach turn.
“The wedding will be limited to immediate family, close friends, essential council members, and advisers. We’ll make it three weeks.” Helena was already making a list. “We can do a larger celebration after the summit if you want.”
“Or we could just skip the larger celebration entirely.” Darragh looked at Finn. “Unless you want one?”
“I want to marry you and not humiliate either of us in front of dignitaries. That’s all there is on my current list of priorities.”
“Very reasonable priorities.” Darragh leaned closer. “We’ll keep it small. Just the people who matter.”
Helena set down her quill and surveyed the stack of parchment they’d covered with notes, clauses, and signatures. “I’ll have the formal contract drawn up by tomorrow. You’ll both need to review and sign it, then it goes to the World Council for official registration. Once the council receives the paperwork, which will be within a day of it being signed, all of the clauses and conditions in it will go into effect. The vow ceremony is simply a formality, but the marriage will already be legally binding.”
She looked at them both. “This is your last chance to reconsider any of the terms we’ve discussed.”
Finn glanced at Darragh, who was already watching him with an expression that made breathing difficult. Three weeks until they were married. A lifetime of Thursdays after that.
