Page 18 of Her Royal Rebellion

“Thank you, Aiden.” I hugged my brother, feeling an enormous weight lift from me.

He squeezed my shoulder before stepping back. “I knew having something on him would come in handy eventually.”

I giggled. “Yes, it worked out quite nicely. I appreciate you using it for me.”

“Anytime.” He reached for Charlie’s hand and they continued down the hall. I could hear her whispering to him and soon they were both laughing.

Carolyn fell into step next to me and opened her folder. “Well, now that we have the day opened up. What would you like to do?”

I let out a breath. I had a whole day to myself now that I wasn’t playing hostess. “Have we received the auditions from the bands for the Independence Day parade?”

She turned on her tablet and tapped a few times until a list of files faced me. “I have them here.”

We walked into my office, and I immediately relaxed into my cream chair and took the tablet. She sat next to me and we watched the videos. The first was a drum corps then a pipe band and a few wind bands.

I decided to include three, one of each type, in the Royal parade.

“Now, you must decide on your guest.”

I repressed a groan. It was tradition for the princess to host the parade and have one honored guest. If I really had a choice, I would invite a child, maybe one fighting a battle with disease or a winner of a science contest. Someone that inspired me. The guest was usually the most famous pop singer or actor of the moment. It was a crowd favorite and brought an international star to Lochland, a rare occurrence.

Mum had the responsibility for a few years before Dad’s coronation, and she told me stories about the celebrities that came. They were fond memories for her. Since Dad didn’t have a sister, his mum filled that role almost her entire life. She lived for the event each year. Even as the queen, she loved spending the day with someone famous.

It was ridiculous.

“You can invite anyone you want, Isla. You don’t have to follow tradition.”

I rolled my head and met her eyes. “You know as well as I do there will be riots.”

She smirked but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. “Fine. Are there any actors you have a crush on? A singer you would like to perform?”

I thought of Logan immediately. He was the only one I had a crush on, and as much as I knew the young women of the country would love to ogle him, I knew most would be disappointed I’d picked a national hero rather than some teeny bopper singer.

“How about that younger girl? The newer one that always wears the oversized suits? I like that she doesn’t give into the stereotype of pop stars. She doesn’t sexualize herself, especially since she’s so young.”

“Frankie Lake?” Carolyn asked.

“Yes, that’s her name. Would you please invite her?”

She made a note then handed me the itinerary for tomorrow. “I’m sorry, but you have another suitor arriving tomorrow.”

I took the paper from her and frowned until I saw the name. “Peter’s coming already?”

She smiled and went back to her folder.

I didn’t know when he was arriving. Peter was a childhood friend. We grew up spending every summer together and visited each other through university, but why was he coming as a suitor? If he was interested in me in a romantic way he had every chance in the world to have said something before now. I would have to wait and ask him myself.

A knock sounded on the door and Carolyn answered it. Logan was standing on the other side with a blank expression. I wished he wasn’t so good at hiding his emotions. It made it too hard to guess what he was thinking.

“I was wondering if the princess had a moment.” He addressed Carolyn but they both looked to me for an answer.

“Of course, please come in.” I shared a look with my assistant and she excused herself, leaving me alone with Logan. “Is everything okay?”

He sat across from me and smiled. “Yes, this whole crazy experiment might be over much sooner than expected if you keep up this pace.”

I smirked. “I can’t say I’m not pleased with the turn of events today.”

He ducked his head, staring at the ground. I knew something was bothering him and hoped he would open up to me.