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The king flicked his fingers in the air. “And by then, you should know if you and Mathonwy will be the next king and queen, too.”
Math choked on his coffee and set it aside, coughing.
Bethany gasped,“I beg your pardon?”
The king smiled at her over his coffee cup. “Didn’t Mathonwy mention that last month, the Dragon Scepter nearly chose him as the next King of New Wales?”
She turned toward Math.“No.”
Math shifted his weight away from her and stared out the window at the sunshine.
The king said, “Why, yes. The Dragon Scepter illuminated for three dragons but did not complete the selection process: Arawn, the Duke of Tiamat; Cai, the Duke of Wyvern; and your mate, here.”
Bethany turned to Math, but he was staring out of the window and wouldn’t look at her.“Dude. Seriously.”
Math looked back sharply at the king. “I thought there were others, too.”
“Not particularly. You three all had a strong showing, and everyone else had a little fizzly spark or two, at best. I checked the scepter for malfunctions three times during the ceremony. It was astonishing that there are only three front-runners after only one selection process. My year, eight couples gained a response from the scepter during the first round. Didn’t you watch the rest of the ceremony?”
Math flipped his fingers in the air. “I was talking to people.”
The king smiled. “Of course, you were.”
Yes, Math was popular,Bethany surmised.
Math continued, “People needed to plan committee meetings and discuss board business. My calendar is tight.”
“Yes,” the king said, his smile pointedly serious, “I can see where you would be too busy running the kingdom to notice whether or not you were made the king.”
“I don’t run the kingdom,” Math said, frowning. “I just happen to be on a few committees and boards.”
“And the board of Dragons Den, Inc.”
“I’m not on the corporate board,” Math told him.
“Oops,” the king said, still grinning. “I thought they had already notified you of the position. Finding the embezzler and securing the first round of financing from the angel investors impressed the board. They plan to offer you a seat. You must have been too busy with your new duchess to receive them and allow them to make the offer.”
Math frowned harder. “Gareth Terrwyn,” the CEO of Dragons Den, Inc., “did text yesterday to arrange an urgent meeting.”
“Well, let me be the first to congratulate you, then, on your promotion as well as your mating. I assume you’ll be heading back to Las Vegas soon to oversee the soft opening of the casino, which happens in one month.”
“Um—” Math dithered.
Bethany cleared her throat. They had discussed this,extensively.
The king raised one white eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”
Bethany cleared her throat again, so hard that she might have been preparing to hawk up a loogie.
Math looked at the floor. “Duchess Draco and I have planned a honeymoon to Wales and Europe. We will be traveling for at least a month, perhaps two.”
Bethany sat back in her chair, satisfied. She would have a wedding eventually, but she wasnotgiving up her honeymoon.
“We’ll have to find someone else to oversee the casino, then.”
Math said, “Might I suggest Arawn Tiamat? The whole place should have a thorough security analysis before the soft open. Tiamat would be excellent in that role.”
King Llywelyn nodded. “And we’ll have to retain a Master Mage to take care of those sea serpents in the fountain.”
