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“On the dot.” She laughed back at me.
“Oh, no.”
“Oh, yes.”
Rushing back to the end of the bed, I stepped into my heels before grabbing my phone and clutch off the pile of dresses on the bed.
“Perfume!” she called out to me when I made for the door. I stopped in front of her so I could turn around as she sprayed. “Okay, go.”
Putting on my coat, I called out a quick, “Thank you!” I went down the stairs faster than I should have done in heels. Getting to the front door, I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself, standing a little taller.
You’ve got this, Odette.
“You’re very punctual...” my voice trailed off. It wasn’t Gale at the door but rather the freckle-faced, blond-haired man I saw coming to my place this morning standing in the cold. “Who are you?”
He grinned wide at me. “Wolfgang, ma’am. His Highness directed me to pick you up.”
“Wasn’t he coming himself?”
“He wanted to, but Iskandar wouldn’t let him,” he replied, moving to the side for me to walk forward.
“Wouldn’t let him?” Who was the prince, and who was the bodyguard again?
He nodded as we walked toward the waiting car. “The press back in Ersovia apparently got word that His Highness is no longer in the country. Iskandar didn’t want to risk him getting photographed if he picked you up. His Highness was not happy about it.”
“Thank you,” I said as I got into the back of the car, carefully tucking my dress inside.
“Of course,” he replied before closing the door and going around to the front of the car.
I noticed a difference between Iskandar and him immediately. Wolfgang was a lot more cheerful, and his manner of speaking was more relaxed, while Iskandar seemed more militant.
“You said Gale was upset?” I asked when we got into the car.
He nodded as he pulled out. “Yes, very much so. He said even if the press knew he was gone, they wouldn’t know he was here or coming to pick you up. Iskandar said there was no way to know how much was leaked. They got into an argument about it. However, Iskandar won out in the end when he said it could cause trouble for you.”
“Trouble for me? But I’m used to the press at this point. True or false?”
“Not the Ersovian press.” He chuckled and met my eyes in the rearview mirror before turning the corner. “They are like bloodhounds. One picture and they not only will descend like an army but the stories will be neverending also.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yes. People love the Ersovian monarchy. Everything is a story. What the royal family is wearing, where they are vacationing, even what they are reading or eating. One time, there was a rumor that Prince Arthur had become vegan, which turned into a full story, which led to the journalist on TV debating on whether or not it was a sign of weakness in the future king. Apparently, not eating meat meant he was too softhearted and didn’t have the fortitude to make hard choices.”
“What? That’s crazy? Just because he didn’t eat meat?”
He nodded as we pulled onto the main road. “You have no idea. Some hardcore loyalists even started to switch their diets. The people were split on it. It got so big that the palace wasn’t sure whether it was worthy of an official royal statement or not. Prince Arthur wasn’t even vegan. He just hadn’t eaten it because he and his wife were trying to eat a little cleaner.”
“So, how did the Vegan Crisis of Ersovia come to an end?” I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. It was so silly.
“Prince Arthur went to dinner with his wife, where he ordered a grilled balsamic chicken cobb salad.” He grinned again like he was really proud. “Not an official royal statement, but it was a statement. Eat meat if you want but also be healthy was the takeaway. He got a lot of praise, but vegans were disappointed.”
“Wow.” I leaned against the door. “All of this from rumors?”
“Yep, which is why Iskandar was so harsh, and His Highness accepted. He is used to it, but the last thing he wants is for you to be hounded from the get-go.”
I smiled. “From the get-go? What about not getting hounded at all?”
He frowned and met my eyes for a second in the rearview mirror. “Sadly, that’s not possible. But at least you have a little experience with the media.”
