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“Fashion is the point of the scarves, my dear—fashion.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fashion for the highway? Why don’t you just get us a full costume so other drivers will be entertained at least.”
“Oh, don’t give me ideas. Because I can go full-on Tina Turner for the outfits.”
“Oh, God.” I couldn’t help but laugh, and it felt nice. I could see it now, me and her, two women on our own. It was funny.
“Maybe you could even have a comeback tour.”
“I haven’t been gone long enough to do a comeback tour, Mom.”
“It feels like you’ve been gone years for me,” she muttered.
I leaned forward. “Aww, Mommy, did you miss me? And here all you do is complain that I nag.”
“You do nag. Like an old woman,” she shot back. “But when you’re gone, it’s very quiet. And that is even more annoying.”
“So, you missed me.”
“Stop grinning like that. Of course, I missed you. I am your mother, remember, so of course, I do. So do some of your bandmates. They call me all the time. You should have called them more. Oh, we can have a dinner for everyone.”
“Okay.” I grinned as she went on planning my big comeback. There was a pain in my chest, but I focused on her. I couldn’t make everyone happy, but making my mom happy was good enough for me. And seeing her talk and plan, joke, tease, and nag helped me forget again.
I did not like being in this role.
I just wanted everything to be in order.
Inhaling deeply, I lifted my fist and knocked.
“Enter.”
When I did, he was seated behind mounds of papers, folders, maps, and everything that could possibly fit on his desk. It felt like the days right after Prince Arthur had died. When Prince Galahad would bury himself in work, so he did not feel whatever it was he was feeling. He’d once again taken to sleeping in his office, and from the tray of uneaten food in the corner, he was now not eating again.
“What is it, Iskandar? Where is Balduin? We have work to do,” he questioned, signing something before moving.
“I asked him to wait for a moment.”
“Why?”
“Wolfgang called—”
“Is Odette all right?” he asked, already rising and reaching for his coat.
“She is fine. She and her mother booked a flight. They are leaving Ersovia tomorrow morning.”
He froze and said not a word. His eyes held on my face for a very long time, which was not what I expected. I thought he would already be walking, rushing to her side to stop her from leaving. But he stood there for a moment longer then nodded before sitting back down.
“Should I call for the car, sir?” I questioned to make sure.
“No,” he whispered, shaking his head and lifting his paperwork again. “Please send Balduin in.”
This was not him. He was lost again.
I turned to leave. It was not my job to interfere with his personal life. My job was to follow orders. I was not his friend. So, I just had to accept him as he was and leave. But I could not leave. Turning back around, I asked again, “Are you sure you do not wish for me to get the car?”
“That is what I said, is it not?”
I cringed. That was what he had said. Why was I still not following orders? I did not like not following orders. However, I was going rogue against my own code.
