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The king looked back to me and mouthed, “Lie just a little bit.”
“Gale!”
“Come on, Iskandar is already waiting out front,” he exclaimed cheerfully, taking her forward hand in hand.
“They are so cute it makes my face hurt,” Gelula leaned over to whisper to me as we walked behind them.
I leaned in and whispered, “Mine too.”
As everyone spoke and got ready to leave, I saw the valets as they double-checked all the king and queen’s luggage. We were all traveling for the start of the king and queen’s honeymoon tour across the nation.
Stepping away from Gelula, I moved closer to them.
“Is everything ready?” I asked only for them to looked back at me, a bit startled because normally, secretaries didn’t speak to them directly.
No one was to speak to them but the head butler or assistants of the royal family. Upon seeing me, Mr. Parsworth immediately came up to me with his head held high and his chest out.
“Yes, Sir Wolfgang, do you see anything amiss?” His voice was deep, sharp, and direct, which was pretty much palace code for stay out of my lane.
Everyone was a bit territorial when it came to their positions and overly cautious now that word had spread that the queen wanted a full list of everyone who worked in the palace. She had asked me in the middle of the hall, so I assumed a maid had told everyone else. Now they were all panicking, thinking she may sack them. I doubted that was what she wanted to do, but I couldn’t say anything since I didn’t know for sure.
Coming over here like this might look as if I didn’t trust Mr. Parsworth to do his job, which meant that I could say something to the queen and the queen could remove him.
“Sir?” he pressed again.
I was so worried about making this trip perfect. I was freaking people out and messing with the order of things.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Parsworth. I’m just anxious for the queen’s first trip, and it’s caused me to hover. Nothing is the matter; I’m sure everything is in your capable hands.” I nodded to him, sucking up a little bit.
He looked me over, and his shoulders came down just a bit as he relaxed. “I understand. Please keep in mind we all wish for Her Grace to succeed as well. I doubled checked everything personally this morning.”
“Wolfgang?” Gelula called to me from the second car behind the royal car.
“Thank you.” I nodded to him before walking back to her and entering the second car behind the king and queen. I pulled out my phone and tablet from my bag, just in case there was something the queen needed.
“There will be quite a few members of the press to capture the king and queen as they arrive at the Royal Station—Wolfgang, did you explain that to the queen?” Mr. Balduin asked from the front seat.
“Yes. Her Grace and I went over any possible questions again yesterday,” I replied, sitting up.
I couldn’t admit, though, I was struggling a bit. There was so much Queen Elspeth’s secretary had passed down to me. I knew many people thought I didn’t have the experience or the age required to guide a new queen. Everyone thought I had just lucked out and was waiting for me to fail and be replaced with someone…wiser. But I was determined to prove to them all I could do this.
“This should have been a peaceful week of good press. But the story by both The Ersovian Times and The Morning Eagle still has everyone gossiping. Hopefully, we can escape it when we leave the city and start anew in Rozem.”
Gelula sat up. “Iskandar is from Rozem, isn’t he?”
“He is.” My eyes widened as I had completely forgotten the Ruegg family home was there because we hadn’t mentioned it at any of the meetings.
“Yes, the king had wanted to go to Iskandar’s childhood home. But then, later, after talking to Iskandar, he changed his mind. I know Reuben, Iskandar’s father, would be disappointed; he is quite the royalist,” Mr. Balduin said as he adjusted his glasses and smirked. “No doubt, he would have loved to have the honor of being the first to host the new king.”
I frowned. “I don’t understand. How did Iskandar change the king’s mind? Why doesn’t he want to go?”
“He told the king that it may come off a bit elitist or at the very least highly impartial if his first visit was given to one of your families—the knights who are in his service. And I agreed.” He nodded, showing he still agreed. “This trip is to show themselves to the people, make them feel real, modern, and accessible. Getting caught up in the nobles and knights so soon would do the opposite of that.”
It made sense. It was very logical and cold. Sounded exactly like Iskandar. How was he able to be like that with everyone—even his only family? Surely the man had one flaw. He couldn’t just be made of duty.
But then again…like my family, he was. I’d bet he’d get along with all my family. They could all smack me on the back of the head together. Though I didn’t mind it as much when he did it.
“Wolfgang?”
