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“Yes, Ma…Odette.” He nodded, and so did she. “What was it like to meet the king—then, Prince Galahad.”
She opened her mouth and then paused, a large grin on her face causing me to look at her.
“Yes?” I asked her, also waiting for her answer.
“Can I be honest with you, Mr. Pen?” she asked, leaning toward him more.
“If I am going to call you Odette, then call me Edmond. And please.” He nodded at her.
“I kind of did not like him,” she said.
“That is a bit harsh.” I gasped and laughed. “I would rather say you were shy.”
She pretended to think, then shook her head. “No, I thought you were cute, but I didn’t like you.”
“Wow.” I shook my head and looked back at him. “You see what my heart must put up with?”
“May I ask why?” Edmond asked, looking between us. “He was a handsome prince, from a good family, very talented…”
“I am coming to like you, Edmond.” I nodded at him.
“And very loved by the ladies.” He added the last part to ruin it all.
“Have you ever seen a handsome prince in a fairy tale who didn’t come with a struggle?” Odette asked him back. Good point on her part. “Many people may like the title, but I think I would have warmed up faster had he not been a prince.”
I nodded. “That is true.”
“What struggle were you expecting from your fairy tale?” he asked her.
She paused, and the look on her face fell slightly. “The press.”
“You have a problem with us?”
“No, I feared many would have a problem with me.” She squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back. “And sadly, I was right.”
“What do you think makes them, and some who listen to them, so upset?” he asked, and I wanted to ask if he was serious or blind to reality.
We had a man poison her because of her race. Was that not clear enough?
“I don’t know for sure; you would have to ask them. I think some people are afraid that when they see me, it erases them. That we cannot co-exist equally. That in some way, I am taking something from them. When truthfully, I want to add to people’s lives.”
I was floored. What happened to her being afraid of public speaking?
“Sir, you are staring at her,” he spoke to me.
“I am, and you must know I do it often,” I said, looking from her to him. “As I am often amazed by her.”
“Is that the reason why you kept pursuing her even when she seemed to be disinterested?”
No, I needed to get her money. But I couldn’t say that.
“First, it was merely a challenge for me to figure out why she was so dead set against me. Then slowly, the more we spoke, the more time I spent with her… the more I found myself staring. She was like no one else I’d ever met.”
“And therefore, worth risking it all?” he questioned.
“I’ve learned life is short, and love is probably the only thing that redeems us. So, if you can’t risk it all, as you say, for love, then what is the point of life? Loveless people are not often happy or kind. If I did as others told me to do, expected me to do, and in the end, ended up miserable and cruel, would I be a good king?”
He just stared back at me.
