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Those greedy girls can find another poor sod to harass. I'm taken.
Although I love watching Sam sleep, I wake her up so we can both get dressed for breakfast. That means she has to hurry downstairs to her assigned bedroom, where she left all her belongings. I don't see her again until I walk into the dining room on the first floor. My parents are there already, as are Stephanie and her fiancé, Wesley, and Brakefield too.
When I sit down beside Sam, she whispers in my ear, "Isn't it strange for a bodyguard to eat with the royal family?"
"You've seen Brakefield eat with us every day. Now you finally ask that question?"
"I wasn't engaged to you before, so I didn't feel it was my place to ask."
"Ah, I see. You asked plenty of impertinent questions all week, but the topic of my mother's bodyguard made you uncomfortable."
"I wasn't impertinent. I was curious."
"Yes, that explains everything." I cast her a sideways glance, and I might be smirking. "For your information, Brakefield resisted the idea of eating with us. But Mum is persistent and persuasive. He finally gave in."
"Why did she want him to eat with you guys so badly?"
"Because she likes him. He's not much older than I am, so Brakefield is kind of like a son to Mum."
"Does that bother you?"
I shrug. "Why should it? I'm not a snob, you know."
"Never thought you were. But he's not a family member."
"To Mum, he is. And we all want her to be happy."
My response seems to satisfy her, and we don't talk any more once the food is served.
That afternoon, it's time for the royal procession to celebrate Christmas Eve. I hold Sam's hand while we amble down the main street in the village, waving to the people gathered along either side. Sam was surprised when I told her we don't dress up for this event, at least not in the "crazy spiffy" way she tells me she expected. Dad and I wear suits and ties, while Mum and Stephanie wear nice dresses, though their frocks aren't designer items. Neither are the suits Dad and I wear. Wesley, Stephanie's fiancé, is dressed in the same way. We all stop occasionally to shake hands with the townsfolk, chat to them, and even kiss a few babies. It's informal, which explains why Sam was surprised. Most of the other events this week have been full of the pageantry she expected.
The procession ends at the only church in this town, where Mum and Dad turn on the lights on the village Christmas tree right before we all file into the chapel for services. After that, we lead the entire town in singing carols in front of the big tree.
We have dinner at home, as a family, though our "home" is an enormous castle. Then we open our presents in the sitting room with a fire roaring in the hearth. What we gave each other hardly matters. It's the fact we're together that means everything, especially now that I have Sam in my life. When we announce our engagement the next morning, everyone is thrilled. Maybe I had worried a little that my mother might not approve, but I was wrong. She hugs Sam and tells her to "call me Mum, darling."
Christmas dinner is a feast for sure. Sam can't believe how many dishes are served, or that we have a three-course meal along with appetizers and dessert too.
The biggest surprise comes that evening when Mum asks me and Sam to meet her in her office. Yes, my mother has an office inside the castle. So does Dad, but that's no surprise. He is the Prince of Mithoria, after all. Mum's office isn't quite as large as Dad's, but it's still bigger than the living room in Sam's cabin.
Mum waits for us behind her desk, waving for Sam and me to take the chairs on the other side. Princess Olivia sits regally straight with her hands folded on the desktop. "Leighton and I have discussed the issue of Bennett's future, and we've come to a decision."
"I'm an adult, Mum. I can make my own decisions."
"Don't get cheeky with me, Ben, or I might change my mind." She's almost smiling when she says that, so I know she won't reverse whatever decision my parents have made together.
I glance at Sam, and she raises her brows. I shrug.
"Leighton and I agree," my mother says, "that you should not become Prince of Mithoria unless that's what you truly want. Your father intends to live to a ripe old age, but we don't want you to be miserable worrying about the day when you'll need to take over as prince. So, the question is simple. Do you want to give up being the crown prince and lead a relatively normal life in England?"
"Are you serious? How can I do that? Who would become the crown prince in my place?"
"Your sister will become the crown princess."
"But a woman can't rule Mithoria. This is a principality, which means a prince is in charge. That's what you've always told me. Besides, I'm the oldest child."
Mum leans back in her chair and gives me a mischievous smile, the sort I've never seen from her before. "Times have changed, darling. And so has Mithoria. Leighton and I have explored the legality of this issue. While the original charter for Mithoria declared a prince would always reign, it left, shall we say, wiggle room. The parliament voted on the issue earlier this week, though their approval wasn't strictly required."
"I didn't hear anything about a vote."
