AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“None taken, Ma’am,” Ingrid replied.
“With the retirement and all the changes, I’ll have Markus; he’s senior. Lillian requested that she keep working with Katrin. So, Ingrid will be working with you.”
“I don’t need a private secretary,” Mari stated. “Again, no offense, Ingrid.”
“Ma’am, it’s okay,” Ingrid said.
“You’re a senior member of the royal family and will perform royal duties now that you’re back, so you need a secretary. Now that you’re second in line after Lillian, there are more expectations on you, Mari.”
“Elin, Dad promised me I wouldn’t have to–”
“I know that; it’s a formality. Ingrid will be your secretary even if you go to business school.”
“If?!” Mari asked.
“He’s waiting for us, Mari. You can ask him at the party,” Elin replied.
“Ingrid, are you coming?” Mari asked.
“Sorry, Ma’am?” Ingrid looked confused.
“If you come to the party, we can get this all sorted out,” Mari said.
“Oh, I don’t think–”
“It’s a family party, Mari,” Elin interrupted Ingrid. “I mean… I’m sorry, Ingrid. I didn’t mean to–”
“This is rubbish,” Lillian stated, standing up. “Weare going to the party. Ingrid, you and my sister can work this all out.”
“Which sister?” Mari asked.
“The future Queen,” Lillian replied. “We’ll see you in the ballroom,” Lillian said to Elin.
Then, she pulled Mari out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.
“I should let you get to the party, Ma’am,” Ingrid said.
“Yes, thank you,” Elin replied, nodding at her.
“Permission to speak, Ma’am,” Ingrid said, clasping her hands in front of her.
“Ingrid, you don’t…” Elin swallowed and closed her eyes for a second. “Of course.”
“I just wanted to say that I’ve really enjoyed working with you these past few years, and that I know Markus is well-qualified, but I’m here for anything you need as well,” she said. “Ma’am,” she added a second later.
Elin wanted to say something, but she risked giving herself away, so she just nodded and motioned for Ingrid to head out first, following her out of the room and heading toward the ballroom alone.
The party wasn’t a formal affair. It was just the six of them with several members of their extended family. They had three aunts and two uncles between their parents. Her two aunts and one uncle on her mother’s side couldn’t inherit, since she was Queen by marriage, but her father had a sister and a brother that technically could, should Elin, Lillian, and Mari fail to have children.
As members of her family approached, congratulating her on her future crown, she actually counted her cousins. Just in this room, there were fourteen people who could one day wear the crown. It made her feel safe and comforted, knowing that if she didn’t want this, she could give it to someone else that did; maybe not Lillian, who seemed unsure, or Mari, who didn’t want it at all, but there were options. Who was Elin kidding? She wasn’t going to pass this on to someone else. Just the fact that her father was retiring and her brother wasn’t taking the crown was enough to concern the country. If she handed the crown to one of her cousins, the monarchy would likely end there. The people would rightfully say, ‘If none of you want it, why should we?’
“Once the announcement happens, we’ll need to do everything we can to ensure the nation that we have this all under control,” her father said to the crowd who’d quieted the moment the King had started speaking.
She wondered if she’d ever have that kind of power over a room and doubted it very much.
“Christian is leaving us soon and returning to active duty. While I am sad, as a father and a King, that my only son has decided against becoming a King in his own right, I must admit now, after thinking it through, that I am proud of him for standing up for what he believes to be right and for serving his country in the way he thinks he best can. A father wants his son to be an honorable, loyal man, and I can see why Christian believes this is his path. I’ve agreed to accept his removal from the line, and Christian and I have spoken at length about what this means for any of his future family members.”
“You did?” she whispered to her brother as her father continued.
