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I won’t say that out loud, and it’s almost too late to bottle up that feeling because the Bentley comes to a slow halt along a tall stone wall. As the vehicle creeps along, a simple sign comes into view: “Historic Haart home,” is all it says.
The car stops in front of a tall wrought-iron gate.
“Here we are,” Torben says.
The gates open inward and close behind us, separating us from the well-wishers.
My stomach clenches as the wheels crunch on the slow drive up to the front steps of an aging, four-story stone castle, complete with tall, crenelated turrets straight out of a storybook. Half of the front of the palace is covered in ivy and looks more like a private college library than a royal residence.
The car comes to a halt at the apex of a circle. Two people wait at the foot of the stairs for us.
My body relaxes a bit when I realize the king and queen are not at all formal people with lots of security and fuss around them. Also, they look slightly different from what I could see through the airplane window, but that was at a distance.
The car doors open, and I step out unceremoniously, bravely deciding to look eager to meet my future in-laws. I am eager, if a bit prejudiced based on what their children have said about them. And what else? Oh, also extreme anxiety because this is the first time I’m meeting a freaking king and queen.
Torben is right behind me, followed by the siblings, amongst whom I can hear muttering and whispering about something. What they’re fussing about, I don’t know.
An older man with a tidy silver beard steps forward before anyone can make introductions. “Madam.” The king looks grayer at the temples and has more intense, deeper-set eyes than I remember from the internet photos. And I don’t recall him having a beard, either.
I accept his offered hand and curtsy the way that Torben showed me how to do on the plane. “Your majesty.”
Someone behind me snickers, and I’m pretty sure it’s Etienne, whom I’m learning it’s best to ignore.
The man gives me a bemused look before I quickly release his hand and turn to the woman beside him. I was told exactly how to stand and make introductions, but I must be doing things wrong because the king’s gaze is awkward. “Your majesty,” I say to the queen, giving a smaller curtsy at a slight bow. The queen appears to be biting back a laugh.
Suddenly I feel foolish because I’ve done it all wrong. I turn to Torben, whose mouth gapes.
Oh no. What did I do?
“Rolf? Julia? Have you been promoted?”
The question comes from the top of the stairs, where a clean-shaven man in his 60s stands, arms akimbo, in a designer suit. Next to him is an elegant woman wearing a silk wrap and heels.
“Sorry. We’re the staff. Not the king and queen,” the woman in front of me says. “We’re here to receive requests from the royal family upon their arrival.”
I want to shrink into nothingness. I want to crawl under a rock and live the rest of my days there.
“I was practicing,” I say, curtseying again. “And now I’d like an invisibility cloak. Y’all have one of those?”
The staff, who I now know are Rolf and Julia, indulge me with a nervous chuckle.
Etienne is the first to speak up. “A whiskey, neat. Make it a double, Rolf, and bring it to me on the east terrace.”
“Very good, sir.”
“Nothing for me, thank you. I’m going to charge my phone and have a nap. Hailey, it was wonderful to meet you! I’ll see you at breakfast!” Flora shouts as she rushes up the stairs and disappears into the castle.
Sig ambles away from the stairs and gives a half-hearted wave. No one seems affected by this at all. Torben leans in and murmurs, “Probably taking off to check his traps.”
I turn to Torben abruptly, horrified. “Torben, I should tell you now that I hate that expression applied to dating. I don’t care to know about your brother’s exploits. If he’s a playboy, please spare me the details.”
Torben pauses, flummoxed, then bursts into laughter. “No, my love. I mean literal traps. The countryside is bedeviled with weasels this time of year. He’s a great help to the farmers.”
Oh god. Of course, that’s what he means.
And now all that’s left is to meet the actual king and queen.
The two slightly impatient people at the top of the stairs are waiting for me.
