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“A couple,” I admit.
“What for?” Lily asks.
“I got some academic medals. And some service medals. The King –”
Bella coughs loudly.
“You need coffee, dear,” Lily says, looking at Bella.
While Bella walks across the room, I get a whiff of her scent, and it’s intoxicating. Much nicer than most perfumes, and I’ve smelled most of the finest in the world.
“Ixnay on the oyaltyray,” Bella whispers.
“What?”
“Wait for her with the royalty business. Don’t bring it up.” I knew Bella wanted me to take it slowly with the asking, but not even bringing up royalty? Is this Texas or the Soviet bloc?
“Here you go,” Lily says, setting a mug in front of Bella.
Bella sits back in her chair, glaring at me.Damn, she’s intense,I think. She doesn’t know who she’s up against. Intense is my middle name. I do have seven of them, actually. It could be one.
“Do you like bacon?” Bella says.
“Doesn’t everyone?”
Lily gets up and brings me a couple of pieces, unprompted.
“Thanks, Lily.”
“What else do you like?” Bella asks.
“Like, food? Roast venison fresh from a hunt is incredible. I love the tradition of it.”
“Not just food. Do you have hobbies?” Bella asks. For someone so stone-faced, her curiosity surprises me.
“Well, I like playing polo. And riding, of course.”
“That’s it?”
“Not at all. They sort of raised us to be sort of renaissance men. Painting. Reading. Poetry. Chess. How about you? Or does this interview only go one way?”
Bella looks at Lily and then back at me. Lily seems to want to know about me, but for whatever reason, maybe shyness, maybe even fear, she’s hesitant. So I open up about my passions when Bella asks.
“When I was growing up, we learned about other cultures, and I loved it. I still do. So, my job as a cultural ambassador is perfect. I love sharing culture, languages, food, music, dance, and art. All of it. And if we share that, we can start to find common ground.”
“And then what?”
Bella asks, but for some reason, I glance at Lily. She gives off a warmth that seems more than casual. It’s comforting. And it’s a change to have a maternal-type figure look at me with affection rather than contempt.
“We can connect without fear. Class doesn’t matter. Language doesn’t matter. Deep inside, we’re the same.”
Lily is smiling at me broadly, beaming even. Even Bella seems less annoyed. I take a risk and charge on.
“The King says that cultural exchange is a fundamental part of diplomacy. He’s glad I’m leading it.”
“It sounds like you’re doing well,” Lily says with a big smile that has a hint of sadness. Maybe the story makes her nostalgic for her time with the King.
Bella pulls me from my chair by the arm.
