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“To be honest, I don’t do the work with the wood myself any longer. I’m retiring soon,” Sebastian said. “I do have a team of professionals I oversee and they do outstanding work. But I thought it would be rude to not come here and inspect the altar myself, especially considering we were old friends, Your Majesty.”
Queen Annabelle nodded and did her own kind of inspecting, glancing at him from head to toe. “How thoughtful. It looks like the years have treated you kindly, too. And there is no need to be so formal.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Sebastian said. “I mean, Annabelle.”
We were watching their exchange like it was a soap opera. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, but Queen Annabelle appeared to be acting like a normal person. Even cordial, dare I say.
“I also wanted to express my condolences for the loss of King Henrik,” Sebastian said. “He was the greatest king this country has ever seen. I sent flowers and a card.”
The Queen looked surprised by that. “To be honest, it would have been impossible to read all the cards delivered to the palace, but I do appreciate the kind gesture.”
“My pleasure—it’s difficult losing someone you love,” he said. “I’m a widower myself, after being married for thirty-eight years.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Queen Annabelle said.
“Life goes on . . .” Sebastian nodded. “Anyway, I won’t take up any more of your time. It was such a pleasure to see you.”
“And you as well,” the queen said.
He turned to the door and?—
“Sebastian,” Queen Annabelle said. “If your schedule allows, perhaps we could have tea after you have finished with your work. Just to catch up.”
That surprised everyone in the room.
He gave her a grateful smile. “I’d like that. Very much so.”
Sebastian and I strolled through the royal grounds, toward the enclosed storage area where the altar was being kept. As we approached, a sudden chorus of voices called my name. I turned, then saw a group of people wielding cameras, all pointed directly at me.
In a spontaneous decision, I reached for Sebastian’s arm, guiding him behind the building. “Better if we go this way, unless you’re in the mood to go viral.”
“Not particularly,” he replied with a knowing smile. “Speaking of that, I saw you on the news. With Prince Oliver at Atomic Adventures.”
I nodded. “They’re always looking for a juicy story.”
“I can certainly relate,” Sebastian said, surprising me by opening up about his past. “It’s no secret that I have the distinction of being the man the queen dated before she got married to King Henrik.”
It had been quite surreal to see the usually unflappable queen in a moment of uncertainty and weakness, but now it all made sense.
“You were in love with Queen Annabelle?” I asked.
Sebastian nodded, then shared a story that was both beautiful and heartbreaking. It was a revelation that left me genuinely surprised, how the course of someone’s life could change in a heartbeat. Somehow, I related to him, navigating the complexities of relationships with a royal and the uncertainty that comes with them.
“Those were different times back then—a different story altogether,” Sebastian said, as if sensing my surprise. “Maybe you’ll have a more positive outcome than mine.”
“Who said your story was over?” I countered. “Maybe there’s an epilogue waiting for you.”
Looking perplexed, Sebastian asked, “What do you mean?”
“Well . . . Queen Annabelle is single,” I pointed out. “You’re single. You just need to believe that there might be a chance between the two of you, and let the Universe sort out the details.”
I couldn’t help but smile at my newfound optimism, realizing I had unintentionally echoed Oliver’s words almost verbatim. Maybe I was starting to believe that something special could happen between Oliver and me.
Sebastian glanced back at the palace, then a grin slowly formed on his face. “She did invite me to tea.”
“Sounds like that is a wonderful place to start,” I said.
He inspected the altar with a trained eye, assuring me that the damage was minimal. He promised to send someone the next day to begin the restoration.
