Chapter 13
Thirteen
Ispend what’s left of the weekend catching up on emails from the Imperial Household Agency.
Dear Princess Kaori,
Your recent talk with the Japanese consul general’s office in Atlanta received high praise from the consul general, Mr. Inouye. His report to the ambassador highlighted your unique ability to connect with the university students in attendance.
As such, we have received several inquiries from the consul general’s offices in Seattle, New York, and Los Angeles, inquiring if you might be available to participate in their informational sessions as a subject-matter expert.
They are specifically interested in your insights regarding the differences between the Japanese and US education systems and your personal experiences as an international student.
The prospective dates are as follows:
Seattle: Oct. 6
New York: Oct. 22
Los Angeles: Nov. 4
These would, of course, be conducted via video chat, as we are aware your in-person appearances are currently being kept to a minimum.
If you are available and willing to participate, kindly reply to this email at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely, K. Watanabe
I cross check my master planner before responding.
Dear Watanabe-San,
Many thanks for your kind email. I’ve just checked the dates against my planner, and it looks as if I’ll be able to take all three meetings. Please go ahead and schedule me.
If something changes, I’ll drop an email to your office.
Best,
Kaori, the Princess Sorahino
Alice has also sent a request.
Dear Kaori,
Can’t wait to hear about your latest outing with Theo the next time we chat.
Just working on the upcoming United Voices schedule for quarter four and wanted to see if I might be able to secure you for our virtual holiday party in December.
I don’t have a date set yet, but I was looking at the 14th or 21st of the month.
Please let me know your thoughts when you can.
Yours,
Alice
I reply:
Dear Alice,
I will! It’s one of those stories that I need to tell you about over video chat instead of text.
As for the holiday party, I’d prefer 14 Dec, if possible. I’ll be traveling home to Orlando on 20 Dec and I’d very much like to celebrate the holidays with your Kindness Ambassadors.
Best,
Kaori
I hit send on the last reply, watching the status bar vanish with a soft whoosh.
It’s a strange juxtaposition. One minute I’m coordinating with the Japanese Consulate as a subject-matter expert on studying abroad, and the next I’m checking dates for Alice’s charity holiday party.
My calendar is a patchwork of royal duties and personal ties, a neatly filed grid that suggests I have everything under control. Which I do, most of the time.
But today, the exhaustion is catching up with me.
I close my laptop and turn toward my dual-monitor workstation, taking a deep breath.
Juggling two entirely different lives—Princess Sorahino and Kaori the junior engineer—isn’t easy.
I know it’s part of the package, but still.
Sometimes I wish I could separate the two. Even for a day.
That’s why I need to take moments like this for myself. I turn my focus to my workstation, ready to spend the next few hours losing myself in something I want to do—playing with more coaster designs.
On Monday morning, it’s back to reality.
I spend the first hour of the day buried in restraint-bar specifications for a new midsized steel-hybrid coaster.
It’s still in early development, so my assignment this week is to double-check the shoulder restraint measurements by making sure the lock-points are as safe for a ninety-pound kid as they are for a six-foot adult.
It’s tedious work, the kind I can usually lose myself in for hours. But today, the CAD models aren’t enough to drown out the noise in my head. No matter how many wireframes I open, my thoughts keep drifting back to the weekend.
It’s ridiculous how easily Theo has managed to lodge himself in the back of my brain. I’ll be staring at a pivot point, and suddenly I can hear the exact vibration of his laugh through the phone’s speaker. I’m effectively haunted by a man five time zones away.
I take a long, slightly desperate sip of coffee and try to force my eyes back to the monitor, focusing on the safety tolerances. I just need to get through this one spreadsheet. I just need to—
There’s a soft knock on my cubicle. I twist around.
“Morning,” Anya says, stepping inside. She’s holding a slim folder and her ever-present tablet, looking alert and unfairly put together, far more than I feel. And she’s the one who’s spent the weekend traveling. “Do you have a minute?”
“Sure,” I say, setting my coffee down. “What’s up?”
“How would you like to head to London?”
Cue the Twilight Zone theme music. My heart does a frantic, guilty jolt. Does she have ESP, or am I just that transparent? “London?” I sputter, nearly choking on my lukewarm caffeine.
“Yes.” She sets the folder on my desk. “Riverton has requested two senior engineers to support him with the Vortex Rise project. They’re entering the final testing phase and want more eyes on-site for review and adjustment.”
I blink, staring blankly at the folder and waiting for the part where she explains why she’s telling me this. I’m not even close to being a senior engineer.
“But,” she continues, her eyes twinkling with that sharp intelligence that makes me think she sees exactly what’s going on in my head, “I’ve decided it’s a better opportunity for one of my junior team members to get some real-world exposure.
The London office already has enough senior staff to handle the heavy lifting.
What they need is someone with fresh eyes and a quick mind. ”
I should be jumping at the chance, but the logical part of my brain won’t shut off. “Won’t he be angry if someone like me shows up?”
“He can live with it,” she replies, not missing a beat. “Once you’re on the plane, it’ll be too late for him to complain.” Her tone is dry, but there’s a flicker of amusement in her eyes. “I asked Jared first, but he declined. You’re next in line. You interested?”
Okay, so Anya does in fact have ESP. It’s yet another item to add to the list of reasons I want to be her when I grow up. “Yes,” I say immediately.
Her brows rise. “That was fast. I thought you’d at least take a few more seconds to think about it. Especially since you and him don’t exactly see eye to eye.”
I glance away. “We worked things out during the site visit. But even if we hadn’t, it’s still the London office. I’d like to see and experience exactly what it’s like for myself. I’ve heard a lot of interesting things about it.”
Translation—I want to see this Mr. Harris in person and figure out how I can whip his butt for always picking on Theo. I don’t care if he’s the COO. Being a junior engineer doesn’t mean I’m blind to a bully.
“Good answer. Connections matter in this company if you want to get ahead.” Anya nods approvingly.
“Anyway,” she says briskly, shifting back into work mode.
“It’ll be a short assignment—a week, maybe two.
You’ll shadow the on-site leads, help with data validation, and fetch the coffee. It’s a valuable learning opportunity.”
“Thank you,” I say, trying to keep my excitement contained.
“Travel arrangements are being handled by the main office,” Anya continues. “You’ll likely fly out early next week. Riverton’s been there about a week already. Do you have any questions?”
About a million. But none of them are work related. “No. After I read the project brief, maybe.”
“Great. IM me if you need anything. I’ll be in meetings most of the day. I don’t know how Riverton manages it all.” She sighs, then heads down the hall.
When she’s gone, I lean back in my chair, letting out a long breath.
Now that I’ve had a few minutes to let the reality of it all sink in, the excitement is curling into nerves.
How will he react to seeing me in person again?
To me showing up on his turf this time? Will he be the supposedly volatile man I first met?
Or will he be the man who spent hours arguing about sitcoms and sent me a box of gold-dusted chocolate?
I hope I haven’t just ruined everything we’ve built.
I shake my head, forcing my thoughts aside before I can spiral any further. “Don’t overthink it, Kaori,” I whisper under my breath, tapping my fingers against the edge of my desk. “Focus. Get through today. Then you can let your mind wander.”
And with that, I return my attention to the CAD file.
I’m curled up on my couch later that evening, clad in my PJs, video chatting with Alice. Her squeal when I break the news to her nearly blows out my eardrums.
“Kaori is coming to London-town!” she shrieks, grinning so wide, I can practically see the reflection of her ceiling light in her teeth. Alice is sitting in her own bed, stroking her dog’s head absently. “Finally! I’ve been waiting ages for you to visit.”
“You act like I’ll be on vacation. But I’ll be working,” I emphasize.
“Work, schmork.” She waves that off.
“Should I be recording this?” I tease. “Because the Alice I know would never even think of shirking her responsibilities.”
“That was the pre-uni Alice. The adult me is a little more spontaneous and not completely opposed to missing a class once in a while—especially if it means seeing her boyfriend.”
I can’t help laughing. She’s got that right. She’d do anything for Art. “Who are you and what have you done with the real Alice Wales?”
“I’m evolving,” she corrects, leaning forward until her face practically fills the screen, “Now tell me everything.”
And I do.
Alice listens intently. Her eyes sparkle with mischief when I finish. “Kaori,” she says, “You like him. There is no way you are just friends.”
“Um . . .” I twirl a strand of stray hair around my finger, glancing away.