11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Drew
Drew stood just outside the palace entrance with his parents and Bri, waiting for their guests of honor to arrive.
Today, Glencrest had the distinct honor of hosting the Fenimore Kingdoms Alliance meeting—a meeting that occurred once a year between the rulers of the eight countries that made up the continent of Fenimore. The location changed each time, allowing each kingdom to host once every eight years. Rulers from across the continent met to talk, establish trade agreements, and discuss issues affecting all their nations.
Drew looked around, taking in the large number of palace guards stationed every few feet around the palace grounds. He knew there were just as many inside, stationed at each entrance. Whenever the ruling families from Fenimore gathered, security measures were increased tenfold.
He had been looking forward to today for a multitude of reasons, the biggest one being that his father had invited him to join the meeting. There was only so much he could learn before he ascended the throne, and attending such an important summit as this would help give him a taste of what it would truly be like to rule Glencrest.
Flashing lights drew his attention to the long drive where a huge motorcade of royal families and security from the seven other allied countries approached the palace with a police escort.
Bri walked over to hug her parents and younger brother as they stepped out of the first black SUV. One after the other, the royal families, their security details, and other support personnel emerged from the vehicles, and the head butler welcomed them all inside.
“We’ll have any guests not attending the meeting enjoy the afternoon in the sitting room.” The butler motioned to the room behind him. “Everyone will reconvene in the formal dining room for dinner when the meeting has concluded.”
Once all the other guests had entered the sitting room, Drew walked with his parents and the visiting royalty to a large meeting room used for various conferences and occasions like this. Even though the room was vast, it felt full with everyone’s individual bodyguards and other palace guards standing watch around the perimeter of it.
His father, Max, started off the meeting once everyone was seated. “Thank you, everyone, for attending. As discussed at our last Fenimore Kingdoms Alliance meeting, we unanimously decided to have both ruling monarchs—king and queen—present for our annual meeting moving forward.”
Drew’s eyes roamed to all the queens at the table. It made his heart swell seeing them all there. Over the last few decades, the ruling monarchs across Fenimore had been men who had first-born sons rather than daughters, and the absence of a female presence at their table was apparent. The vote the kings had made at the prior year’s meeting conveyed their wish to further unify their countries and to show the strength of the crown with a couple ruling together.
Max motioned to the king of Edgemont. “And, Colin, it’s wonderful to have you back with us.”
He noticed Colin only offered a curt nod in response, always a man of few words. Rosalie smiled brightly beside him, looking the epitome of pure sunshine—a stark contrast to her husband.
This was Colin’s first time attending the yearly meeting in over five years—since the death of his first wife. In the time he hadn’t attended, he’d sent his most trusted advisor, Duke Wesley Hughes, in his place. Colin had changed considerably since he’d married Rosalie last year, and Drew was glad he was starting to attend events and resume his royal duties.
“As you all have likely noticed, I have invited my son, Andrew, to attend today’s meeting.” His father steepled his hands and released a long breath before continuing. “He is going to be taking over for me soon, so I thought it prudent for him to attend a Fenimore Kingdoms Alliance meeting to get the lay of the land.”
“If our rulers keep getting younger and younger, everyone is going to start thinking the rest of us are old and senile,” King Nicholas of Rothwell joked, making the other more senior kings and queens chuckle.
“Aside from Liam and Colin, we’re all…what? In our fifties and sixties? That’s hardly old, just middle-aged.” King Frederick of Findorra gave a decisive nod.
His father took control of the conversation with a single clearing of his throat. “Now that we’ve clarified we’re not yet elderly, let’s go around and share updates.”
Nicholas spoke first with his wife sitting proudly at his side. “We’ve made efforts to preserve our forests and the ocean. The next step in our plan is to focus on decreasing pollution, specifically from plastic. I’ll have my secretary compile some of our documents and findings and send them to everyone if you’d like to implement more preservation efforts in your countries.”
“I’m happy to hear Rothwell is pursuing such sustainable endeavors. I’m sure we’d all appreciate the information being passed along.” With Nicholas’s update done, his father turned to address the King of Meldovia. “How about you, Michael?”
“Everything is well.” He smiled at his wife, Alexandra. “Our daughter, Josephine, is finishing up her last semester of school and is preparing to work on some new initiatives for the crown.”
Alexandra turned to the queen of Rothwell. “Victoria, is Nathaniel almost finished at the university as well?”
“Yes, he’s in his final courses now. He’s hoping to take on some charitable projects of his own to serve Rothwell when he returns home. I’m glad to see this next generation is invested in bettering their countries.”
“Hear, hear.” Edgar raised his glass into the air.
“Do you have any updates for Bristol, Edgar?” his father asked.
Edgar motioned to his wife, Lena. “Our son, Sullivan, is currently stationed at a military post in western Bristol. We expect he’ll remain on active duty for a few more years. Our daughter, Annalise, is focusing on her passion project: increasing accessibility to mental health services and resources.”
“That’s a very admirable endeavor. We all look forward to seeing her results and following her lead in our own kingdoms.”
Edgar nodded before continuing his update. “Our new shipping port on the southeastern coast has also been operational for three months. As you may know, in Bristol we’ve been increasing yields for our citrus crops through hybridization, resulting in a surplus beyond what we need for our own citizenry. This port establishes infrastructure we need to further trade relationships with other nations both in Fenimore and beyond.”
“We’re happy to welcome any guests who would like to observe our new techniques,” Lena added.
“Excellent. Keeping a project of that scale on schedule is quite a feat. I’m sure some countries will take you up on that offer.” His father turned to his best friend, King Edward, gesturing for him to go next.
“I’m sure everyone is already aware of Westridge’s most recent announcement—my daughter, Brielle, is engaged to Andrew.”
All eyes in the room turned to Drew, and he did his best to maintain a neutral expression as a round of congratulations was offered—though most of them had attended the ball when the engagement had first been announced. He felt awkward, being congratulated repeatedly for something that wasn’t real—something he hadn’t thought about before suggesting he and Bri enact their marriage pact.
“Thank you, everyone. We are thrilled and look forward to having you all attend our wedding in the future.” The words tasted like a bitter pill in Drew’s mouth. It was hard enough feeling like they were lying to their families and the citizens of their nations, but carrying on the ruse to a room full of kings and queens from all across Fenimore felt downright dangerous.
All Drew wanted was for this to be real. Not only so he could spend forever with the woman he loved but also so they wouldn’t have to announce to the entire world they weren’t getting married after all.
He was so caught up in his own thoughts that Drew missed the rest of Edward’s update for Westridge. When he tuned in once again, King Frederick of Findorra was speaking.
“Thanks to the assistance from Edgemont, Findorra is in a much better financial position than we were a year ago. Using our revenue from our new tax structure, we are improving transportation infrastructure and have opened a second children’s resource center, thanks to Grace’s efforts.” He placed his hand atop his wife’s, who flushed at the compliment.
“Congratulations to you both. That’s quite the turnaround,” Michael said with an easy smile.
When no one else spoke for a few moments, his father moved on. “Colin, how are things in Edgemont?”
“My royal board and the citizens of Edgemont are very pleased about my marriage to Rosalie. My daughter is obsessed with her”—he reached over and squeezed his wife’s hand—“as am I.”
Rosalie gazed up at Colin, her eyes full of admiration. Then Colin did something Drew had never expected—he smiled. Colin wasn’t the kind of person to be open about his feelings, but Drew supposed love had a way of changing people.
“We’re working to host more events, including”—he paused, pulling at the collar of his shirt—“royal balls, on our calendar in the upcoming year. I’ll be sure you’ll all be informed of anything planned.”
The whole room seemed stunned into silence. When no one else spoke, Drew offered a quiet, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“It’s Colin, for friends.” He offered another smile, though this one looked more like a grimace, but it was the thought that counted.
“I suppose I’ll go next,” said King Liam of Wistonia.
The King of Wistonia had ascended the throne at a young age as well. It gave Drew hope for his own future. If Liam had been able to do it, surely he could too.
Liam smiled widely, placing his hand over his wife’s. “Charlotte, why don’t you share our news?”
Tears brimmed Charlotte’s eyes, though a grin graced her lips. “We’re expecting our first child later this year.”
The room erupted into another round of congratulations.
“That’s wonderful news,” Drew’s father said. “Anything else you’d like to share?”
“We celebrated Wistonia’s Founding Day recently, and we had our third annual soccer game where the palace staff and I played against the children from a local orphanage. Both Charlotte and I have been incredibly moved by the joy on the children’s faces every year, so we’ve decided to facilitate an annual sports camp that will offer free training in a multitude of sports for children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it.”
“It sounds like a wonderful opportunity for your community,” Drew said, knowing how impactful it was for him to get outside and be active as a child.
“Do you have any news to share for Glencrest?” Edgar asked, the question aimed at Drew’s father.
His dad turned to him and waited, as if he expected Drew to be the one to respond.
He cleared his throat. “As my father said, I’ll be ascending the throne earlier than expected, with Brielle ruling at my side. Our local schools are working to gain further funding for arts programs, and we have a charity run coming up to raise support for Glencrest’s Cancer Research Center.”
Drew looked at his father, making sure he hadn’t missed anything. He got a brief nod in response. He’d done it. Drew had successfully completed his first major meeting with the royal families of Fenimore.
With their updates finished, everyone chatted in smaller groups until the head butler returned to the conference room.
“Your Majesties, it’s time for me to escort you to dinner.”
“Do you think we can pull this off?” Drew whispered into Bri’s ear as they walked at the back of the large group headed to the formal dining room.
“Reply hazy, try again.”
His brows furrowed. “What kind of answer is that?”
“One from a magic eight ball.” She shrugged. “I thought it was fitting for tonight. There’s no predicting how this will go, especially after the questions we got from the press at the carnival.”
“I’m hoping there’s enough other news to overshadow our engagement.”
With the formalities of the meeting done, he looked forward to more casual conversation over dinner. They entered the room, and he took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
After everyone was seated, the first course of crab cakes with a mango avocado relish was served.
Drew’s mother was sitting beside the duke, Wesley, whom Colin had brought with his family. She turned to him and asked, “Wesley, have you found someone to settle down with?”
Wes shook his head, his floppy brown curls bouncing back and forth with the motion, his cheeks tinged pink.
Liam turned his gaze to the opposite end of the table. “Annalise or Josephine, if either of you are single, you should hit this stud up.”
Wes’s eyes darted to the other end of the table, and he froze as his face lost all color. Drew looked down at the two princesses Liam had addressed. Neither of them looked embarrassed, just amused by Liam’s antics.
Huh. Wes must have a thing for Annalise or Josephine. I’ll have to ask Bri about it later.
Charlotte placed her hand on her husband’s shoulder and shook her head, though she wore a knowing smile.
“What?” Liam groaned. “Everyone deserves to find love.”
“Look at my husband, the romantic.” Charlotte kissed him on the cheek.
He shot his wife a look filled with so much affection that Drew felt like he was intruding on a private moment.
“While we have everyone’s attention, we have an announcement. I know we shared it in the meeting, but we wanted everyone else to know our news before it’s announced publicly later this week. We’re expecting a baby later this year.” Charlotte’s face glowed as she spoke.
Bri clasped her hands over her mouth and turned to Drew with excitement twinkling in her eyes. He knew she would be genuinely excited for them, but it also was just what she’d wanted—news that might overshadow their engagement and keep the attention off them.
Liam leaned back in his chair, letting out a dramatic puff of air, eyeing the fathers in the room. “Now that the news is out, I have to know… Do all women get the most outlandish cravings while pregnant? Seriously, who wants a banana split but switch the banana for pickles?” Liam pressed his lips together in disgust, and Charlotte whacked him lightly on the arm.
“It’s very common from our experience, but just wait. The cravings tend to get worse throughout the second trimester,” Drew’s father said.
Liam groaned in response, and they all laughed.
After the next course was served, Rosalie turned to Bri. “Addie has a question she’s been dying to ask you.” She gave her stepdaughter an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder.
“Bwi, I was wondewing if I could be your flower giwl or help cawwy your dwess down the aisle at your wedding?”
Addie was the most precocious child he’d ever met, but her speech impediment caused all her R sounds to come out like W’s and reminded him of how young she was.
Bri’s hand flew to her heart. “Aw, I would love to have you be part of our wedding, Addie. When we get more serious about making plans, I’ll let your mama know.”
Drew’s stomach dropped. There wouldn’t be any wedding details if they parted ways. He couldn’t think about that happening. Drew needed to hold out hope that Bri would come to have the same feelings for him that he had for her.
He remained quiet throughout the rest of the dinner courses, preferring to observe everyone interacting around him. It was only through his watchful eye that he noticed Princess Josephine of Meldovia and Prince Nathaniel of Rothwell glaring at each other nearly the whole dinner.
As the dessert course was served, Bri reached over and placed her hand on Drew’s leg. His breath hitched at her touch. Out of instinct, he wrapped his fingers around hers, and everything felt right in the world.