Chapter 18 #3
I blink, coming to a dead stop. “Furniture? Alice, your boyfriend is a police officer.”
“Uh-huh.” She nods with heavy emphasis. “And he also has an unnervingly good eye for antiques.”
I burst into laughter. “So let me get this straight. On top of being your former bodyguard, Art is a world-class baker, a master horseman, and a secret interior designer?”
“He’s a man of many, many talents.” She sighs contentedly, a dreamy look crossing her face. “And to think, he’s all mine.”
We share a laugh, the sound echoing off the high ceilings. But as we begin to ascend a short marble staircase, her tone shifts. “So, how is everything on the Theo front?”
I let out a long, ragged sigh. “A giant mess, honestly.”
Alice scrunches her nose, slowing her pace. “I thought things were moving in the right direction? You texted me that Monday night was going to be the big reveal.” She stops on the landing, giving me the silent demand for every single detail.
“We told each other how we feel. We’re . . . together now.” I say quietly, looking down at my shoes
“Kaori! That’s amazing! Why do you look like you’ve just been told the world is ending?”
“Because it might be,” I say. “Or at least, the world we just started building.”
We turn and head down another long corridor, walking past yet more portraits of monarchs who look vaguely irritated to even exist.
“We’ve run into a snag with his father.”
The words just tumble out of me. Excelsior’s financial woes. The Tanaka Group partnership. The threat to leak my identity to the press and ruin Theo. I don’t mean to dump it all on her, but once I start, I can’t stop.
By the time I finish, we’ve reached a quiet stretch of the corridor where the ornate carpet gives way to polished stone. Alice has gone completely still.
When she finally speaks, her voice is laced with venom. “That man is a vile cockroach. I wish I could stomp him into the floorboards with my heel.”
“I didn’t know what to do,” I whisper, my composure finally fracturing. “I still don’t. I’m stuck. I can’t tell my parents or Rei, and I definitely can’t tell Theo. None of them would understand.”
Alice pulls me into a fierce hug. “You did the right thing telling me,” she says into my shoulder, her voice steady and certain. “We’ll figure this out, Kaori. I promise.”
She pulls back, hands firm on my shoulders. “This is a lot. So here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to eat dinner. And then we’ll talk it through over dessert. Because you cannot solve a crisis on an empty stomach.”
I swallow hard, the panic still humming under my skin. “We’re not telling your parents, right? Please tell me we aren’t.”
She hesitates, looking thoughtful, before she adds gently, “No. But I do think we should tell Art. He’s my voice of reason, and he’s remarkably good at finding the exits in rooms that seem locked.”
I nod slowly. If anyone knows how to navigate a threat, it’s a man who’s a policeman and former royal bodyguard.
As we reach a set of heavy double doors, a familiar, savory scent hits me. I pause, sniffing the air. “Is that . . . Chinese food?”
Alice laughs, doubling over. “The look on your face right now.”
“I just thought dinner would be, um . . . more formal,” I admit, gesturing to my black dress, stockings, and nude pumps that are already biting at my heels and sure to leave me blisters.
“Nope,” she says cheerfully. “I told Mum and Papa to keep it relaxed. This is how our monthly family dinners usually are, believe it or not. Chinese was Papa’s pick. I voted for pizza, but Mum and Amanda teamed up with him. Majority rules.”
A soft breath leaves me. My shoulders sink half an inch in relief.
“And don’t worry,” Alice adds. “Without Eddie here, we’ll actually have enough food to go around.”
If Theo and Leon could see us right now, I wonder what they would make of this.
If they could see me now—standing in Buckingham Palace, about to eat takeaway with the king—would they run for the hills?
Or would they just pull up a chair? I wonder what they’re doing this very moment.
Talking shop? Making fun of each other? Talking about me?
“Kaori.” Alice nudges my elbow softly. “You with me?”
I blink, snapping back. “Yeah, sorry.”
The doors open, and warm light spills across polished wood. A round dining table sits at the center, crowded with bamboo steamers, glossy stir-fry platters, bowls of jasmine rice, and porcelain plates trimmed in gold.
The king and queen look up, not as rulers, but as parents. Alice squeezes my hand once.
“Kaori, it’s good to see you again. We’re pleased you could join us tonight,” the king says.
We step inside. “So am I, sir. Thank you for the invitation.”
Alice’s father laughs. “We’ve spoken about this before. Please, call me Reg.”
I incline my head. “Sorry, sir.”
Alice snickers. “Good luck, Papa. It’s going to be like trying to get Art to call you Reg—impossible.”
“Care to make a wager on that?” her father teases, winking at me as he pulls out a chair.
“No. Only Eddie is foolish enough to bet against you,” Alice says, handing me a plate.
As we sit down, my body finally begins to relax. I watch the two of them banter, the easy rhythm of their voices filling the room. Tonight isn’t a state dinner with the King and Queen. It’s a shared meal with some of my parents’ oldest friends—my extended family.