Chapter 7
Sitting around the Rainbow Reception Room prior to Enzo’s arrival had been a bit awkward. Victoria had met all of her new in laws before, but she didn’t want to be the one to tell them why she was invading their home on one of the worst days of their lives.
Of course, they were raised far too well to say anything about it. Instead, there were furtive glances between them and whispered asides when she wasn’t close by.
Thankfully, Enzo had arrived just as it started to get awkward enough that she thought about excusing herself or telling them, though that would have been her last choice.
She’d received a text from her brother a while earlier so she knew the second round of notifications was being made, and she wouldn’t have to be there alone much longer.
After hugging his siblings, he made his way to her side and gave her a hug, whispering his gratitude for her presence.
“Your... wife?”
Victoria couldn’t be certain which sibling said it, not when she’d been staring at the ground the whole time.
“Yes.” Enzo cradled both of her hands in his.
“We wanted Mum to know before...” He couldn’t finish then steadied himself with a deep breath.
“And she did. She was happy for us, and hoped all of you would be too.” The smile on his face grew just a bit as he looked at her.
“I know I’m grateful for her presence here, and she will be a wonderful partner in my personal and public lives.
She knows the world we live in as members of the Meloni family and isn’t intimidated by the publicity and everything else that comes with it. ”
He didn’t say anything about love.
Victoria didn’t know if anyone else would notice, but she certainly did. It didn’t surprise her, and she knew it wasn’t strictly necessary for a long term relationship if it was based on things like trust and respect and companionship.
But it would be nice.
“Right now, the public believes Victoria is engaged,” he went on.
“There are photos of us together where they’re pretty sure it’s me with her, but it hasn’t been officially confirmed.
For now, we’d prefer to keep it that way.
I know something to celebrate is a good thing, but I also don’t want to detract from the celebration of Mum’s life.
We’ll release the information about the marriage at a later date.
She’ll be with us as a member of the family regardless. ”
There were murmurs of assent from the others in the room, but Victoria still couldn’t get a good read on their attitudes. Likely they were overwhelmed and unable to truly process everything, much like she had been in the wake of her father’s passing.
For the next hour, she sat next to Enzo, offering her support in whatever way she could, while also not inserting herself into the conversation.
She smiled and laughed appropriately as they shared memories of their parents.
Christmases. Excursions. Official outings.
Charity work. Birthday parties. Ski trips.
Yachting. Holidays on the coast of the Mediterranean.
Though she loved her homeland and the seas around it, Victoria looked forward to spending time in and around the Med before long.
She didn’t have any swim wear with her, though she doubted there would be an opportunity to use it for a while. After making a mental note to have her things sent to the palace, Victoria tried to focus more on the conversations.
Eventually, they all began to disperse.
Once the public announcements had been made, and the people had begun to gather outside the gates and along the sidewalks near the palace. Thousands of bouquets of flowers and other memorabilia had been laid already and the piles grew by the minute.
With her hand in Enzo’s, Victoria allowed her thoughts to continue wandering until they reached their quarters.
“We’ll need to go on a walkabout tomorrow.” The weight on Enzo’s shoulders seemed to grow significantly the instant the door closed behind them.
“I’m here for whatever you need. Walkabouts. Moral support. Cheesy jokes. Anything.”
“I appreciate that.” He dropped her hand then went toward the balcony on the other side of the room. Once the doors were open, he stayed back, out of the light, where he couldn’t be seen by those outside.
It would be a challenge to see in from the outside anyway, but not impossible. This side of the palace faced the water, not the city, but long lenses did exist as did drones with telephoto lenses themselves. Best just to assume there could be eyes anywhere at any time.
He didn’t turn to look at her as he spoke. “I think you should just go with all of us in the morning. No announcement. Just walk out with me, holding hands and let the chips fall where they may.”
Victoria nodded her agreement. “That sounds like it could be the best plan given everything else going on.”
“People will assume we’re engaged since the story is already out that you are.
We just won’t correct them for a while.” With his hands shoved deep in his pockets, Enzo continued to stare out the window, almost as though he’d forgotten her presence.
When she leaned her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist, he didn't move.
He did relax, just the tiniest bit, but that was enough to let Victoria know he considered her presence helpful, even if he didn't understand or acknowledge it.
She felt the need to say something. "Whatever you need from me, I'm here."
The only reply was when he tipped his head a bit to the side so his cheek rested lightly against her hair.
"Right now, I think I want some sleep. I don't know that I'll be able to, but I need to try." They stood for another moment before, he let out a deep breath and pulled his hand out of his pocket to wrap his arm around her. "Stay with me?"
"Of course." It wouldn't be the first time they'd slept in the same bed together, but it had been a while given their temporary geographic challenges.
They entered the main suite. Victoria let him go to the en suite bath first while she poked around.
Not invasively, but just to try to get the lay of the land, so to speak.
The balcony off of this room also overlooked the water.
Could they leave the doors open? Or the windows?
She loved the sound of the crashing waves as she slept.
The noise machines or apps weren't the same.
He came out of the bath area wearing a comfortable looking pair of athletic shorts with a t-shirt in hand. "Bath is free."
Victoria moved past him and took care of her own ablutions before realizing she didn't have any sleepwear of her own. After contemplating for a moment, she went into the large closet full of his things and looked around without opening any drawers or searching through things.
After a moment, she found what appeared to be some of his older clothes, clothes that likely wouldn't fit him anymore. She found a plain pair of athletic shorts and an old t-shirt with no logo on it. Surely neither one would bring back any sort of challenging memories.
When she emerged into the bedroom, Victoria realized the lights had been turned off and Enzo had already laid down.
As she slipped under the blankets on the other side of the bed, she noticed something else.
The sound of crashing waves coming through the open window.
With a slight smile on her face, she rolled to the side, wrapped her arm around Enzo's torso and tried to sleep.
Sleep hadn't come easily for Enzo.
That didn't surprise him.
That he'd slept at all did.
His first night as king meant his mind had a hard time settling down.
His first night as an orphan meant his emotions were in turmoil.
Victoria's arm around his torso, her hand cradled in his, her knees tucked behind his - all of those things had helped, at least some. Without her comforting presence, it would have been much more challenging, if not impossible.
He'd still arisen far earlier than he'd have preferred, and not just because his wife slumbered on.
His mum had always told him that he was the sleeper of the bunch.
Naptimes were something he'd accepted willingly and gave up reluctantly as he grew older.
Days where he could lounge around and doze as long as he wanted were over.
It might happen on rare occasions, but even on holiday he'd never be able to truly have a day off.
There would always be matters that required his attention.
As much as Enzo wanted to spend time on the balcony outside his bedroom, he knew someone would take a photo and that wasn't something he could afford at the moment. At least the breeze coming in off the Mediterranean made it through the partially curtained opening.
Something - or someone - stirred behind him. Victoria's soft footsteps moved toward him until she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and he felt the soft skin of her cheek against his bare back.
"How are you?"
Enzo rested his arms atop of hers. "About the same, I suppose. I expect it will be a while before I feel much different."
"I understand."
She didn't try to fill the silence with inane conversation and Enzo found himself grateful for her restraint.
A few long moments later, his phone buzzed in the pocket of his pyjama pants.
It would be time for him to start doing.
.. whatever kingly things he had to do first thing in the morning.
If he thought about it long enough, he'd be able to remember, but he didn't have the mental fortitude for that at the moment.
"Do you need to get that?" Victoria asked from behind him.
"I will in a minute. I believe we're going on the walkabout at ten or so. Do you have what you need?" Had she even brought any luggage with her?
"I spoke with one of the palace stylists. They will ensure I do."
"Good. If you can't reach me, please let one of my aides know if you need anything else or if you're not receiving the cooperation you should."
"I will."
He suspected she would only try to contact him as a last resort. Did she even have the contact information for his aides? On one level he appreciated that she'd be considerate of his time and responsibilities, but he also hoped she wouldn't need to.
Another moment passed and he took a step away from Victoria then turned to face her.
"I need to get to the offices." As much as he wanted to take her in his arms, he couldn't let himself.
If he did, he would likely break down and never want to leave.
He couldn't afford that - either the time or the emotions.
Instead, he leaned forward enough to give her a light kiss on the cheek. "I'll make sure someone lets the stylists know what time you'll need to be ready."
"Thank you."
Enzo gave her hand a light squeeze then went to the en suite to get ready for his day.
Once dressed in an appropriately somber, dark suit with a crisp white shirt and a subdued tie, he made his way to his old office. The first thing he noticed was that most of his personal items had been removed, likely to the Monarch's office.
Fortunately, there was a door connecting the two offices. This one would be turned into Victoria's office before long then eventually become the office of their eldest child, though that day was a minimum of two decades in the future.
A total of six aides waited for him when he entered the office.
No doubt they'd been informed he was on his way.
Three were his top aides, while the other three were his mum's.
All would help with the transition, though eventually everyone would be restructured to one extent or another.
His mum's aides may choose to retire as they were reaching that age anyway.
He would have to decide if his personal aides were able to make the transition from aide to a Crown Prince to that of a Monarch.
The roles were similar in some ways, but not in others.
All six bowed or curtsied as Enzo crossed the office to the conference table where they waited.
For nearly three hours, they went over one item after another. As they worked, a light breakfast was brought in by three stewards, all of whom showed signs of tears on their cheeks.
Finally, the time came to leave the office and meet his family near the main entrance to the palace.
The first one he noticed was Victoria, appropriately garbed in a black dress with black stockings and heels.
Her hair had been tamed into a ponytail at the base of her neck.
The rest of his family wore something similar to the first couple as it were, though one of his brothers wore a black shirt with his black suit and sported a tie the color of the blue-green waters found off the coast - their mum's favorite color and the official color of Dellisole.
If only Enzo felt he could do the same.
For the service in a few days, they would wear the uniforms of their military but he needed to incorporate more of their national color into his daily attire.
And into a ring for Victoria.
She still didn't have one.
Her hand slid into his as they arranged themselves in order of seniority. He and Victoria would lead the procession with his siblings arranged in pairs behind them.
With a nod toward the staff who would open the door, Enzo began to walk forward. The courtyard wasn't overly large, but it still loomed long before him. Victoria's hand tightened on his as they moved onto the cobblestones.
The gates were opened by members of the uniformed security detachment.
The area directly in front of the palace overflowed with flowers, photos, stuffed animals, and other mementos from the people.
The actual crowds had been moved back for the time being.
Once the family returned to the palace, the barriers would be removed so they could lay items at the edge of the piles.
He knew when those gathered realized Victoria was at his side.
The reverent hush lifted a bit as they whispered to each other, likely wondering what the story was - and if they were really engaged.
Many of them would know the stories about Victoria, but this would be the first time anyone were able had seen the two of them together.
They walked along the edge of the flowers and gifts, trying to take it all in. Victoria pointed out a small bear with a photo of him and his mum attached. One of his sisters drew his attention to one with the last full family portrait.
And then they reached the end of the blocked off area.
With a deep breath, he turned, placed his hand on the small of Victoria's back and started toward the line.