Chapter Six #2
“Charmed them? Really? Between you and me, I thought they were rather terrifying to start with, but I am so very eager that we become good friends.”
“Well, surprisingly, I think the tea spilling loosened everything up.”
She throws me a knowing smile. “That was the plan.”
Startled, I slide my gaze to hers. “You planned to spill the tea?”
She giggles. It’s girly and sweet. “Trust me, Fred, I did not plan to spill the tea.”
“It would have been a bold strategy if you had.”
“I’m a bold person. Or haven’t you noticed?”
It’s hard not to.
“I’ve noticed.”
We arrive at the doors to the state dining room, and I can hear the murmur of guests inside. A herald reaches for the door knobs. I shake my head at him. We need a moment to prepare for the onslaught.
Astrid takes a breath and straightens her shoulders. “Right. It’s time to sparkle for all of Ledonia,” she says, and I note a quaver in her voice.
She’s nervous.
I place my hand over hers resting on my forearm, and she looks up at me. “You’re going to be just fine.”
“Thank you,” she says softly, and it does something strange and unexpected to my chest.
“Ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” There’s a look of vulnerability in her eyes, and that new, unfamiliar sensation amplifies.
I nod at the herald, and as the doors swing open, every single head in the room turns to face us.
“Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederic of Ledonia and Princess Astrid of Elkevik,” the herald announces.
I’ve entered this room hundreds of times before. This should feel routine. Boring even. But with Astrid on my arm, it feels new. Different.
Better.
Every eye in the room is trained on us, and there’s a sprinkle of applause among the guests.
My parents approach us and Astrid dips into a curtsy. “Good evening, Your Majesties,” she says.
“Princess Astrid, how lovely to see you again,” Mother says as she leans in to kiss Astrid on the cheek. “And what an interesting dress.”
“It was my mother’s coronation dress. I’m wearing it tonight because she suggested it might be a nice thing to do,” Astrid explains.
“Well, it’s certainly a very pretty color.” Mother touches the fabric at her shoulder. “This cape is rather fun.”
My sister rushes over to us in her usual fashion and clasps Astrid’s hands. “I’m so happy to see you again, Astrid,” she pronounces before she pulls her into a hug. “Don’t you look lovely. Who would have thought to wear a cape to dinner?”
“She’ll bring her invisible plane and truth lasso next time,” I joke, buoyed by my recent success with humor.
Both Astrid and Francesca look at me as though I’m speaking another language.
“What are you talking about, brother?” Francesca asks.
“I…err… Wonder Woman?” I reply uncertainly, my previous confidence in my ability to make a joke vanishing in an instant.
“Frederic,” Mother warns.
Francesca wraps her arm around Astrid. “Don’t listen to him. I think you look vintage and divine without a hint of Wonder Woman.”
“I didn’t mean to—” I begin only to receive a glare from my sister that silences me.
Well, that’s the last time I’ll try to make a joke.
“You don’t seem to realize how lucky you are,” Francesca says. “Astrid’s a one in a million and I predict you will fall in love with this gorgeous creature before the week is done, and then get married and have oodles of gorgeous babies.”
Love and babies? I swallow. Trust Francesca to be as subtle as a royal pheasant.
Astrid shoots me a shy smile that makes my chest heat.
I adjust my collar in a vain attempt to cool down.
After I introduce Astrid to a seemingly endless stream of Ledonian aristocrats, we’re seated at the long table. Tonight, it’s been decorated with frost blooms, Elkevik’s national flower, entwined with the red rose of Ledonia, to symbolize our union.
Astrid is seated between my father and the Duke of Monterossi.
I’m seated directly across from her, next to Lady Letizia Florence and the Finance Minister to my left, which means I have a perfect view of Astrid for the entire dinner.
Astrid and her pretty blue pools for eyes. Astrid with her captivating smile.
Astrid, the woman I insulted by calling her Wonder Woman only moments ago.
I should stick to polite formality. Years of experience tells me how to pull it off, no matter what emotions are simmering beneath.
The first course of many is served and the Finance Minister tells me all about his adjustments to his fiscal policy.
Ordinarily, I’d be interested in such a conversation.
It matters to him and it matters to the country.
But tonight I’m finding it surprisingly hard to concentrate on what he’s saying, and I find my eyes sliding to Astrid more often than not.
“She’s really quite charming,” Lady Letizia murmurs at my side.
“Who?” I ask, even though I know exactly who.
“Your Princess, of course.”
My princess?
“Ah, yes. Yes, she is,” I agree as I return my attention to my meal.
“You know, you’ve barely stopped looking at her since you sat down.”
I have no defense. It’s exactly what I’ve been doing.
I’ve been watching how easily she speaks with my father and with the lord at her side.
She listens to people’s stories and she treats them like they actually matter.
She laughs at their jokes and offers some of her own.
She comes across as unencumbered, so light and joyful, like nothing matters in the world other than right here and now.
She needs to enjoy it, because when she’s married to me that sense of freedom, of joy, will be stomped on by the responsibilities we will both hold.
Being a member of the Ledonian royal family means you have to follow certain rules and certain ways of doing things.
When she becomes my wife, she’ll need to accept that.
Astrid is now making my father and the duke laugh as she tells him a story involving goats.
How does she do that? She only met my father this afternoon, and the duke is usually so boring one is in danger of falling into a coma.
Somehow Astrid has them both captivated, and they’re smiling at her as though she’s their favorite daughter.
She’s charming them all.
“She’s utterly gorgeous,” Lady Letizia says, pulling my attention.
I don’t need to ask her who she’s talking about.
“She’s very pretty.”
“And she’s genuine. She’s managed to put that old goat in a good mood.” She nods in Duke of Monterossi’s direction.
I press my lips together. “She’s friendly and easy going.”
“Friendly and easy going? My dear boy, she’s absolutely extraordinary. I’d marry her in a flash, before she gets away, if I were you.”
I blink at Lady Letizia like I’m some sort of owl. Is she the one person in the country who doesn’t know that Astrid and I are engaged?
“It’s all arranged, Lady Letizia. Princess Astrid and I are to be married,” I explain.
“Oh, of course I know that,” she says with a flick of her wrist. She throws me a satisfied smile. “The marble is showing cracks, my boy.”
“The marble?”
“You,” she says plainly. “I’ve had many dinners with you here at the palace, and I’ve never once seen you so taken with a young woman.” She leans in closer and speaks in hushed tones. “I know why you’re marrying. I know this isn’t a love match.”
“Lady Letizia—"
She cuts me off with a raise of her hand. “The referendum, Elkevik’s energy deal fiasco. It’s obvious to me what your family is trying to do here.”
I worry my lip. Of course she’s absolutely right, but the last thing I want is for anyone to think this is an arranged marriage, yet another way in which my family has made major life decisions for me.
She pats my hand. “Your secret’s safe with me, my boy. Besides, you’re quite clearly enamoured with your northern Princess. I imagine you’ll be in love before the month is out.”
I almost choke on my mouthful. Is she drunk? Or senile? Or both? It’s already June 12th. By my calculation, that leaves a mere eighteen days for me to supposedly fall in love with Astrid.
How utterly preposterous.
“Lady Letizia, with all due respect, she just arrived in the palace this morning, and—”
“And?”
“And people don’t fall in love in just two weeks. That’s not how it works.”
Lady Letizia gives me a knowing smile. “I fell in love with my late husband in approximately twenty-two seconds. Of course, I didn’t tell him for weeks, but the falling? Well, that was instantaneous.”
I open my mouth to respond, but I have no idea what to say.
This is becoming a habit.
Instead, I turn to look at Astrid once more. She’s laughing at something my father is saying, and her whole face is lit up with genuine joy.
Right on cue, my chest does that odd thing it does around her once more.
Another new habit, it would seem.
She catches my eye and gives me a smile, and I find myself smiling back at her.
“See?” Lady Letizia murmurs.
“I’m simply observing my future wife.”
All Lady Letizia does is shoot me a knowing smile once more.
After dinner, as the guests mingle in the Blue Drawing Room I find Astrid.
“Surviving?” I ask.
Her face lights up in a way that does absolutely nothing for my composure. “Everyone is so lovely, Fred, although I think I’ve accidentally promised to visit Lady Letizia’s horses this week. I hope that’s okay?”
“We’ll see if you can fit it into the schedule. We have wedding planning to attend to and engagement photographs, as well as meet and greets with various dignitaries.”
“Of course.”
There’s a beat of silence.
“You’ve done very well tonight,” I tell her, and then regret it immediately. It sounds so stiff, like I’m praising Yusefi at his quarterly performance review.
She looks genuinely surprised. “I have?”
“Yes, you did much better than I expected.”
Her face falls.
Did I really just say that?
Why is this so difficult?
I have another try. “The guests have responded very positively to your presence,” I say.
Oh, good grief.
“Oh. Well… that’s good?”
I press my lips together. I can do this. “That came out wrong. What I meant to say is that you charmed everyone.”
I want to add that despite her concerning behavior earlier today, she’s charmed me too. But that makes me feel too vulnerable, too open to whatever this thing could become between us. Right now, these new, unfamiliar feelings are making me feel extremely self-conscious.
Her face brightens. “Thank you, Fred. Really. To be perfectly honest, it’s been easy to be charming because everyone has been so welcoming. And you know what? I didn’t spill a thing tonight. Not even a drop.” She beams at me with pride.
“The night is still young,” I reply, chancing my arm at a joke once more.
Her face creases into a beautiful smile. “Fred! Was that another joke?”
My belly warms. “I think it was.”
“I never knew you could be jovial.”
“‘Jovial’ is not a word I’ve ever used to describe myself.”
“Well, I think now you should add it to your list of adjectives.” She smiles at me and I smile back.
This is… nice. Yes, she has the potential to be a total disaster, but tonight she’s shown she can be the opposite, too.
She suppresses a yawn.
“You’re tired,” I say. “Allow me to escort you back to your rooms.”
“That would be so kind of you.”
We say goodnight to my parents and various guests before I hold the door open for her, and we slip out into the hallway. When we reach her door, she thanks me for escorting her.
“It was my pleasure, Astrid,” I say.
“You know, my family and friends call me Asti. Like a star.”
“Would you like me to call you that?”
“I would.”
“Okay.” I try the name out. “Asti.”
She hesitates, like she wants to say something more, and part of me hopes she will. I’d like to stretch this moment out a little longer. But all she says is, “Goodnight, Fred.”
“Goodnight.”
She slips inside, and I stand in the corridor longer than necessary, staring at her closed door, wondering about the effect she has on me.
Lady Letizia’s words echo in my head: You’ll be in love before the month is out.
I reject them outright.
Love has never been a part of this agreement. It has no place in treaties or succession plans. Astrid may be light and laughter and everything I’m not, but that doesn’t make her my weakness.
It makes her a risk.
And risks need to be managed.
This marriage is a transaction, a way to save a thousand years of history from a referendum. Astrid may be a breath of fresh air, just as we hoped she would, but she’s a variable I must control.
Not a feeling I must indulge.
I turn away from her door, my decision clear in my mind. This marriage will remain exactly what it’s meant to be. I can enjoy her smiles, perhaps even continue with my new-found joviality. But one thing I can say for certain: I will not fall in love with Princess Astrid of Elkevik.