The Billionaire’s Royal Crown (Devotion and Dynasty #3)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

ELENA

E lena’s brows pinched, a frown forming on her lips as she stared down at the list of events for the day. The sudden, unexplained meeting at day's end sent a shiver down her spine. What could it possibly be about?

Caroline bustled in with a garment bag, hanging it and unzipping it slightly. “Oh, Your Highness, this dress is perfect for your engagement announcement.”

Elena’s eyes never left the page she studied, offering a distracted nod. “Hmmm?”

“This dress…the green is a perfect match to your eyes.”

Elena wiggled the ring on her finger. “And my ring.”

“Yes.” Caroline grabbed her hand to admire the ring with a deep sigh. “Ah, yes. It is so lovely. Mr. Kingsley selected it so well. Are you pleased to have it back on your hand?”

“Very,” she said, finally pulling her eyes away from her schedule. “Father has finally given his approval, and now all that remains is the announcement, the wedding plans, and the wedding.”

“Oh, is that all?” Caroline chuckled as she zipped the garment bag again.

Elena sucked in a deep breath. “Have you seen the private office yet?”

Her ladies’ maid twisted, one eyebrow arched. “Should I have?”

“The number of wedding planners who have sent gift baskets to express their interest in planning is…overwhelming.”

“Have you selected anyone?”

“I was waiting for Nathan,” she answered.

“I dare say Mr. Kingsley will not have an opinion on it,” Caroline answered.

Elena puffed out her cheeks as she collapsed on her bed. “You are likely correct. I should make a selection. We haven’t much time.”

“Not if you want a Christmas wedding.”

Elena adjusted the strap of her shoe before she rose. “It’s not only me. It is tradition. My parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on all wed on Christmas Eve.”

“Yes, they did. And I’m certain you can pull it off, Your Highness.”

“I hope so. I should look through those baskets and find someone. I am quite distracted, though.”

“By?” Caroline asked.

Elena tapped her finger against the meeting blocking out her evening. “This. It simply says ‘meeting’. What is it about?”

Caroline squinted at the paper, a frown forming on her lips. “When did that get put there?”

She hastened to the dresser and retrieved her portfolio, zipping it open and scanning the page inside. “This is not on my diary for your day. ”

“I didn’t think so,” Elena answered, “because you hadn’t mentioned it at all. How did it get placed here?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea. I will track it down though.” Caroline zipped the portfolio closed as she raised a finger in the air. “Leave it with me, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Caroline. Well, I have nothing on my afternoon, so I should sort through those wedding planners.”

“Good luck, Your Highness. I will report to you there as soon as I’ve found the source of this.”

Elena nodded as she reached for the door. “Thank you, Caroline.”

She stepped into the hall, her left hand extended as she admired her ring. She tugged her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture before she sent it along with a text message to Nate. This looks lonely, don’t you think?

She rounded the corner, running into her cousin, Alexander.

“Oh, my apologies, I nearly ran you over,” Elena said with a grin. “Blame Nathan, I was sending him a text message.”

His lips twitched as though he was trying to form a smile, but it failed.

“Alexander, what is it?”

“Your luck with Mr. Kingsley is ruining my life.”

Elena’s jaw dropped open, her eyebrows furrowing. “What are you saying?”

She motioned for him to walk with her. He lumbered next to her, his lips tugged into a frown. “I was on my way to find you. Something must be done.”

“About what, Alexander? What has you so glum?”

“Lady Margaret,” he answered, his nose wrinkling.

“What about her?” Elena asked as they turned the corner and approached the private office.

Alexander flung his arms in the air. “What do you think? I am about your age. You are marrying. I am not. And because of your impending engagement announcement, I am being encouraged to accept Lady Margaret.”

Elena pushed through the double doors into the office and scanned the many gift baskets lined in the room. “Still? I thought this was settled before my engagement. You told your parents you were not interested.”

“What I told them and what they accepted are two very different things. What is all this?”

“Gift baskets from wedding planners who wish to plan the royal wedding. Would you help me parse through them?” She read one of the cards before she perused the items inside.

“I suppose it’s better than being hounded by my parents about Margaret.”

“I guess she did not fall madly in love with Julian after we paired them together for the first dance at the royal ball.”

Alexander picked up one of the baskets and tore open the cellophane wrapping to grab a package of chocolate turtles. “Sadly, no. I am not surprised. Julian is quite unlikeable.”

“Also further from the throne,” Elena answered as she stared at a mockup colors and floral arrangements, showing the designer’s ideas. “This one is out. I hate peach. Who has peach at a royal wedding in December?”

“I haven’t the slightest clue, Elena, and I don’t wish to find out. Likely Lady Margaret would have peach at our royal wedding.” Alexander collapsed onto the leather sofa as he bit into a turtle.

Elena set the basket across the room in a pile of rejects before she perused another. “Don’t worry, Alexander, I won’t let you marry Margaret.”

“Do you promise? Perhaps if you speak with your father, he can remind my father and mother that it is best to allow me to make my own decisions. It’s worked out quite well for you. ”

“It almost didn’t,” Elena reminded him.

“But it did,” he answered, shoving another turtle into his mouth. “At the last minute, Kingsley learned the error of his ways, your father approved, and you are set to walk down the aisle with the man you love.”

“Stop eating those, you’re going to be sick.”

“I am not,” he answered. “I’ve only had three.”

“Four,” she said as he popped another in his mouth.

“Elena, if you were facing this, you’d have eaten the entire box.” He dug into the box for his fifth turtle. “No, I am incorrect. You would have merely run away.”

Elena plopped onto the couch next to him, reaching for a turtle. He pulled the box away. “Get your own sweets. You hardly need them.”

She rolled her eyes at him as she snatched the box and helped herself to one before handing it back. “Yes, I did run away, but that didn’t solve my problem. You must face this head on.”

“How?” he asked, his voice garbled by the candy.

“What do you think of this?” she asked as she held up a mood board for the wedding.

He shrugged. “Seems fine. How do you propose I face it head on? Stamp my feet and refuse?”

“It’s not a terrible idea. I don’t think I like this lace.”

“It’s quite fussy, I agree.”

She rose and set the basket in the reject pile and selected another. “Has Lady Margaret any interest in you whatsoever? What a hideous shade of green, this one is a no.”

Elena dumped the basket across the room as her phone chimed. “Hold that thought.”

She glanced at the screen, finding a message from Nate. I agree. It needs a friend. I’m excited to see you. I miss you.

A grin crossed her features as she typed back. Miss you, too. I’m sorting through wedding planners so we can give that ring a friend on Christmas Eve .

“Stop talking to your fiancé and help me,” Alexander groaned.

“I’m thinking,” Elena answered as she studied two more baskets.

She dropped onto the couch next to him again. “Do you have an odd meeting on your calendar for tonight?”

“Yes. It appeared this morning. Is that your doing?”

“No. I have Caroline trying to solve that mystery. Does Margaret have a love interest? Has she mentioned anything?”

“Yes, she has,” he answered. “It’s me. Oh, I’ve eaten all the turtles. I must find something else.”

He rose from his slouched seat to search the other baskets for more food offerings, tearing one open to eat from a box of flavored pretzels.

“So, Margaret is in love with you?”

“Hardly. But she thinks she is.”

“Thinks she is? What are you saying? She has a brain, hasn’t she?”

“I suppose she does,” he answered, shoving a few pretzels into his mouth, “but this is, of course, a lovely match for her.”

“Naturally, she will become a princess. And second in line to the throne…until you and Mr. Kingsley produce an heir.”

“Mmm,” Elena answered as she stared at another proposal from yet another wedding planner. “I quite like the mix of holiday spirit with traditional wedding suggested here. What do you think?”

“I think I shall be announcing my engagement on the heels of your wedding if you don’t focus on my problem.”

Elena set the basket aside and heaved a sigh. “I will not allow you to marry Lady Margaret, but you must give me a moment to think. Unless you’d like to race off to the States. Perhaps you’ll have the luck I did. ”

“After what happened with you, my parents would never approve.”

“Hey, my situation did not turn out so terrible,” she answered as he bit into another pretzel.

The doors to the office burst open before he could reply.

“Uncle Frederick,” Alexander said, rising to his feet as pretzel crumbs fell from his shirt to the floor.

Elena rose with a slight curtsy. “Father.”

“Hello,” he answered. “I came here to work, however, I see the space is otherwise engaged.”

“Yes, apparently several wedding planners have taken it upon themselves to offer their services.”

“I see. And have you selected someone?”

“I have one I quite like but I feel it’s my duty to go through all of these.”

King Frederick flicked his gaze to Alexander who continued to munch on the pretzels. “And…you are assisting?”

“Of course,” he said with a mouthful of pretzels.

“Are you merely eating the treats sent or actually helping?”

“He is pouting,” Elena answered. “You know, Father, I may be marrying a commoner after a…difficult period, but at least I didn’t do that.” She waved her hand at a crumb-laden Alexander.

“Pouting? What’s this? This is no way for a royal to behave.”

“I am feeling as trapped as Elena when she absconded to Sterling City.”

King Frederick eased onto the couch next to Alexander, clearing his throat as he stared at the pretzel bits on his trousers. “Trapped?”

“My parents hope I will show an interest in Lady Margaret. ”

“Oh, I see,” King Frederick said as Elena studied another gift. “Well, she is a lovely woman. Very…well…bred.”

“There you have it. You cannot even come up with a compliment for her. She’s quite unremarkable. And is it so terrible if I prefer to wait until I’ve found someone I consider suitable?”

“These are…delicate matters. Perhaps it’s best if–”

“Please, Uncle, can’t you say something on my behalf? Look at how things have turned out for Elena.”

King Frederick shifted his gaze to Elena who flashed him a color swatch. “Do you think this white is too white?”

The king lifted his eyebrows before returning his gaze to his lap. “I will consider it. I should go…consider it.”

“But you haven’t answered my question, Father,” Elena answered.

“It’s a question better posed to your mother, dear. If you’ll excuse me…”

“Oh, Father,” Elena said, “do you know the origin of the meeting that has appeared on both mine and Alexander’s schedules this evening?”

“I can answer that for you,” Julian said as he slithered into the room. “I put it there. And it is exceptionally important.”

“What does it concern?” King Frederick asked.

“Elena’s future in this kingdom. Or lack thereof.”

Elena’s eyebrows pinched as she stared at him. No doubt, he was up to something nefarious…but how detrimental would it be?