Chapter 47 Alexander Gets Real #2
The interview had already shifted the narrative, Alexander knew that much. But Eliza Monroe wasn’t finished. She leaned in slightly, sensing there was still more to uncover.
“One final question, Your Highness,” she said, her voice measured, deliberate. “For years, the public has seen you as… reserved. A prince who does his duty but doesn’t often reveal himself. And yet, tonight, you’ve been more open than ever before. Why now?”
Alexander exhaled slowly. He could feel the weight of the moment pressing in, the unspoken expectation that he would give something not just a polished answer, but a real one.
“My mother has held the crown in trust for me,” he began, his voice even, “After my father’s death I needed the space to learn the way things are done.
But more recently I’ve realized…” He hesitated for a fraction of a second, then continued, his tone stronger.
“A title doesn’t make a leader. People do.
The choices you make, the people you listen to, the things you fight for, that’s what defines you.
And I think it’s time I start making my own choices.
But I also think that if I am to be king, then I owe it to the people to speak to them directly. ”
Eliza studied him, letting his words settle before offering him a small, knowing smile. “Then I think the people of Caledonia have a lot to look forward to.”
Alexander returned the smile, though there was something weightier beneath it an unspoken promise, a shift in the very foundation of who he had been expected to be.
The cameras were still rolling, the world was still watching, but for the first time in his life…
He felt free.
The interview aired that evening, sending ripples through the nation.
By morning, it was everywhere.
“Prince Alexander Calls Marriage Law ‘Ridiculous’ in Shockingly Candid Interview.”
“‘A King Should Lead With More Than Just His Title: Alexander’s Vision for the Future.”
“‘No One Should Be Forced Into Marriage’ Did Prince Alexander Just End His Engagement to Genevieve?”
Social media exploded.
The hashtags #LetHimChoose and #ModernMonarchy dominated the trends.
Parliament was forced to acknowledge the conversation. Political analysts weighed in. The monarchy had lost control of the narrative.
And in the Queen’s office? She was furious.
* * *
Alexander barely had time to process the aftermath of his interview before the doors to his office burst open.
Genevieve Laurent stormed inside, her perfectly styled composure barely concealing the fury radiating off her in waves. She closed the door behind her with a sharp click, her heels striking the floor with precise, deliberate force.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Alexander didn’t even look up right away. He remained seated behind his desk, flipping through a report he wasn’t actually reading, before slowly setting it aside.
He exhaled. He had been expecting this.
“Good to see you too, Genevieve,” he said smoothly, leaning back in his chair.
Genevieve’s eyes flashed. “Don’t you dare.
Don’t act like this is just another one of your brooding little moods.
” She stepped closer, planting both hands on his desk.
“You went on national television and practically declared that this engagement is a joke. Do you have any idea what kind of position that puts me in?”
Alexander finally met her gaze, his expression unreadable. “I gave you an out.”
“An out?” Genevieve’s laugh was sharp, incredulous.
“Is that what you think that interview was? A courtesy?” She straightened, smoothing her skirt with calculated precision.
“My family has invested years in this arrangement. The Laurent name has been tied to yours in every political calculation for over a decade. And you think you can dismantle all of that with one sanctimonious interview?”
Her composure slipped for just a moment, revealing the genuine anger beneath. “My father called me within minutes. I have journalists camped outside my home. So no, Alexander, you didn’t give me ‘an out.’ You threw me to the wolves.”
Alexander stood, meeting her eye-to-eye. “That wasn’t my intention.”
“Your intentions are irrelevant,” she countered, her voice cooling to the practiced calm of someone recalculating their position. “What matters now is damage control.”
She moved to the window, gazing out at the palace grounds as she assessed her options. When she turned back, her expression had already changed from fury to something more calculated.
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” It wasn’t really a question. “The historian.”
Alexander’s silence was answer enough.
Genevieve nodded slowly, as if confirming a theory she’d been developing. “I suspected as much. I just didn’t think you’d actually be foolish enough to risk everything for it.”
She studied him, reassessing him as if seeing him clearly for the first time. “You realize the Queen will fight this with everything she has.”
“I’m counting on it,” Alexander replied, his voice steady.
Something shifted in Genevieve’s expression. It looked like surprise, perhaps even tempered with a reluctant flicker of respect. She had seen hints of this version of Alexander recently but he had always bent to his mother’s will in the end. But here he was, finally determined to stand his ground.
She turned away, pacing the length of his office as she thought through the angles, the potential plays, the public narratives that could be shaped. Finally, she stopped, decision made.
“I can work with this,” she said at last, her tone shifting to business-like efficiency. “A statement confirming we were never formally engaged would give me plausible deniability and distance me from whatever fallout comes next.”
Alexander arched a brow. “That’s your solution? To pretend this never happened?”
“Alexander,” she said, her voice suddenly softer, more honest than he’d heard in years. “We’ve both just been playing parts in someone else’s production our entire lives. Maybe you’re not the only one who wants to rewrite the script.”
She moved closer, her expression pragmatic. “At any rate, I’m not walking away empty-handed. My family will expect compensation for this public humiliation. Perhaps favorable trade agreements or political favors, something. I’ll have my father’s office send details later.”
Even in retreat, Genevieve Laurent knew how to negotiate, Alexander thought with grudging respect.
“Fine. I’ll see what we can do.”
Genevieve nodded. “And one more thing. When the press asks, and they will ask, I want to be the one who stepped back. I won’t be portrayed as the woman who was discarded for someone else.”
Alexander hesitated, then nodded. “Fair enough.”
Genevieve adjusted her jacket, already mentally composing her statement. “I’ll say that we’ve mutually decided to take a step back from these discussions. That while we have a deep respect for each other, there is no formal engagement and never has been.”
She moved toward the door, then paused, looking back at him with an expression that was impossible to read. “For what it’s worth, Alexander, I hope she’s worth it. Because you’ve just declared war on centuries of tradition, and not everyone will be as… accommodating as I’m being.”
Without waiting for his response, she turned and left, her heels echoing down the corridor as she already began calculating her next move in a game whose rules had suddenly changed.
As the door closed behind her, Alexander exhaled. He knew Genevieve well enough to recognize that she’d just cut her losses and repositioned herself for maximum advantage. She was playing the long game.
It took less than an hour for Genevieve’s statement to dominate the headlines.
By the end of the day, the entire country was talking about it.
“brEAKING: Genevieve Laurent Announces No Formal Engagement With Prince Alexander”
At exactly 4:32 PM, the statement was released:
“While I have the utmost respect for His Royal Highness, Prince Alexander, and his role in Caledonia’s future, I want to clarify that there is and never was a formal engagement.
The speculation has been largely unfounded, and we have mutually decided to step back from these discussions at this time. ”
By 4:34 PM, the hashtag #LetHimChoose was trending once again.
By 5:00 PM, political analysts were already debating what this meant for the monarchy.
And by 6:00 PM, Parliament had officially begun shifting its stance.
For weeks, the debate had centered around whether Alexander’s marriage was a matter of personal choice or a constitutional requirement.
Until now, the palace had controlled the narrative, carefully framing the situation as a necessary and expected arrangement, one that the public should not question.
But now?
Now, Genevieve, the very person they had counted on to uphold the illusion, had publicly distanced herself from it.
And that changed everything.
Suddenly, members of Parliament who had remained silent began speaking out.
“If the future queen isn’t committed to the idea, why should Parliament force the issue?” – MP Harold Whitmore
“The monarchy must evolve. Prince Alexander should be allowed to determine his own future.” – Opposition Leader Victoria Langley
“Frankly, it’s embarrassing that we’re even debating whether an adult man should be forced into marriage in this day and age.” – MP Sandra Patel
For the first time, there were real discussions about whether this law had any place in a modern constitutional monarchy.
The internet responded instantly.
“She just broke up with him before they were even engaged. Incredible.”
“The Queen must be furious right now.”
“Genevieve removed herself from this PR disaster with the skill of a seasoned politician.”
“Imagine being forced to marry your boss just to keep your job. That’s what Alexander was dealing with. No wonder he’s done playing along.”
Public sentiment, once divided, shifted almost entirely in Alexander’s favor.
It was no longer just about his engagement, it was about his autonomy.
It was about whether a modern monarchy had any right to dictate its ruler’s marriage.
And most importantly it was about what Alexander was going to do next.