“Your
Highness, you have a meeting with the head of the financial committee in an
hour, a late lunch with the agricultural committee to discuss the potential
threats of climate change on the export of our coffee and an afternoon session
of the House of Lords,” said Heidi, who’d stepped in as my personal assistant.
Felix was my head of personal security. Alec had requested to be moved into
Bella’s service.
Much
to my mother’s chagrin …
Her
staff was also pissed at her for her actions and words in the states.
“Your
Highness?” Heidi pressed.
“My
apologies, Heidi,” I sighed, looking up from my computer. “Is my schedule on my
computer?”
“Yes,
sir,” she nodded. “Along with a draft of the legislation from the agricultural
committee. Be familiar with that for your lunch.”
“It
was my bedtime reading for the past week, Heidi,” I snorted. Heidi arched a
brow, crossing her arms. She suspected that Bella and I had been making up for
lost time since her accident. Every day since we’d made love in Paris, we’d be
insatiable. “I swear, Heidi. I have not been slacking in my duties as the
leader of the House of Lords.”
“I
didn’t say that, Your Highness,” Heidi said, a smile spreading over her face.
“With your move into the royal apartment in the city center, out of Masen
Manor, and the apparent rift between you and your mother …”
“The
public don’t know, do they?” I asked.
“No.
Only those of us who are within the inner circle are aware of your estrangement,”
Heidi said. “Now, you’ve got an hour before your meetings begin earnest. Check
in with your fiancée. She’s called, stressing out about ‘messing up the
ginormous place that is not an
apartment, but a penthouse … no, not a penthouse, a museum! We’ve got so much
freaking room!’ That’s a direct quote from Bella’s mouth.”
“Pretty
good impression,” I snickered. “You almost have that an American accent.” Heidi
wrinkled her nose, ducking out of my office. I sat back in my leather chair. The
office had once belonged to my father, my grandfather. Now, I was sitting in
the same chair that they had. It was daunting, but I was trying to not stress
out. Compared to the responsibilities of being king, leading the House of Lords
was a cake walk. According to our constitution, I was nobility’s voice to the
queen. Speaking for them … advocating for our people. It meant that I had twice
weekly meetings with my mother.
Those
were very difficult meetings. I talked to her about the issues of the people,
cold and detached. When she tried to engage in personal conversations after
those meetings, I’d just leave. It broke my mother’s heart, but she’d broken
mine and Bella’s with her callous words.
Shaking
my head, I opened my computer, dialing Bella on FaceTime. She answered after
three rings. Her hair was curled around her heart-shaped face and her cheeks
were pink. “Masen, this place … it’s … I got lost going to the bathroom,” she
hissed, her eyes wide.
“Hello,
to you too, cherie,” I snickered. “I
take it you found your way out of there?”
“Bite
me, Majesty,” she quipped with a quiet giggle, her nose wrinkled.
House of Lords
Exterior of the Apartment
Alec, Bella's personal bodyguard
Felix, Masen's personal bodyguard
Heidi, Masen's personal assistant
