Alex joined them, kissing Ethan and Anda in greeting, and placed a possessive arm around his wife. “Anda, you look lovely.”
Anda curtsied and gave him a movie star smile. “Thank you.”
Anda had gone with a poofy-skirted, strapless dress, while Rebecca had gone with a long-sleeved slim dress that draped elegantly. The main thing they all wore were elements of dark purple, the colour of Valleria and their royal family: Ethan and Alex had stripes of purple in their ties, Rebecca’s tea pink dress had a Vallerian purple belt, and Anda’s bodice was dark purple and featured sparkling silver embroidery.
Alex shook his head. “You don’t need to curtsy to us. You know we’re not fussy about protocol in private.”
“I know, but I wanted to make sure I could curtsy in this dress. I nearly always forget to check.”
Alex chuckled. “I doubt you’d forget such a thing. You are the brilliant ‘spy’ in the family, after all.”
Ethan pretended to be offended. “What about me?”
“I was right the first time.”
“Oh? And what do you think Marcello will say to that?”
“Probably that I’m right. As always.” Alex turned and held out an arm for his wife.
Rebecca pushed her hair over her shoulder, adjusted herself one last time, then slipped her arm over his. “You’re not always right.”
Alex’s grin turned wicked. “I was right about how much time we had before the event, wasn’t I?”
Rebecca slapped him playfully on the arm. “Alex!”
Alex chuckled and nodded back to Ethan and Anda. “Darling, we weren’t the only ones, I’m sure.”
Anda laughed. “He’s not wrong, Rebecca.”
Ethan shook his head. “Can we just leave this conversation behind and get a move on? We’re going to be late.”
As they started walking down the hall to the elevators, Alex glanced back. “We’re meant to enter late, littlest brother. Or have youspent so much time in Hollywood that you’ve forgotten royal protocol?”
Ethan narrowed his eyes. Hehatedwhen they teased him about being the youngest sibling, though he also knew they meant it as a sign of affection. “I haven’t forgotten anything, eldest brother. If anyone’s forgotten anything, it’s probably you, since you’re so very,verymuch older than?—”
“Oh, shut it. There’s barely a decade between us.”
Ethan nodded sagely. “Ten years at your age, though, makes a big difference.”
They entered the elevator, Alex and Rebecca going towards the back since per protocol they would exit last, and Ethan and Anda positioning themselves at the front.
As the elevator descended from their secured private hotel floor to the ballroom level, the ladies did a final check of their dresses and makeup, while the men straightened their ties again. They all assumed the persona of a royal in public: their posture straightened ever so slightly, their shoulders pushed back, their smiles easy and nearly constant, and their movements would be steady and graceful. None of them fussed over protocol in private, but everything must be strictly adhered to in public. Alex was, after all, the future king, and Rebecca would one day be queen.
Alex addressed Ethan. “You’re a dick. My memory’s excellent.”
Ethan smirked and continued facing forward. “I’m surprised you can even remember Rebecca’s name. Or mine. Wait, do you remember my name?”
“Fuck you.”
“Fuck you back.”
Rebecca and Anda shared a commiserating ‘not this again’ look.
Anda shook her head. “You know, other families just say they love each other.”
Rebecca smiled. “When they’re saying ‘fuck you’ they really mean ‘I love you’. The royal brothers have their own language. You’lllearn it too. You’ll also learn about the language the royal sisters have.”
Anda, the most recent person to join the royal family, gave her a dazzling smile. “Can’t wait.”
