Alex couldn’t help but be moved by the words his father had spoken. It was another ending, another beginning he wasn’t sure he was ready for, but one he’d do his best to live up to.
Becoming king wasn’t about the words someone said. It was about being steady and stoic and empathetic and loving and listening and so much more. He hoped he lived up to the long line of kings and queens that came before him, including the one former king in front of him.
He gave his first speech as king, committing himself to helping all the people in Valleria, and then it was over.
They’d decided to skip most of the pomp of ceremonies past, buthe did step onto the palace balcony for the first time on his own. He’d always been with others or entered after his parents, but now it was his turn to be first.
It wasn’t part of the plan, but Alex reached back for Rebecca and she stepped out and slipped her hand into his. Cheers grew louder from the crowd below as they both waved. They shared a smile just between them, then faced the crowd with broad smiles on their faces.
After that was a parade and procession through the streets of Valentia. Alex and Rebecca sat on a specially rigged convertible to allow them to easily see and wave to the crowds, and be easily seen themselves.
With each shout of ‘Long Live the King!’ from the crowd, Alex’s new reality sank in more and more. In some ways, it was a relief. Something long planned that had finally come to fruition. In other ways, it was terrifying, but it didn’t deter his resolve.
With Rebecca by his side, he was sure they’d be able to handle anything that came their way.
ALEXANDER
Rebecca glancedaround while her lady’s maid gently removed her sash. “It feels strange, doesn’t it? Moving to a new space? It’s not all that different from our old apartments, merely bigger, but…”
Alex nodded as his valet—another change, he’d need a full-time valet from here on out—removed the accoutrements of his outfit. “I know what you mean.”
His parents left the palace not long ago, and it hadn’t hit him yet that they were gone. Though they were only going to Ilva, and were a phone call away, it still seemed strange. He’d told them they didn’t need to leave right away, but they’d insisted so his reign wouldstart off on a good footing.
Alex was now the highest-ranking person in the family, in the palace, and in the whole fucking country.
“Thank you,” Rebecca told her lady’s maid. “I can manage the rest.”
The woman curtsied, gathered the clothing and accessories, and exited into Rebecca’s closet.
Alex nodded to his valet. “I can manage the rest as well. Thank you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The man bowed and exited to Alex’s closet.
Another change to get used to—he was no longer His Highness, but now His Majesty.
Alone—finally, blissfully alone—he pulled his wife and queen into his arms. As he took a deep breath, she sighed and relaxed into him. They stood there in their shared dressing room—technically they each had a separate one, but decided to use a shared space occasionally—and let the day and stress and all the changes drain away.
It was hard to be introverted as a royal. There was always someone new to meet, another event to go to, and he had to be ‘on’ so much. This week, especially, had been rough due to all the world leaders visiting and the additional meetings he’d taken. But now, with his wife, he let go of the public persona of prince—no, king—to be himself.
“I’ve been wanting to undress you all day,” he murmured and could tell she was smiling.
“Oh really? Becoming king with a billion people watching and you were thinking about me naked?”
“I did have a fleeting thought and wonder if we could fuck on those very fancy chairs in the throne room comfortably. Then I thought, I’d sit back while you rode me, your dress hiked up. Or, better yet, you’d be naked, and I’d be?—”
She gently slapped his ass. “You’re lying. Oh, I have no doubt you thought those dirty thoughts, but you were only thinking about your duty and responsibility during the service.”
“You’re right, I was. Though I did think about how much I love you, and how lucky I am to have you by my side.”
He tilted her head up to meet his gaze. Love and light and everything bright shone from her eyes. “There’s no way I could manage all this without you.”
“You would if you needed to.”
He didn’t even want to imagine a world where she didn’t exist. “Maybe, but there would always be something—someone—missing.”
She shifted her hands into his hair and pulled his head down to hers for a kiss. He deepened it and hugged her even tighter against him.
A few breathless minutes later, he broke the kiss. “One of the benefits of moving apartments is I have all these new places to fuck you. Where should we start?”
