An interesting idea. More importantly, it is a good one. I cannot step into every business in Candora, but I could choose a few in every city and town we stop in. That would not be too difficult.
As if he hears my thoughts, Elliot glances back and meets my gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly. Anything I do will require him to adjust security measures, though I agree with Roarke that nothing dangerous ever happens in Candora.
The man who grabbed me in Invem was a fluke. A lone issue in the biggest city in the country.
“I once saw the King of Sweden on a bicycle in Stockholm,” Evert says. “It was strange.”
The Swedish king does not have the same power as a Candoran monarch—he is only a figurehead—but I still value the boy’s input. “Do you think it would be strange to see me riding a bicycle in Candora?” I ask him.
He shrugs. “Maybe? But it would make you seem more normal.”
“Am I not normal now?”
Turning a bright red, he ducks his head and mumbles, “You’re too pretty to be normal.”
Laughter bursts out of me at full volume, something I have avoided until now because the sound tends to alarm people. But my friends around the table join in, thankfully masking the obnoxious sound of my inelegant laughter. Even Elliot cracks a smile in the doorway.
“You are sweet,” I tell Evert. “Perhaps I will try a horse rather than a bicycle.” I would much prefer that to being in one of the horse-drawncoaches we have brought with us for the parts of the country without modern developed roads.
“I recommend you don’t go everywhere with the entire palace guard surrounding you,” Roarke says into his tea. Almost like he did not want me to hear him.
But I did hear him, and so did Elliot, who stiffens in the doorway and looks back with a furrow in his brow.
“That one may be more difficult,” I say, keeping my words light. “Though I agree with you.”
“Your handsome American is frightening enough as it is,” Orla says with a giggle.
Elliot’s lips twitch, and I am almost certain he is trying not to smirk with pride.
She is right to call my bodyguard handsome, though I would not call him frightening. Intimidating, yes, but I have seen enough of Elliot’s softer side to know there is a heart beneath all that muscle. After all, he is the one who fought for me to be out here in the first place instead of trapped in the palace, away from all these people who need to be heard.
“Your Highness,” Elliot says, pulling everyone’s attention to him. “We should be heading back for your meeting.”
I do not even know what time it is. I left my phone at the hotel, choosing to take the day as it comes, and I forgot about my meeting with the local nobility. I do not think I will be able to miss this one like I did yesterday, as there are several seats in Lords from Windgaard and its surrounding towns, and all of the nearby title holders have come into the city to meet with me this afternoon.
As much as I wish I could avoid them, I will need their support. The contrast between lunch with friends at a quaint seaside restaurant and a stuffy roundtable meeting with half a dozen lords and ladies hoping for my favor is going to be stark, I fear.
Rising to my feet, I smile at each person in turn. “My friends, thank you so much for letting me join you today. I wish you all the best.” As they all bid their farewells, I step past Elliot and take a deep breath of the fresh sea air. We are mere steps from the ocean, with a wall separating the walking path from the water, and I could stand here for hours if Elliot were to let me. It feels like Derek’s back patio that looks out over the Pacific Ocean, except Windgaard is far colder and windier. Unlike in Los Angeles, Candora’s weather leans toward cold and wet more often than not, but I do love our rolling green hills and seaside cliffs.
“Are you coming, Rapunzel?” Elliot’s eyes are on my hair as it whips around behind me.
“One moment.” I quickly wrangle my hair into a serviceable braid, knowing it is still a mess but unable to do more without Runa here to fix it for me. I never learned more than a simple braid, which is ridiculous considering how much hair I have. If I lose this election, that will be the first thing I learn.
Oh, I should not joke about losing, even to myself.
“Ready?” Elliot asks when I am done, though he seems not to like the state of my hair, as he is now frowning at it. “We really do need to get back before Sander sends Hex out to find us.”
I exaggerate a shudder. “Heaven help the people of Windgaard if Hex gets loose.”
Choking out a laugh, Elliot gestures for me to start walking back to the closest road. This part of the city can only be accessed by foot or bicycle, so it is rather quiet right now, and I am grateful for that. While I adore my new friends back at the cafe, I could use some time to myself so I can make some plans for the next several days.
Elliot is the first to break the silence between us, and it is with a question I did not expect in the slightest. “You really never wanted to date Derek?”
I turn to gape at him. “Why would I?”
He shrugs, keeping his eyes on our surroundings. “Because he’s perfect, or so people say.”
“You are very much like him, you know.” I mean that in more ways than one. Not only do they both have skills with languages and are incredibly intelligent, but they look similar as well. Elliot’s coloring may be lighter, but as I did not give him the chance to shave this morning before dragging him to the bus, he has the rough beginning of a brown beard that makes him look even more like my friend. It is remarkable that he and Derek could look this similar as merely cousins; their fathers must look alike as well.
