George was there, of course, as well as the magistrate who had performed the wedding ceremony several hours earlier.
"What is all of this, Fred?" The Deputy Chairman of the Council always did his best to ensure Frederick stayed "in his place" despite being the monarch.
The magistrate cleared his throat and glared at the Deputy Chairman.
The Deputy rolled his eyes. "What is all of this, Your Majesty?"
The magistrate handled the official notification. "This is a Level 1 secure meeting," he started. "Nothing spoken about inthis room can be discussed with anyone outside of this room and cannot be discussed with each other except in a Level 1 secure setting."
The other officials glanced at each other.
"King Frederick and Queen Elise were married this afternoon in accordance with all legal requirements and prior to the deadline imposed by the Monarchial Marriage Act of 1827. There will be a formal ceremony later this year. Until such a time as the king sees fit, the identity of the new queen is to be considered a state secret. Should any of you violate this mandate, you will be charged with treason and will be remanded to the Isle of Sorrows for the remainder of your natural life."
For a few seconds, they all remained still and silent as they processed the information.
"The queen is not allowed to work." The Deputy Chairman was the first to speak. His tone, unsurprisingly, was filled with derision, superiority, and arrogance.
“That’s not true and you know it.” It was as close as the Chairman would ever come to reprimanding his deputy.
Frederick managed to keep his emotions under control. "The queen has contractual obligations that supersede thetradition. There is no legal requirement for the queen to only work as a member of the royal family. There is a legal requirement for the royal family to keep their contractual obligations. Once her obligations have been fulfilled, the queen will take on a more traditional role as consort."
The Deputy's face grew red to the point Frederick worried about his blood pressure.
The magistrate spoke again. "There is nothing else to discuss. You have been informed of the king's change in status and of the requirement for your silence."
The Majority Leader of Parliament looked like he wanted to say something, but the stony look on the magistrate's face kept him from doing so.
"If there are no further concerns or constructive comments, this meeting is adjourned." The magistrate gave a nod dismissing the leadership.
No one had taken a seat for the short meeting so George motioned for them to follow him to the main door and opened it for their exit. Once only the three of them remained, the magistrate turned to Frederick and Elise.
"I wish to offer my congratulations once again. I understand the need for secrecy for the moment as well as the need for the queen to continue upholding her obligations. However, be aware the public will only be held at bay for so long. They'll insist on knowing who the new queen is as soon as the announcement is made. I would recommend having a plan to deal with those demands as well as introducing Queen Elise to them."
Frederick nodded at him. "My team came to the same conclusion earlier today. I appreciate your assistance and continued discretion, sir."
"It is my pleasure."
After handshakes all around, only Elise remained in the office with him. He rested a hand on the small of her back and silently urged her toward the same chairs they'd been in earlier. Once seated, he took her hand in his.
"How did the rest of your day go?" Better to start there.
"It went well. I'm wondering how long it will be before the increased security is noticed. Unless you have a better idea, we'll just say there's an unspecified threat my team has been made aware of and decided to err on the side of caution. Unless anyone recognizes them as a part of the palace security team, that should suffice. Even then, we could say the palace offered theirassistance." She sat back in the chair but continued to hold onto his hand.
"We'll meet with the public relations team tomorrow, around your schedule."
She wrinkled her nose in that cute way he'd loved ever since the first season ofSPACE. "My schedule is jam packed for the next two days. I'm sorry."
"You can't help it." He ran through a few things in his mind. "The security team believes it to be best that you stay here even before the announcement is made."
"Are you sure that's the best plan?" Elise questioned the decision, something very few people did.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Did she have a valid concern?
Elise hesitated for a second before continuing. "We're telling the people that, although the marriage is legally binding, we're essentially engaged until the official ceremony in a few months. Given that, would it be more... seemly for me to stay elsewhere?" Her head tipped to one side as she considered it.
"That's a good point." One that would require further consideration. "Tonight, since you're already here, it would be best for you to remain." That was his thought anyway.
Her hand tightened slightly around his. "I would love to stay, and I appreciate the offer, but until the announcement is made, it's probably best that I'm seen at my hotel. Once the people have been told, I can certainly come for dinner or to spend time with you and your family, but until then, it could only lead to speculation we don't want. Especially if we can't have a meeting with the PR team for a couple of days."
