Reluctantly, Frederick nodded his agreement. "You're probably right. It's best to continue as we would otherwise for the time being." He didn't like it. The hotel where the cast and crew were staying was one of the nicest ones in Caledania, and their security had to be top notch, but he'd still prefer havingElise - his wife, the queen - staying in the palace. "I would imagine there will be more security taking up posts near the hotel. Undercover, of course."
"That is completely understandable. I wouldn't expect any less from your team. They are very good at their jobs." She squeezed his hand again. "Is there any chance we could get some dinner? I haven't eaten much today." A slight grimace crossed her face. "I spent my lunch break here. I was able to get a snack, but no actual meal."
Frederick stood immediately. "Of course. I'll have dinner sent right away."
The biggest question remaining in his mind - where would they eat? His quarters would normally be his first choice, but that didn't seem like the best idea given everything else. A balcony, maybe? But they ran the risk of being seen.
With a sigh, he wondered if there was somewhere else that would be better, but realized he didn't know the nooks and crannies of the palace as well as he probably should.
In the absence of a better option, only one choice remained.
His first dinner with his wife would be in his office.
Dinner was far moreawkward than Elise would have expected based on their previous interactions.
But, then again, she hadn’t been Frederick’s wife the last time they talked for any significant period of time.
She could tell Frederick was blaming himself for the awkwardness, but in reality, the responsibility belonged to both of them.
“I should probably get back to the hotel.” Elise didn’t expect to feel as much reluctance as she did. “I have an early call time tomorrow, so I need to get some rest.”
Frederick nodded and pulled out his phone. “I’ll have someone take you back.”
Seeing his phone made Elise realize something. “You know, I have no way to actually reach you. I wouldn’t expect it to be needed, but I don’t.”
He chuckled. “It does strike me as a bit odd. I don’t have my wife’s phone number.”
She grinned. “It’s probably a little unusual, but given the circumstances it’s not surprising.”
Frederick handed his phone to her, something she suspected he didn’t do with very many people. “Send yourself a text?”
After doing that, she handed the phone back. “There’s no breech of security is there?”
He gave a half-hearted shrug. “I really have no idea, but given that you’re my wife, it’s expected that you’d have it.” A notification popped up and he stood. “They’re waiting for you in the garrison.”
Together, they walked back the way she’d come in. She would have to figure out how to get from one place to another eventually, but for now, she would have to have an escort.
Before exiting back to the valet stand area, Frederick stopped and turned to her. “I’m glad we had a chance to see each other. I’ll be counting the hours until we can see each other again.”
Elise wanted to snicker a little bit at his formality but decided that it probably wasn’t the best idea. He likely wouldn’t see the humor.
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before opening the door to the valet stand. “Have a good evening. I will see you as soon as our schedules allow.”
“I look forward to it.”
The car waiting for her in the garrison wasn’t the same one that had brought her to the palace. This one seemed to be a generic state vehicle. The security team, however was the same.
Once again, they didn’t speak to her unless absolutely necessary. It didn’t take long to return to the hotel. As the evening marched on, the traffic became lighter. Almost before she knew what was happening, Elise found herself back in her suite wondering how this would all play out. She looked at the schedule and realized that with her call times, she likely wouldn’t see Frederick for several days.
It wasn’t her first choice, but it seemed to be the only one.
For the next two days, they did communicate some via text messages, but only discussed things of a mundane nature.
When she returned to her suite two days after their dinner, Elise stopped short.
“Frederick?” The question came out before she formed a conscious thought. Of course it was him.
“Good evening, Elise. I do hope we’re not interfering too much.” He kissed her cheek.
