It had been a very longfew weeks, but at least Frederick had been able to send his plane for Elise's return to Southern Santiero. Being on set was typically fun for her. There was no reason why it shouldn't have been.
But instead, she'd found herself wishing to be back in her new home.
With her new husband.
Who was no longer a bachelor king.
She hadn't thought the whole thing through before making her offer to Frederick or going through with the quick marriage. The end of her career had come quite unexpectedly, and she would miss it, but she knew she'd made the right decision.
The rest of the cast and crew had thrown her a lovely retirement party of sorts. There had been cake and balloons. Even a few presents.
Elise would still have to do the press tour for this project, but that wouldn't be for a year or more and who knew how much she'd actually end up doing. The mere fact that she was now married to a king could be enough publicity without her doingmany interviews or film festivals or anything besides possibly the premieres.
Could she arrange to have one in Southern Santiero? It could be good for tourism and publicity for her new homeland. She'd have to talk to Frederick about it and see if it was even a possibility.
Not long after takeoff, Elise snuggled down under her favorite bedding in the same bed she and Frederick had shared on their first flight together. With any luck, she'd sleep most of the way to the Southern Santiero.
After slipping into slumber, she didn't remember much about the dreams she had, though they left her a bit discomfitted. The next thing she realized a member of staff woke her up to return to a seat for landing.
Once buckled in, she used a brush to pull her hair back into a sleek ponytail. A quick glance in the mirror told her she didn't need any touch ups because she didn't wear any make up, but she looked okay anyway.
Besides, it would be dark when she arrived. There would be lights on the tarmac of course, but given then hour it seemed unlikely that there would be press close enough to take pictures.
As she walked down the stairs toward the waiting vehicle, she glanced around but didn't see anyone on the other side of the fencing a fair distance away.
"Welcome home, Your Majesty." The driver was one she'd ridden with before.
"Thank you. I happy to be home." That felt right. Home.
She hadn't truly felt like she had a place to call home since she left Eastern Novigradia many years earlier to move to the States forSPACE.
It seemed incredibly odd, given that she'd never even seen her husband's official living quarters.
A glance at the clock on the dash told her Frederick would likely be asleep when she arrived at the palace. They had also decided she'd stay in the other suite until after the official wedding.
That was coming up in just a few weeks. Aside from a carefully selected outings, planning would be her sole focus until the day arrived.
When the SUV slowed to a stop under the portico, a member of the staff waited to open her door. She hadn't met this staff member before.
He bowed a bit at the waist as she exited. "Welcome home, Your Majesty."
"Thank you. I'm happy to be here." She only had her purse with her. The rest would be delivered directly to her quarters. The bags were probably already there.
"It would be my honor to escort you the rest of the way."
Elise blinked as she realized who waited for her just inside the doorway. "Frederick! I didn't think I'd see you this evening."
He leaned down to kiss her cheek. "My wife is home after being away for weeks. Where else would I be?"
She slipped her hand inside his elbow, and he covered it with his free one. "You know, I may expect this kind of greeting every time I come home after being away."
Frederick chuckled. "Duly noted. Whenever possible, I'll be sure to meet you." He stopped in his tracks. "Is it acceptable that I didn't meet your plane? Isn't that what spouses are supposed to do? Meet you at the airport and pick you up?"
Elise tried to hide her grin but failed. "That is how it often happens, but not always. It depends on the city, the airport within the city, availability of public transportation or ride shares like Yfir for a reasonable price, and so on. You ensured I had a way home from the airport. I think that's probably close enough."
They started walking again. "I'm glad to hear you're not offended I didn't meet you there."
"I'm surprised to find you here, to be honest. I thought you'd be asleep long before now. A king needs his beauty rest after all, doesn't he?" She bumped her hip lightly against his.
