“Says the woman who talked about her bra strap at her last public appearance.”
“Uh . . . it was my underwire, not a bra strap. And if you had a thin metal rod poking you in the tit, you’d have something to say about it as well.”
“Don’t say tit.”
“Tit. Tit. Tit,” I whisper. His jaw grows tense, so I pat his chest. “Ease up, Fitzwilliam. I got this under control.” And then I turn away from him and head toward the door where it’s opened for me by the footmen.
“There she is.” Katla, my grandmother, walks up to me, looking decadent in a hunter-green wool dress and matching jewelry. Katla is the epitome of class and poise. She’s not the kind of lady who says tit. That’s what I’m for, bringing the fun into the royal family.
Theo, or King Theodore Strom as the world knows him, wobbly stands from where he’s sitting, beaming with pride as Katla takes both of my hands, and after I curtsy, she offers me a kiss on each cheek. Then she turns to Keller and does the same.
I step to the side and curtsy for Theo before he pulls me into a hug, his large arms circling me with a sense of comfort I’ve grown to love emphatically.
When he releases me and greets Keller with a handshake, I turn toward the wedding planner and offer her my hand. “Hello, I’m Lilly, and this is my fiancé, Keller. It’s so lovely to meet you.”
The tall blonde decked out in a red two-piece skirt suit with a brilliantly bright blouse and chunky red necklace smiles back at me. “It’s such an honor to meet you, Princess Lilija. My name is Adela Anderson. King Theodore was just telling me about your adventure from Miami to Torskethorpe. I’m truly impressed with your courage and bravery.”
“That’s so kind. Thank you,” I answer. “I finally feel at home now.”
“I’m so glad to hear it.”
“Let’s all take a seat,” Theo says as he sits down carefully and then lifts a glass of water to his lips. Keller mentioned that he thought Theo was looking weak again the other day, just like the day before Keller left Torskethorpe to find me. Obviously, the thought of losing Theo terrified me, so thankfully when I asked Katla about it, she said Theo was just fine, still recovering from a terrible case of pneumonia but doing much better. He’s going through some physical therapy and working hard at building up his lung stamina. According to his doctors, he’ll make a full recovery.
Keller takes a seat next to me on one of the red-and-gold couches positioned in a conversational circle. Instead of keeping his distance, he takes my hand in his, rests it on his leg, and remains as close as he can be.
For a time after the training in Harrogate, when we first arrived at Torskethorpe, he was adamant about not showing affection toward me in front of others, despite the king and queen approving of our relationship. But after he lost me, and we spent a few weeks apart, he hasn’t once let up on showing me just who I belong to.
And I love every second of it.
“Since we haven’t had a royal wedding in a while, I believe we’ll need you to guide us through this, Adela,” Katla says.
“It would be my pleasure. I hope you don’t mind, but would I be able to bring my assistant in to take notes for me?”
“Of course,” Katla says.
Adela turns toward the footman and says, “Would you please let Cornolia into the room?”
The footman nods and opens the door. A rather petite woman walks in, wearing a pair of dark-rimmed glasses with short brown hair and thick bangs that show no trace of her forehead. With a notebook clutched to her chest, she curtsies, then stands behind Adela’s couch with her pen poised.
“My dear, please take a seat,” Theo says. “No need to stand the whole time.”
Cornolia nervously pushes her glasses up on her nose and sits on the couch next to Adela but remains silent. Pretty sure the girl wants to climb into the wall and never be seen again.
Adela opens a folder on her lap, shuffles through some papers, then looks up at all of us. “Just to be clear, we’re going for a traditional Torskethorpian wedding, correct?”
“Yes,” Theo says while glancing toward me. “I know you’re not quite sure what that entails, Lilija, but I’d hope that you would be open to our traditions.”
“Of course,” I say, holding my hand to my chest. “I want to honor this country every chance I get. I’m open to everything that comes with a traditional Torskethorpian wedding. I want to do it all.”
“That’s wonderful to hear,” Theo says with a prideful smile.
I’m not sure what a traditional Torskethorpian wedding entails, but I do know that my grandfather’s smile means more to me than anything. After losing both of my parents, I didn’t think I’d ever have someone look at me with such pride the way Theo does. But then my life changed one day, and now not only do I feel closer to my mom, but I have a support system around me, when I didn’t have one when I was in Miami.
I will do just about anything to make them happy.
So if I have to carve a fish out of wood the size of Keller as part of the tradition, I will.
If I have to embroider my own veil, my God, I’ll let my fingers bleed.
