"Do you regret it?"
"Not for a second."
We stayed in bed longer than we should have, talking and touching and dozing in each other's arms.When we finally made it back to the reception, we'd been gone almost two hours and everyone was pretending not to know why.
"Nice of you to join us," Petra said dryly.
"We had important wedding business to attend to."
"I'm sure you did."But she was smiling."Your grandmother wants to say goodbye.The medical team is worried about her traveling at night."
I found the Grand Duchess in her wheelchair near the window, looking out at the Oregon skyline.The old woman looked exhausted but content, a cup of my mocha still clutched in her hands.
"You're leaving?"
"I must."The Grand Duchess turned to face me."But I'm glad I came.Glad I got to see this.To see you happy."
"Thank you for being here."I knelt beside the wheelchair."I know the travel was hard on you."
"Some things are worth the difficulty."She reached out and touched my face."You look like your mother when you smile like that.She would have been so proud of you."
"I wish I'd known her."
"I wish you had too.But you'll know your children.And they'll know her through you, through the stories we'll tell them about the princess who loved horses and made everyone laugh and would have adored their grandmother."
My throat tightened."I'll come visit you.In Valdoria.As often as I can."
"I'd like that."The Grand Duchess smiled."And perhaps bring that husband of yours.I need to make sure he's treating you properly."
"He is.I'll make sure of it."
"I know you will."She squeezed my hand."You're a Montclair.We're not easy women to manage, but we're worth the effort."
After the Grand Duchess left, I stood at the window and watched the taillights disappear into the night.Archie appeared beside me, slipping his hand into mine.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."I leaned against his shoulder."Just thinking about how weird my life has become.Six months ago I was a barista with student loan debt and a terrible boss.Now I'm a princess with a newfound grandmother, a husband, and a coffee shop I own but will probably never work in again."
"You could work in it if you wanted."
"I know.That's the thing.I could do whatever I want now.No more Derek, no more worrying about rent, no more feeling trapped by circumstances I couldn't control."I looked up at him."It's strange, having choices.Real choices."
"You've always had choices.You just didn't always see them."
"Maybe."I turned back to the window."Did they find any connection to the Russians or Viktor to my kidnapping?”
"The investigation is still on going, but it doesn't look like it.The timeline doesn't match.Whoever took you from that garden twenty years ago, they covered their tracks too well.The trail went cold long before Viktor ever set foot in Valdoria."He pulled me closer."Does that bother you?Not knowing?"
"Sometimes.But I've decided it matters less than I thought it would.Knowing who took me won't give me back those twenty years.It won't change who raised me or who I became.Some mysteries stay mysteries.I can live with that."
This was my life now.Coffee shops and palaces, Oregon rain and Mediterranean sun, the barista I'd been and the princess I was becoming.
Both versions of myself, finally at peace.
"Ready to go home?"Archie asked.
"Home to Solmarina?"
