He nodded slowly."Then in the spirit of honesty, there's something you should know about the political situation."
"Is this about the sabotaged luggage?"
"No, this is bigger."He set down his spoon and looked at me directly."The marriage between our countries isn't just about diplomatic friendship.It's about military alliances and trade agreements and things that affect millions of people."
"I know that.The Grand Duchess explained the basics."
"Did she explain that if this marriage fails, both our countries face significant economic and security consequences?"
"She mentioned something about Russian naval movements and Mediterranean shipping lanes.I'll be honest, I didn't fully follow all of it."
"The short version is that Valdoria and Solmarina need each other, and our marriage is the symbol that makes the alliance real.If we publicly fall apart, the alliance weakens.If the alliance weakens, people who depend on our protection become vulnerable."
I let that sink in."So no pressure."
"Exactly.No pressure at all."His smile was wry."Just the fate of two countries resting on whether we can manage to coexist."
"Coexist.There's that romantic word again."
"Would you prefer 'tolerate each other's presence without causing international incidents'?"
"I think that might actually be worse."
The second course arrived, some kind of fish that had been prepared in a way that made it taste like it had been caught that morning.We ate in silence for a few minutes, but it was a different kind of silence than before.Less hostile.More contemplative.
"Can I ask you something?"I said eventually.
"You can ask.I reserve the right to respond with deflection."
"Noted."I set down my fork."What did you actually want to be when you grew up?Before you knew you were going to be king?"
He looked surprised by the question."Why do you want to know?"
"Because I'm trying to figure out who you are underneath all the royal performance.And childhood dreams are usually a good indicator."
He was quiet for a moment, twirling his wine glass in a way that suggested he was deciding how honest to be.
"A veterinarian," he said finally.
"Really?"
"When I was eight, I was convinced I was going to grow up and take care of animals.I had this fantasy about living in a cottage somewhere with dogs and cats and horses, spending my days helping injured creatures get better."
I tried to picture it: the prince in front of me trading his expensive suits for muddy boots and a stethoscope, surrounded by grateful animals instead of diplomatic obligations.It was unexpectedly endearing.
"What changed?"
"Reality.Royal duty.The gradual understanding that my life wasn't going to be about what I wanted, but about what was expected."
"That's sad."
"That's privilege.I've been given opportunities that most people never get.It would be ungrateful to complain about the strings attached."
"You can acknowledge that you're lucky while also being sad about the things you had to give up.They're not mutually exclusive."
He looked at me with an expression I couldn't decipher."You're surprisingly philosophical for someone who's still mad at me."
"I contain multitudes.Also, I took an intro to philosophy class at community college.We spent a whole week on the concept of holding contradictory emotions simultaneously."
