She absorbed this, then surprised me by laughing."You know what's funny?A month ago my biggest problem was customers complaining about latte temperatures.Now I have actual enemies trying to destroy my reputation."
"That's not funny."
"It's a little funny.In a dark, absurdist kind of way."She set down her pen."Any suspects?"
"Six names on both access lists.Roberto's investigating."
"And in the meantime?"
"In the meantime, I thought maybe we could do something that doesn't involve sabotage investigations or healthcare policy."I paused, suddenly unsure."There's a restaurant in the old town.Private, excellent food.I thought maybe...dinner?"
Her eyebrows rose."You're asking me on a date?"
"I'm asking my wife if she'd like to eat somewhere that isn't a palace for one evening."
"That sounds suspiciously like a date."
"It can be whatever you want it to be."
She considered this, tapping her pen against the table."How would that even work?I have a Valdorian security detail that follows me everywhere.You presumably have a Solmarian one.Between us we'd have enough bodyguards to invade a small country."
This was the part I'd been thinking about all afternoon.
"I have a plan for that."
"A plan that involves leaving the palace without a twelve-person security entourage?"
"A plan that involves...negotiation."
* * *
"ABSOLUTELY NOT."
Captain Steiner stood in my study with her arms crossed and an expression that suggested I'd just proposed we set Betty on fire.
"It's dinner at a restaurant I've been visiting since I was sixteen," I said."Giuseppe has hosted me dozens of times without incident."
"With respect, Your Highness, Princess Bettina was kidnapped from a secure palace garden at age two.She is a high-value target with known enemies.Taking her to an unsecured location for a recreational dinner is not something I can approve."
"I'm not asking for approval.I'm asking for cooperation."
"Then you're asking for my resignation, because I will not be responsible for this."
"Captain."I held up a hand."What would it take to make this acceptable?"
She paused, clearly not expecting negotiation."Full advance sweep of the restaurant.Background checks on all staff.Plainclothes agents at every entrance.Secured transportation with armored vehicles.Communication blackout on our destination until we're en route."
"Done."
"I'm not finished.Counter-sniper positions on the adjacent rooftops.Medical team on standby within two-minute response radius.Evacuation routes pre-planned and rehearsed.And my team stays inside the restaurant, not outside."
"Inside the restaurant?The whole point is to have dinner without being watched."
"The whole point, Your Highness, is to keep the Princess alive.I can position my people discreetly, but they will be present."
I thought about Betty's face when I'd suggested dinner somewhere normal.The hope in her expression, the brief flash of excitement before she'd remembered to be guarded.
"How discreetly?"
