“And you imagine when all this is over you will go off into a life of obscurity?”
“Yes,” she said. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“It is not feasible to expect that you would be queen of a nation and then simply slip off into the darkness.”
“I suppose both of these things appeal to the rather erratic things I have been told all of my life. I am forgettable enough to slip into nothing. But important enough that I have to do this first. The paradoxical nature of being the youngest in a royal family. Of being the only daughter.”
“I’m the only one,” he said. “I wouldn’t know.”
Silence ruled as the car began to drive away from the airfield, up the winding road that would lead them to the castle on the craggy mountaintop. It overlooked the largest city in the nation. There was only one.
It was a small country, but with a rich history. Or at least, he would have considered it a rich history prior to the coup.
“Of course,” she said, “I’m sorry. Your parents were killed.”
“Yes,” he said. “They were. A strange thing to have your personal tragedy in the history books.”
She nodded. “I’m certain.”
She looked…almost sorry for him and he did not care for it.
“But that is the problem with being in the position that you and I are in,” he continued. “Our lives will never truly be personal. They belong to our countries.”
“I can see why you feel that way. Because you’re the heir. Because you’re the only one left. It’s nothing like that in my family. I have five brothers. In many ways, I am so unimportant because of my gender. And yet, in other ways… Had I been a sixth son I would truly have offered him nothing new. At least as a daughter I was able to offer the ability to enter into marriage agreements. He could sell my womb to the highest bidder. And did. But either way, I have never felt singular. Not to my country. I am only useful to my father’s political ambitions. If I esteemed those ambitions then perhaps I would feel differently. But I don’t. I don’t care about what he wants.”
“By all accounts Cape Blanco is a thriving country, particularly for the size that you are. Another Monte Carlo.”
“My father is a capitalist. The fact that it is easiest for our country to be wealthy due to tourism is probably what keeps everything so stable. He wants it to be safe and attractive. Anything good that he does is a side effect of it being good for him.” She paused for a moment. “That is perhaps uncharitable. He’s not an evil dictator. But he did make a deal with one. And was not in any way hesitant to hand his daughter over to him.”
“Did you have feelings for him?”
He felt that it was important to ask. If she harbored a connection to his enemy, then she could be a liability. It hadn’t occurred to him until that moment, but what he was gathering from this entire conversation was that the marriage had been arranged in her infancy. Which meant she didn’t know anything else.
Her face contorted in horror. “I absolutely had no feelings beyond contempt. I’m glad that he’s rotting in prison getting everything that he deserves for being a despot.”
“Then I find your father quite monstrous.”
“Why? Clearly my free will doesn’t matter to you. You don’t even think I actually have it.”
“I didn’t say that. What I believe is that there are some things that bear so much weight your internal compass will continually point you back to them. What I believe is that eventually you realize your choices are not limitless, because the things that you believe in, the things that you value, will keep you on a path.”
She looked out the window. “I don’t even know what my path is supposed to be.”
“Perhaps when this is finished you will find it.” He found that he meant it. He found that maybe he even cared. Even if just the smallest bit. On the surface he had nothing in common with this woman, this princess who seemed to bemoan her life growingup in a palace. But in other ways, he did understand. Because he had been thrust into a life that did not belong to him, and he had been forced to claw his way back out.
It would be easy to write her off as being spoiled. Selfish.
But she hadn’t had a chance to create her own fate. He supposed she was doing it now.
A valiant effort that he could only admire.
The car pulled up to the wrought iron gates that separated the palace from the rest of the world. Security was still extremely high, turning this place into a fortress. But they were such a new government, even if they were a continuation of the old. He took nothing for granted. For now, the people were happy. For now everything felt like a gain. But he knew how quickly the tide could turn. If there was a downturn in the economy, if something went wrong, then his rule would be blamed. There would come a time when what had happened in the past might not be at the forefront of their minds anymore. It had happened once. Only a fool would believe that it could never happen again, that he could be immune.
He turned to look at Fern, whose eyes were wide as she looked up at the imposing black palace.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said.
“Did you not come to the country to visit your intended?”
