Knox and I made our way to the Godric State Room, the same room where we had held the press conference introducing my suitors mere weeks before. This time, in place of an intimate setup, the room was filled with cameras, sound equipment, and staff bustling to and fro.
“Your Highness!” A young woman armed with a slew of makeup brushes in the pockets of her black apron rushed toward me. “I’m Natalia. If you’ll follow me right this way, I’m going to be getting you ready for the cameras this morning.”
“Make sure you cover that blemish right there,” Knox deadpanned as he poked the side of my face. “He’s very self conscious of it. Complains about it all the time.”
I swatted his hand away. “I don’t have any blemishes, you jackass.” Knox dodged my hand, grinning wide as he disappeared, likely in search of Birdie.
It was nice to see Knox lighthearted and carefree again. It reminded me of our childhood, before he lost his parents and his light had dimmed. Seeing him so happy warmed my heart.
I dutifully followed Natalia to the side of the room where she sat me in a chair in front of a large lighted mirror. While she worked, several staff members offered me drinks and pastries, but my nerves kept me from taking little more than a few sips of water.
“Prince Oliver, that suit looks so nice on you. It really brings out your eyes.”
I glanced to my right to see Warren James, our interviewer for the day. Warren had made a name for himself asan on-the-ground reporter during the European heatwave of 2003, eventually becoming one of Europe’s most well-known broadcast journalists. While he still occasionally made appearances as a political commentator, in recent years his energy had mostly been put toward his beloved daytime talk show.
“Mr. James,” I greeted as I shook his hand, careful not to disrupt Natalia as she worked. “Thank you for being here today.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss this.” He waved his hand around the room. “My husband wouldn’t let me even if I wanted to. He and his friends have been following your journey to love with a fervor that borders on obsession.”
“How is Winston? I follow him on social media, and it looks like his restaurants are popping up everywhere. We actually went to one of them when we were in New York a few months ago. It was amazing.”
“He’s great. I will have to tell him that; he will be ecstatic to hear that you enjoyed it. I think the team has everything nearly ready. How are you feeling? Nervous? I was a ball of nerves before I proposed to Winston.”
“Just a few butterflies, but I think I’m good.” Another lie. I’d be a professional by the time this was all said and done.
“Wonderful. Well, I’m off to get mic’d up and will talk to you on the couch in a bit.”
“Okay. You’re all done,” Natalia announced as she stepped back, surveying her work.
This was far from my first time having makeup on for TV, and I didn’t much care how I looked, but I gave myself a cursory glance in the mirror to make Natalia feel appreciated.
“Thank you. It looks great.” I stood up and turned to find Knox talking to my father. Dad looked like he was handling the Xavier news much better than my mother had this morning.He turned toward me and smiled as he made his way over.
“How are you doing, son?”
“Everyone keeps asking me that today.” I laughed. “I promise that I’m not getting ready to run.”
The corner of his mouth turned up as I contemplated putting my foot in my own.
I winced. “Sorry, that was a bad joke to make.”
“No. It’s okay. We’re going to be okay. Today is about you and your bride to be.” He clasped one hand to my shoulder as he reached inside his jacket with the other. “Which brings me to why I was looking for you. I wouldn’t trust anyone else to give you this.” He pulled out an emerald-green velvet box.
“Oh,” I whispered. “I guess I am going to need a ring, huh? I completely forgot. I should have gone to the vault last night.”Nice going, dumbass.
“I know you’ve had a lot on your mind, so I went ahead and pulled something that hasn’t been used in a while.”
I opened the box to a large round ruby cushioned by small diamonds on a gold band. No wonder this hadn’t been used in a while, it was…different. The knot of guilt in my stomach grew; I didn’t even know if it was something Adelaide would like. We hadn’t actually talked about what she would want in an engagement ring. But something told me a somewhat ostentatious ruby wasn’t her style. She was elegant and delicate and this ring was neither of those.
Her forever fiancé will get her what she truly wants. This is temporary, this ring will be fine for now,I reminded myself.
“Your Highness, we’re ready to get you mic’d up,” a production assistant called, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Thank you.” I snapped the box shut and put it in my breast pocket. I turned back to my father. “Thank you, Dad. I really do appreciate it.”
He pulled me into a brief hug before patting me on the back. “You’re going to do great.”
“It has been a pleasure following along with your courtship this holiday season. What spurred the idea to give the country a behind-the-scenes glimpse at your journey to finding a wife?” Warren asked from his white armchair opposite the loveseat where I sat.
