“Ali-chan, are you all right? You’ve been quiet tonight,” Princess Kaori says. Her large, almond-shaped brown eyes appraise me, full of worry.
“I’m fine. Just tired.”
“I heard you’ve been making the rounds all over Tokyo. My mother was impressed by how much you’ve done already.”
“I’m supposed to take a day trip to Kyoto tomorrow too.”
“You’ll probably have to get an early start.” She nods knowingly. “Do you want to leave the banquet early? I can ask my father to start wrapping up the event.” She leans closer and whispers into my ear, “He looks like he’s fighting to stay awake. My parents are normally in bed by eight-thirty.”
We both glance at the emperor, who hides a yawn while he speaks to the mayor of Yokohama. It’s about ten-thirty in the evening. Dinner began at seven.
“Actually, Father may thank you.” Kaori giggles.
Her offer is tempting. I’d love to be able to escape to the solitude of my hotel room and dissect everything that’s happened so far. But on the other hand, when I make my leave, there’s no way I’ll be able to avoid Art. Can I pretend it didn’t happen? What if he’s told Angela? Would she tell my father? Would Art be fired on the spot because of me?
“If you could make it happen, I promise I’ll make it up to you the next time I see you. I’m beginning to have a headache, and I think sleep might be the best thing for me.”
“It doesn’t help that we’re in the middle of a hot, humid summer too. Make sure you drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.” Kaori signals for one of the servers and exchanges a few words with him in Japanese. He relays her message to the emperor, who looks toward us with a grateful smile. “Give Father five minutes.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Kaori.”
“Women in STEM need to stick together. Let’s stay in touch. We may even be seeing one another sooner than you think.”
“Oh?”
“My parents are considering sending my middle sister, Fumiko, to a boarding school in Wales. She wants to improve her English. The two of us may be visiting the UK during our spring holidays to check it out.”
“Let me know; you’re welcome to stay with me. I have a new flat I’m working on.”
She grins. “I’d love to see it.”
We chat for a few more minutes until the emperor stands and the room falls silent. He gives a short speech thanking everyone for attending, bids farewell to me, and takes his leave. Dinner is officially over. I fight a wave of dread.
Angela is one of the first people to find me as everyone makes their way down to the front drive of the palace. Trying to gauge her body language, I ask, “How was your evening?”
“The food was delicious. Some of the best sushi I’ve ever had.” Shemanages a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Her posture is stiff and she’s glancing around nervously.
The muscles in my stomach tense. Has Art told her? Does she have a crush on him? Have I ruined their working relationship? What about their personal one?
“And the company?”
“It was awkward,” she answers slowly.
I wince. “I’m so sorry . . .” I start.
“Ma’am, there’s nothing that could’ve possibly been done.”
“Yes, there is,” I sputter. “It’s all my fault.”
“Ma’am, I knew going into tonight that the security lounge was going to be a boys’ club,” she says, lowering her voice. “The main office warned me I was going to very likely be the only female protection officer here. And they were right. I was mentally prepared to be ignored. Believe me, it’s something I’ve had to come to terms with since my military days. That’s why I brought my Kindle.”
I freeze. That was not what I was expecting. Poor Angela. I can’t believe it. I mean, I know in many places of the world, it’s unusual to have a female bodyguard, but hearing it and seeing it are two different things. “You spent the entire three hours reading?”
“Not all of it, but most.”
The three temporary members of my extended detail stumble down the two front steps. Their arms are linked as they sing loudly and out of tune. I recognize it as a popular pub tune. Art trails them. His eyes are narrowed into thin slits, his lips pressed firmly together.
My throat is dry. Is he angry with me? Or the three drunkards? I feel like I’m staring at Godzilla emerging from the sea and walking directly toward us. Every instinct in my body is telling me to flee, but I can’t move my feet or find any words.
