Now Cedric is the one laughing and Eric raises an eyebrow.
“Gentleman? That’s news to me. But jokes aside, how is Amelia?”
The mood instantly turns serious and I slump into one of the chairs by the window.
“She’s incredibly brave. If I were in her place, I don’t know if I could handle it as calmly as she does. What’s the security situation after yesterday? The wedding was rushed anyway, but after what happened, I don’t want to take any risks.”
Cedric sits down in the other chair while Eric furiously types on his laptop.
“If Phil hadn’t died, Amelia would be marrying him today, Nic.” Just thinking about that makes my skin crawl. Jealousy rises, dark and threatening, digging into my heart. Which is absolute bullshit, because my brother is dead. If he were still alive, I would never have gotten as close to Amelia as I have now. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
“It’s been planned for months, that’s why your father put so much pressure on it. So security is at maximum level. The roads you’ll take later have been closed off, policemen and guards are stationed on every corner. No one can enter the city unnoticed, the church is completely surrounded by police and snipers, and people are kept away from the entrance by barricades. And even for the presentation on the balcony, you’re safe. Trust me, no one will get to you, not even the press.”
His words calm my tense nerves somewhat, but the unease inside me won’t fully subside. For now, this will have to do.
“Good. Then I guess I better go get ready for my wedding, right?” I ask a bit aimlessly, and Cedric starts laughing.
“Getting cold feet now, buddy?” he teases, grinning, and I give him the middle finger. He pours me a shot of whiskey from the always ready carafe, hands me the glass, and I throw it back.
Better.
“I’d like to see you thrown into the deep end like this. You’d have been gone long ago, my friend,” I let him know with a mocking tone, and he raises his arms in complete surrender.
“Damn, no way. Marriage is the last thing I want. Not for me anyway. For a woman like Amelia, maybe I’d consider it, but no thanks.”
Eric bursts out laughing and I get stuck on the words ‘for a woman like Amelia.’
I don’t like that. Not one bit.
“Don’t look at me like you want to tear my head off. I won’t get anywhere near your lady,” he says with a grin, trying to calm me down, and I grumble to myself because, of course, he’s already figured out what’s going on in my head.
“Where’s Damien?” I ask, because I haven’t seen him since he dropped that bombshell, and he hasn’t reached out either.
Even though I’m disappointed and didn’t handle the truth well, I still worry about my best friend.
“I don’t know. He’s been off the radar since the day before yesterday.”
“Shit, this is my fault,” I say, frustrated, running my hand over my face, looking first at Cedric then Eric.
“Let’s get out of here, I need to talk to you,” I nod toward the walls and they immediately understand what I mean. It isn’t safe to talk here. And what I have to say doesn’t need to be overheard.
Together we leave the room and almost bump into my mother, who, fully dressed in royal robes, is rushing down the hall with a maid carrying a large dress bag.
“Sweetheart, what are you still doing here? Shouldn’t you be getting ready already?” she calls out reproachfully, giving me a disapproving once-over without even slowing down, and the two candidates standing next to me get the same treatment.
“And you two. Come on now, shoo shoo. The wedding is about to start. Be glad your father is already in the chapel,” she scolds without looking back. Still, the three of us lower our heads and stand there like three naughty boys as we watch her hurry around the corner and disappear.
“She’s intimidating. Even though that was a bit harsh,” Cedric murmurs and I nod but smile.
I know where she’s headed and I feel a nervous excitement growing inside me.
She’s going to help my wife. She loves Amelia and knows how hard this all is for her, especially without her parents by her side.
“Come on, let’s get going. I’ll tell you what’s going on along the way,” I urge the two and we head to my old room where my uniform is hanging. I tell them what Damien’s been hiding from me, and Cedric’s eyes nearly pop out of his head.
“That’s… wow… man, that’s intense. I don’t mean intense that he’s gay, we knew that, but that he and your brother… wow,” he says, shocked. Eric, on the other hand, is oddly quiet and doesn’t seem surprised.
“You knew, right?” I ask flatly and he looks at me seriously.
