He stared at a fountain as it bubbled.
King.
King Vincenzo IV.
Unless he wanted to use one of his other names as his regnal name, but that didn’t appeal to him. It wasn’t done much anymore anyway.
“Sir?”
He didn’t hear his aide enter his office. “Yes?”
“The Prime Minister is waiting in the Monarch’s Office.”
Enzo blew out a breath. “Thank you. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes, sir.”
After another moment of incoherent thoughts running through his mind, Enzo turned and walked through the door to what would become his office soon enough.
The three men gathered there turned toward him and bowed in unison.
“Your Majesty.” They spoke in unison as well.
“You have our deepest condolences,” the Prime Minister spoke for the trio. “I wish we didn’t need to do some of these things so quickly but we don’t have an option.”
“Thank you and I understand.”
For the next ninety minutes, he signed paperwork and approved announcements.
“One more thing we need to discuss with you, sir.” The Prime Minister glanced at the Chairman of the Council. Both were clearly uncomfortable.
“If it’s about arranging a marriage, that’s unnecessary. I was wed in a private ceremony a few weeks ago.” He kept his face impassive as he spoke. It would be a bad plan to mention thatpart of the reason for the wedding was to avoid this conversation and so that his mum could meet his wife.
They shared another look, this one longer.
“Pardon the presumption, sir, but if you married before your mother’s passing for the sole purpose of avoiding the need for approval by the Council once you became monarch, that would be an issue.” The Chairman began to look like he was trying to hide his annoyance.
“I can assure you, that was not the reason.” Or not the sole reason. It had definitely crossed his mind, weighed heavily on it at times, but it wasn’t the only reason.
“Very well.”
Enzo didn’t think they would press the issue, but had known it would be raised.
“Will that announcement be made at the same time as this one?” The Prime Minister asked that question.
“No.” It had been discussed with the public relations teams of both countries. “We would prefer to wait until after the public has had some time to absorb my mother’s passing. The queen and I will make an appearance tomorrow afternoon.” What an odd thing to say, even moreso than calling Victoria his wife.
“With all due respect, sir, is your wi... the queen equipped to handle that sort of attention? To handle the pressures that come from being a member of a royal family?” The Prime Minister continued his questions.
That one made Enzo smile, just a bit. “She’ll be fine.”
The Prime Minister gave a single nod. “Very well.”
After another twenty minutes of minutia, they left.
Enzo went back through his old office and took the back ways to the quarters he’d lived in for years.
Victoria waited for him. She held her arms open, and he walked into them as his smile fell.
