That's why she looked familiar. "How long have you been with us here, Cynthia?" He would have preferred to use her last name and a title, but she hadn't offered that information.
"Just shy of twenty years, sir."
Enzo tilted his head toward her. "Your years of service are greatly appreciated."
"Thank you, sir."
They continued around the circle until everyone had introduced themselves, and he'd exchanged a bit of conversation with each one.
Once they finished, he stood. "Thank you for allowing me to take a little bit of your time. Please contact my office if there is anything you need to help you or other staff members through this difficult time." He rested a hand on Victoria's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before turning to leave.
It was highly unlikely any of them would contact his office even if they did need something, but the offer had been genuine.
Victoria stayed behind as he'd expected her to, though he doubted the atmosphere would return to what it had been. She'd likely follow close behind.
When he reached their quarters, he found some light snacks waiting on a silver cart. After popping one of the smaller bits into his mouth, Enzo tugged at his tie and loosened the top buttons of his shirt. His remaining meetings of the day would be over the phone so he didn't need to keep his formal look.
In just a few moments, he'd changed back into a comfortable pair of joggers and an old shirt, softened by years of use. It surprised him to find it folded on top of a dresser in hiscloset until he noticed that it didn't smell quite like his clothing normally did. Was that... vanilla?
It hit him. Victoria had worn it to sleep in the night before.
Did she not have any clothes of her own in Dellisole? It didn't bother him that she'd borrowed the shirt. It simply made him curious.
Enzo sent a quick text to his senior aide to have someone look into making sure the new queen had what she needed. The aide wouldn't take care of it himself, but would quickly pass it along to someone else who could make sure it was done.
"Enzo?" Victoria's voice rang through the apartment.
Rather than answering, he went to her. "Good afternoon."
Much as he'd quickly shed the vestiges of his more formal attire, she was doing the same. Her heels had already been kicked off and she was pulling her hair out of its band. She walked toward him until she could rest her hand on his chest.
"How are you?"
Though everyone he'd talked with had meant what they said, the words carried additional weight coming from Victoria.
"Worn out," he admitted, resting his hands on the sides of her waist. "I expected all of this to be a lot. I expected the paperwork and the meetings and the phone calls to seem never ending. I expected there to be an emotional toll, a big one even."
"But..." she prompted when he didn't go on.
He leaned toward her until he could rest his forehead against hers. "I didn't expect all of it to be so physically exhausting at the same time."
"Of course it is. Even if you weren't running from one meeting to another, regardless of what kind of meeting that is, the loss of a loved one is always going to affect you physically. It may manifest in different forms for different people, but our mental and emotional well-being is directly tied to our physicalhealth as well." Her hand slid up his chest and around to the back of his neck.
"It makes sense when you put it that way. I'd never really thought about it." His eyes closed as he tried to let some of the tension relax out of his shoulders. "I could also use a good workout and a massage. I haven't worked out in almost a week, and I should have had a massage scheduled for tomorrow, but I don't know if it still is."
"Why don't you go work out?" Victoria encouraged. "Get out some of that anxiety by... I don't know. Lifting weights or running on a treadmill or whatever you prefer."
"I have some phone meetings coming up. I'd also have to leave the apartment and I would prefer not to do that."
He let another moment go by before straightening. "Thank you. I needed that."
Victoria leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips. "It's what I'm here for."
9
In the ten days since the queen's passing, Victoria had learned a significant amount about her homeland.
Not from her new family, though they'd been kind to her. They were simply wrapped up in their own grief and things that needed to be done.
