"Yes. In the mid-1400s the foundational documents for our current governmental system were drafted and implemented. How far back did he actually go? Just to the founding of Dellisole?" It had been a long time since he'd studied the history of his country in any detail, and he rarely thought that much about it either.
"Oh no." He could hear the smile in her voice. "We went back to the dawn of time, though we only spent one day on the history of the islands through the time of Charlemagne. After that, the pace slowed down a bit."
"I should have you tell me a bit about it during our dinners. It's more interesting than the details of my days, and I could use the refresher." With that he sat up straighter before slouching a bit, though he didn't relax against the back of the chair. "Did you already order something for dinner or do we need to send it in?"
"I already submitted an order, but I told the chef to just send whatever they had on hand. There wasn't a need to make something special just for us, unless you want something specific?"
Two things stood out to him. His wife's consideration for others in their employ - and her consideration for him.
"Not tonight. Tonight whatever they sent will be just fine. If I want something specific, I'll let them know earlier in the day."
Victoria leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. "That sounds perfect."
11
Being queen wasn't for everyone.
Victoria had known that even before she married Enzo. She'd seen her mother as Queen Consort and knew the kinds of pressure she'd been under. Knowing in a teenager kind of way and actually experiencing it for herself were two entirely different things.
The Queen Consort's primary responsibility was two fold: support the king and produce then raise at least two children.
For now, she only fulfilled one of those roles. It would be a while before she took on the second one.
One thing she hadn't expected when she'd agreed to marry Enzo, was that it would come with term papers.
With her feet propped up on the ottoman and her computer on a lap desk, Victoria typed up three pages - Times New Roman, 12 point, double spaced - explaining her understanding of the original founding documents for democracy in Dellisole.
She probably didn't have the deep level of understanding her instructor would expect from her, but she hadn't grown up steeped in the history and traditions of her new country. It would take time for her to have the appreciation for Dellisole's history that she did for Southern Santiero's.
They were only to the 1400s in their deeper dive into history. Thinking about how much longer it would take to make it to the passing of the queen made her almost want to cry.
Enzo walked into from the balcony where he'd been sitting for about twenty minutes. Victoria had wished she could join him, but needed to get this paper done so she could get to sleep at a reasonable hour.
"What are you working on?" He took a seat on a nearby chair.
"Homework." She sighed. "I'm almost done, but I didn't know queens had to do homework." The tinge of whine in her voice annoyed even herself, but she couldn't help herself.
"You know you can't fail, right? If you didn't turn anything in, if you never went to another lesson, everything would be okay. You're not going to get fired or publicly scorned."
"I know, but I want to learn about my new country. I'm not crazy about the research papers, but they will help me internalize and contextualize what I'm learning." The conclusion she'd grudgingly arrived at didn't make her any happier about it.
Her husband laughed, a sound she was coming to love. "I guess I can understand that, but if you don't meet some arbitrary deadline, it'll still be okay."
"I know." Another thought had occurred to her several times. "What do I need to do about citizenship? Will I need to renounce my Southern Santierian citizenship? I'd rather not, but if I need to because of the regulations or customs here, then I guess I'll figure it out."
"No one has said anything to me about it. I’m pretty sure it’s automatic, but I'd think they would have talked to one of us if it was going to be an issue." He leaned back and closed his eyes. Victoria could see the weariness etched in his face. "They also haven't said anything to me about being guardian for my minor siblings, at least not that I remember. It's possible it was in all of the paperwork I signed that day and I didn't realize it. I've madea note to talk about it with someone tomorrow. I'll bring that up at the same time." He took his phone out and made a note. "We'll get it taken care of, whatever that looks like."
"Thank you." She typed a couple of concluding sentences then snapped her laptop shut and set the whole tray on the table to the side. "That's done." A yawn escaped despite her best efforts to stop it.
Enzo laughed again. "You need to get some sleep." He stood and held out a hand to help her stand. "I feel the same way."
He tugged on her hand until she could rest her head against his chest. "You're doing amazing, love," he said softly. "You are amazing. I can't imagine walking through this with anyone else."
Love.
Had he said it simply as a term of endearment? Or a declaration?
Victoria couldn't imagine it was a declaration. Not so soon, though she did find herself leaning that direction.
