“For what reason?”
As if on cue, the man of the hour entered. “Is this about the singer?”
I stopped, unsure what to say. Cici met my gaze before turning. “We are still assessing.”
“I saw the bloody video. Kiersten!” He turned. “They’re all in here!”
He called for my aunt. She entered, then raced to give me a hug and a kiss.
“Oh, sweetie, I’m so happy for you to finally be who you are!”
It was the most awkward, if not slightlymisguided thing. I knew she meant well, but I didn’t need this right now. All I wanted was confirmation that Mary was okay.
“I… I don’t want to have a coming out party right now,” I protested. “I love that you all love me, but Mary is out there in the world dealing with this press. She watched a bandmate nearly die on stage. The man who tortured her in her youth almost destroyed her career—again. I need to focus on that and answer your multitude of questions later.”
“Has no one secured her?” My uncle asked.
“No, do we need to?” Cici asked.
“Partners are secured,” Olav said. “In situations like these, we bring them to a safe area. It’s too risky. She’s going to be battered around if left out at sea.”
“Can we get her?” Isak asked a courtier.
“Please get Miss Jensson and bring her,” Cici commanded. “Soon. No excuses.”
“Can I get my fucking phone?” I snapped.
For a moment the room fell silent, surprised by my outburst. Gone was their jester. Thankfully, my uncle understood my concern. He didn’t want to chat about my relationship status. He wanted Mary to be safe.
Instead of calling me out on language, Uncle Olav cleared his throat. “Where is her mobile phone?”
A staffer popped forward, “I will retrieve it, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you,” Uncle Olav tightened his jaw before softening. “So, a rockstar? And our little Betty? What will that be like?”
I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. “Can we just… not? It’s bad enough having a video of a private moment where I’m talking her off a ledge out in public. And now everyone gets to sexualize it. I fucking kissed her, okay? So shoot me!”
“No one wants to do that, Bets,” Mamma said, voice gentle like when I was a child and had a meltdown.
I sniffled. “I’m sorry, but I feel violated. I didkiss her, but it was supposed to be a moment in private—what little I get. I kissed Mary because I love her and needed to make sure she was okay. I don’t know who took the video, but it had to have been a contestant—likely the Swedes to get Mary back. Let’s move on and stop judging me from breaking protocol.”
“Judging?” Uncle Olav chuckled. “Oh, sweetheart, no one is judging you. I was practically commanded to marry your aunt after some saucy messages emerged.”
“Saucy messages?” Ingrid asked. “Oh, really?”
“We are not getting into that,” Uncle Olav said. “But I got myself in a hole and it put your aunt at risk.”
“He was not well-behaved,” Aunt Kiersten said sweetly. “But he would never be upset with any of you for being gay. Good Lord! He got himself into a pickle almost beating up a man who shouted a slur at Georgie and Patrick. This was back when Leah was an infant. He meant well. I don’t pretend to know what it is like to be attracted to a woman, but… I don’t think there is any way I could love you less for it, sweetheart. And I don’t see a problem with it.”
“Nor do I,” Cici said. “And… if this is serious… which I think it is?—”
She looked to her father for advice.
“There are protocols that need to be implemented,” Uncle said. “It’s a dance. The last non-royal to enter the family was Rose, but she was the daughter of an aristocrat and a family friend. Things were easier with her. But with a celebrity? It will require some work.”
“So what? Now I must force her into some sort of sham engagement so we can keep her safe?”
Uncle Olav furrowed his brow.
