Page 12 of Her Royal Rebellion

“I think it’s just stress. I’ve been feeling a little under the weather, and I woke up this morning with a bad headache.”

“Oh no. Why don’t you go lie down?” I was growing worried.

“I can’t. We’ve got this meeting and you know how important it is. Plus, I’ve been getting a feeling lately that I’m being watched more closely.” She sounded so exhausted, not just physically but mentally.

“What do you mean?”

“I just always feel eyes on me, and there have been more meetings added to my schedule. I asked Aiden’s assistant about it but he had no idea how things were showing up on my calendar, either. He isn’t putting them there and it’s the most trivial things. Like double checking a guest list or approving silverware for a meal. It feels like someone is trying to keep me occupied.” She sighed. “It’s been going on for a few weeks, then with what you told me yesterday... I can’t help but wonder if Aiden’s next. Will they bring in women for him to meet? Try to see if there’s someone out there better for him? We’re not engaged yet, so it wouldn’t be that hard to get rid of me.”

Anger ripped through me. My parents were hurting so many of us. I wanted nothing more than to bust into Dad’s office and let him know how his announcement was being received by those closest to him, but deep down I knew it wouldn’t matter. Nothing could change that man’s mind when it was set. The best thing we could do was play along until we knew how to get out of this.

“I’m so sorry, Charlie. I don’t think they’re trying to replace you. Aiden would never let that happen. He’d leave the crown before letting you go.”

She blinked up at me and nodded. “I don’t want it to come to that. I don’t want to be what breaks up the family.”

“It wouldn’t be you. My parents are pushing all of us, and it can’t go on much longer without one of us snapping. Once Cian catches on, he’ll be the first to put a stop to it.”

I longed to reach out to my brother, but I knew he was pretty much off the grid. Only Lewis could contact him and it was for emergencies. He took Serena’s safety seriously, and training with his old army troop was the best way to keep her safe. They would be back in two weeks, so we just had to wait until then.

“You’re right. I just need to stay strong.” This world was new to her and though she handled each change in her life with grace, things had to get overwhelming occasionally. She went from an unencumbered college graduate to a public figure within days. “We have a few minutes before the call. Do you want to review anything?”

I looked over my notes. “I think the most important thing is to convey that we want to get them to a point where they can take over as soon as possible, people trained, provide the tools they need so they can build the windmills, and run them independently. From our first call, I gathered that that was very important to them. They don’t want to build an industry that invites people in for the jobs. They want to help their people.”

“I agree. The whole point of expanding LochEnergy is to get countries self-sustained. We want to create more jobs and resources for them.”

I nodded, and a moment later Carolyn entered and started the call. I let Charlie take the lead, only jumping in when she threw me a look or when the representatives asked me questions directly. I was proud of how comfortable she’d become with leading these conversations. She was passionate about the projects and working with other countries, so it came naturally for her to take over this aspect from Aiden. They were becoming a powerful couple, outside of the influence of the crown, and I couldn’t be any prouder.

After the call ended, we left for lunch. Carolyn stayed behind to catch up on other work, so it was just me, Charlie, and half a dozen guards. I looked around for Logan, but didn’t see him. They rotated their schedules so often I couldn’t keep track. I think that was the point, not letting anyone get too complacent and not creating patterns for an outsider to catch on to.

We walked through the back door of Robby’s and through the dark hall. The pub was less crowded than I expected for lunch time, but it was a nice reprieve.

“There are my favorite girls,” Robby called to us as we sat in the booth closest to his station at the bar.

“Hi Robby,” I greeted before slipping off my coat and sitting down. I scanned the room and easily picked out the guards, some in uniform and some not. I smiled at the few patrons and fought the urge to apologize. The locals were used to us popping into town to shop or eat on occasion, so it was just the tourists we had to worry about. I vaguely recognized most of the faces, and I figured the guards had already checked out everyone here.

“What are you in the mood for?” I asked Charlie since she didn’t even bother pulling out a menu.

“Fish and chips.”

I smiled. “Of course.”

Aiden got her hooked on that when they first met, and since then it was the only thing she ordered. Robby had some of the best, but it was still fun to tease her.

“I’ve tried other things. That’s just my favorite.”

I laughed and Robby came over with waters and two baskets of his famous dish.

“Thank you, Robby. Did you know we were coming?”

He smiled. “Of course. Carolyn called this morning and they came about an hour ago.” He nodded in the direction of a table of casually dressed guards. He was used to us by now. Dad came here when he was younger and introduced us to the pub at an early age.

It was comforting to eat here. A slice of normalcy we rarely got. When we came to Robby’s, we were just regulars. Robby knew our orders and teased us like he did with all his repeat customers. After the days we’d had recently, it was just what Charlie and I needed. Charlie ignored our conversation while digging into her food. It looked like she was benefitting as much as I was from this outing. Her shoulders relaxed for the first time all day, and she actually paused to smile at Robby.

“Let me know if you need anything else.”

I nodded before he walked back to the bar. “Feel better?”

Charlie’s eyes twinkled and she smiled. “A bit.”