My father bows his head over their clasped hands, and when he looks up his eyes are shining. “It was very sudden. Very sudden. But I’m pleased that Alexander has someone to stand by his side.”
Jessica smiles a little, her cheeks turning pink.
“However, Ms. Reeves, I wanted to speak with you.”
“Of course.”
“As I’m sure you have heard, Alexander is shortly going to be named the crown prince.”
“Yes, I have heard this news, your majesty.”
My father’s tone grows more severe.
“You should know,” he says, looking her straight in the eye, “that his responsibilities in the future will be a far greater burden than he’s been accustomed to. If you intend to remain by his side, you need to be fully aware that your life will no longer be yours alone.”
Jessica meets his gaze, her brow furrowed.
“You must be fully aware that the eyes of Saintland will be on you. There are expectations, Ms. Reeves. This responsibility is not one to be taken lightly.”
“I understand, your majesty.”
“Do you?” my father says, his eyes locked on her face.
“Yes. I do,” Jessica responds, her voice smooth and confident. All the same, I see a flicker of nervousness glinting in her eyes.
“Then I’ve done my part,” says my father, patting her hand and then releasing it. “It’s time we went back out to join our guests.”
Jessica returns her hand to the crook of my elbow, and I can feel her trembling.
The reality of the situation has probably just hit her, just as it’s hitting me, too.
The stakes are higher now.
Much higher.
For both of us.
Chapter 29
Jessica
My hands are shaking when we return to the Great Hall, back to the crowds of people and the incredible array of food that is constantly being replenished. The wait staff must be really good at their jobs because I rarely catch one of them attending to the tables.
Just before we reenter the fray, I tug Alec’s arm and whisper in his ear. “Did I do all right?”
I’m not usually the kind of girl who needs validation for how I’ve navigated a social situation. I’ve been handling that on my own for years, thank you very much. But being here with Alec is different. I can no longer just sit on the periphery and hope I’m playing my cards right, like I did back in New York. It’s beginning to sink in that the more time I spend with Alec, the more I’m going to belong and fit in here, and the more I’m going to have to live according to their rules, not my own.
This gives me pause.
The king’s words ring in my ears.
“There are expectations, Ms. Reeves. This is not to be taken lightly.”
Of course, I can’t know all that he meant by that, but since he’s the King of Saintland and oversees the entire kingdom, it wasn’t your typical “be careful with each other’s hearts” speech. Now that Alec will be the crown prince, our relationship and everything it entails will have ramifications reaching far beyond just the two of us.
I’m going to have a lot less leeway for plans that might shake up the status quo.
“Is that something you really want?” the voice in the back of my head pipes up. “Don’t you want to be in charge of your own life?”
As I stand at Alec’s side, my hand on his arm, it’s easy to scoff at the thought. I am in charge of my own life, and I have chosen to be here. So what if it’s going to be harder to pack up and move across the country when I feel like a change of scenery?
The only scenery I need is Alec.
I don’t end up having much time to think about it because the very next day, everything changes.
Alec arrives at my suite at eight in the morning and sits with me while I eat breakfast. As the team starts packing up the suite, he explains how the near future is going to play out.
“Rooms are already prepared for you in the palace,” he says, breaking a small piece from a scone and popping it into his mouth.
“Rooms?” I say.
“Yes. There are several suites on the third level of the palace where my rooms and Marcus—.” He breaks off, swallowing as though it hurts, and then continues. “—where my rooms are located. The king’s rooms are also on that level. You’ll be staying in the queen’s rooms.”
It occurs to me that those would have been his mother’s private rooms if she had had the chance to live here.
The significance of being assigned to the queen’s quarters makes my head spin.
“Claire will be with you there, as well,” he says, taking another bite of the scone. “If you’re happy with her, she can continue on as your head personal assistant.”
“Head personal assistant? Isn’t this a bit much for your…your girlfriend?”
I realize after the words are out of my mouth that this is the first time either of us has brought up titles, and I wish I could grab them out of the air and shove them back into my mouth. What the hell am I thinking? He doesn’t need that kind of pressure right now.