That Sexy Librarian and Me

36th

                                                                        thirty six sapphires

                                                                                                on said c r o w n

"Okay, calm down, Rem."

"No, no," he screamed at Maddie as he paced up and down the street. "You fucking tell me right this instant what the fuck made her leave the country so quick. Tell me," he moved to where she sat, on his dusty car. "Tell me now!"

With a sigh, she patted on the spot next to her. "You'd better sit down."

"I'm not fucking sitting down. Get to it, Madison."

"Wow, full name reference. You must mean business."

At that, he only hardened his glare.

"Belgium. Tell me what you know about it."

"Are you playing games?"

"I'm trying to discuss this with Remington the wise, not Remington the clown caveman."

"It's a fucking country. Athenia's from there." He left the sentence at that, a look of so-what on his face.

"They're a monarchy, if you didn't already know."

"I fucking think you want me to kill you."

"Well, they're probably getting a new king as we speak."

"I don't want to stories, Maddie! Athenia left me with a bunch of them--" he broke off before snapping to look at her. "What did you say?"

"Prince Albert has probably stood to take the oath as we speak," she continued on. "And Athenia'll have to address the public, no matter how much she hated her father, the late King Abe."

"She didn't hate... him. She didn't hate anybody."

"Oh, she hated him, alright, even if she'll never say the words."

Remy hung his head low as he crouched on the gravel; the feel of it hard against his sneakers as he wondered if Athenia ever owned a pair of her own. 

"When did he die?"

"Two days ago. They only got around to telling her yesterday," she told him as she brought out a pack of cigarettes. "Want one?"

"I don't smoke."

"You're far too noble."

"I didn't know you smoked."

"You didn't know a lot of things, it seems."

Wrapping his head around the idea was going to take some more talking. Even then, he doubted he'd ever believe it fully.

"What happened between her father and her?"

"He wanted her to marry this Count."

"And she didn't want to marry him?"

"Would you marry a widower who's a hundred years old?"

He stood and ran his fingers through his hair. 

"She ran away?"

"More like disowned."

"And the public?"

"There are stories to tell to convince them, Rem."

He should know. Their family was the master of all those manipulations. How many times had his mother bought a story out with the money she could have used to save lives with instead?

The metallic scent of smoke came his way as he took deep breaths. "Put that out, will you?"

"Smoke one. It'll calm you."

"No, thank you."

"Athenia's gone now, Rem," she told him as she leaned forward, cigarette in hand. "No one's going to stop you now."

No one cared enough to stop him, then. 

"Before she was disowned, she was Princess Athenia Claire de Lorenz Martin."

"That's a long name."

"Well, she was a princess," Maddie looked at him with sceptical eyes.

"I get it, Maddie, she was a princess."

"Just checking to see if we're all on the same page."

Remy turned away from her to walk down the street, back to his small studio apartment, a living arrangement he wasn't sure of anymore. How long could he live there, now that she was gone?

How long could he live there, now that she was a princess again?