just fall | ✓

38.

"The future" seemed like it would never come. And oddly, Alexander and I had accepted it.

In the seven years that had passed since that visit to Illéa, I had only gone back twice. It was two years after that visit, once for the king's funeral and then once for Alexander's coronation. I spoke with him twice, both times being formal discussions. Salvatore and his father had mostly taken over meeting with royals to prepare Salvatore for being king, so I spent most of my time in Italia. I was perfectly content with it; a life away from the suffocating galas and heavy ballgowns suited me just fine, and I had good friends to spend that time with.

Unfortunately, life happened with my friends, too. They all found people, got married, and started having kids. On the plus side, I became like an aunt to several beautiful little children. On the downside, it made me long for something that I couldn't name or identify.

Salvatore burst into my office unannounced on one sunny day. He'd just turned thirty not long ago and was in the process of arranging a marriage between himself and the president of Brazil's daughter. Liev had already married one of the princesses of New Asia. I heard he was expecting a daughter. I hadn't seen him in at least a year.

He held up an opened envelope. His cheeks were pink and he was breathing heavily. He smiled. "We got an invite."

"For what?" I didn't look up. I'd recently started writing articles for some of the local magazines for fun, and was working on my next article.

"Alexander's birthday party?"

"Wasn't the last one a disaster?" It had been during the Selection.

"Good press," he reminded me. "Mason said that his mother was insistent on him doing something, especially since it's looking like he won't be getting married anytime soon."

"What are you talking about? And since when do you talk to Mason?"

"Did you hear? Him and his latest girlfriend just broke up. Everyone was thinking that they were going to get engaged."

I gave him a blank look.

He dropped into one of the chairs in front of my desk. "You really need to pay more attention to Illéan politics."

"Paying attention to politics doesn't mean that I have to care about who each country's leader is fucking, Salvatore."

"Touché." He smiled. "So, are you coming?"

"To what, the party? Why would I do that?" It's clear that he's moved on, I thought. I didn't say it.

He tossed the invitation on my desk. "Read it. It specifically requests your presence."

I did. On these sorts of formal invitations, it would always say the name of the country's leader and include something like "& family", but there were two envelopes and two invitations. One, sure enough, was addressed to Salvatore's father specifically. The other was addressed only to me, and the seal on the envelope hadn't yet been broken.

I glanced up at Salvatore. He smiled and made a gesture. "Go on, open it."

I cracked the seal and removed the card. It was the usual thick, fancy paper that was probably worth more than it cost to move from an Eight to a Six, and it looked just like the one that was addressed to Salvatore's father. The inside of the invitation was almost identical to that one as well, but it said my name only. There was a hand drawn arrow in the bottom right corner, and when I flipped it over, there was writing on the back of the card. It took me a moment to recognize the handwriting.

Cassiana,

It's been a while. I'm sorry for everything, but I'd be honored to see you in Illéa again. I'm ready for the future, whatever that means.

It was signed Alexander. That was it. Nothing else.

I set it on my desk. "What do you want me to do with this, exactly?"

"Go with me."

"For a full week of confining ball gowns and suffocating discussions with a group of disgustingly rich people with the personality of half-dried beige paint? I think I'll pass."

"You won't even go for Alexander?"

"What's the point?" I asked. "He's a king now. And clearly he's interested in finding someone else."

Salvatore tolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid, Cassiana. You should see the disappointment on his face when he realizes that you aren't with me. He asks me about you every time I visit."

"He does?"

"Yeah, of course. So maybe you should come and spare me the interrogation about your well-being."

"You want me to suffer so that you don't have to get interrogated on my well-being?"

"Yes."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, fine. I'll go. But only because I don't want to hear you bitching at me until the end of time."

He grinned. "Good." He stood up and said, "I'll leave you be now. Have a nice day, and don't think you'll be able to back out of this."

"Yeah, yeah. Go away."

His laughter echoed in the hall. I smiled and turned back to my work.