Royally Falling

~ 07 ~

"That's all they really want
Some fun
When the working day is done
Oh girls, they wanna have fun
Oh girls just wanna have fun"
Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper

oOoOo

Friday passes by uneventfully. I attend classes, do homework, and curl up on the couch with a romance book. I knew that Saturday and Sunday will both be busy, so I took the time to relax and unwind from the exciting week.

Saturday morning starts with a cup of coffee and a homemade cinnamon roll, courtesy of Marc. He has been watching cooking and baking shows nonstop and has learned a thing or two.

At 10 o'clock, I head into the office and sit down at my desk. While I boot up my iMac, I rifle through the drawers to get a notepad and pens out for notes I might need to take during the meetings. My first meeting of the day is with the Royal Family of Denmark, my parents, and royal advisors from both parties.

Logging into my Mac, I open my email and pull up the link to the Zoom meeting. I decide to join a few minutes early to be ready when it starts.

I stay in the waiting room for a few seconds before being admitted. My parents and Louis, their chief advisor, pop up on the screen. I recognize that they are sitting in one of the conference rooms we have at the palace. After a few seconds, Juliet joins from what looks like my office.

"Now that we're all here," Louis starts, "We have a few things to discuss before the Danish come in fifteen minutes."

"First, I'll send a link to the agenda in the chat." He pauses for a moment. I take the opportunity to open the link and AirDrop it to my iPad.

"As you can see, we are going to propose that Prince Alexander and Princess Katherine start to publicly date. This would give them the next four or so years to grow closer. Plus, an engagement would be more authentic if they have a history; the citizens of our countries would be more accepting of the situation if it were presented this way. Your thoughts, your Majesty?"

I take a deep breath to resist the overwhelming urge to scoff. If this is what they're going with, Alexander and I will practically be married. The least they could do is ask my honest opinion first! What do my parents even have to do with the situation?

"I think this sounds like a good plan," my mother states. I thought she was on my side! "What do you think, Liam?"

"Clever idea, Louis. I didn't even think of this. People will be less likely to see through it as a political marriage this way," my father comments. Like already, he thinks of business first.

"Your Highness, what do you think?" Ah, they're finally asking how I feel.

"Well, I'm not too sure about it. Why can't we wait a few more years? I don't want to be tied down to Alexander yet."

"With all due respect, your Highness-" Louis starts, before my father rudely cuts him off.

"It's not like you're moving in with the guy. You'll just need to attend functions together and appear in public a few times a year. You can still have your separate life in Boston while dating the Prince." So, he's telling me I have no choice. Great!

"Alright," I reluctantly agree.

"Wonderful, now that's settled, we can just wait for the Danish to arrive."

"Your Highness, remember you have a meeting at noon Eastern Time to discuss the charity gala in December," Juliet reminds me.

"Yes, I saw that in my calendar. I haven't received the Zoom link yet. Can you forward it to me?"