Page 45 of Royal Reluctance

I hug her tight. “Are we going to stay here?” she whispers.

I honestly came back without a plan to stay in Laandia, but now that I’m here… now that Bo knows about Tema, things are very unclear.

But Timothy is waiting for me—waiting for an answer. “I haven’t figured that out yet,” I confess.

“But you will?”

“Of course I will,” I tell her with more confidence than I feel. Because that’s what a mother does: never let them see you sweat.

“Good.” Tema burrows into my arms for a moment before wriggling free. “I,” she declares with an undecipherable accent, “must use the loo. Does that sound princess-y?”

I laugh as she crawls over me to jump out of the bed. “Very regal. But keep your socks on, the floor will be cold.”

“This whole place is an icicle. It’s the coldest castle I’ve ever been in.”

“And you’ve been in so many castles.”

I laugh at the expression on her face. “Worst mommy ever,” she sings over her shoulder as she skips to the bathroom.

“That’s because I have a horrible daughter,” I call after her. “But I love her lots.”

“I love the worst mommy too.”

My heart is full and I promise myself that I’ll do the right thing for Tema.

16

Bo

The next morning, I’mup early waiting for my father to return.

“Miss Crow and her daughter haven’t been down for breakfast yet,” Mrs. Theissen informs me as I head to the dining room. “Your brother is in the fitness centre.”

For a moment, I’m tempted to go find Odin, but it feels wrong to talk to him about this before I even tell Dad. And what would I ask Odin—help me make Hettie stay? Is that even the best thing for Tema? She has a life in Canada—school, friends. A life that I’m not part of.

“What time does Dad’s flight get in?” I ask Mrs. Theissen.

“He took the first flight out of St. John’s, so he’ll be in his office for his nine o’clock phone meeting,” she says, pouring me a cup of coffee.

“You don’t have to serve me,” I protest. Mrs. Theissen has been looking after the castle since before I was born, but that doesn’t mean she looks afterus. Our parents taught us early that, just because we’re privileged, it doesn’t mean we’re entitled. Meals may be available for us, but we serve ourselves and we clear the table. And all of us make sure to thank the staff.

“You seem out of sorts,” Mrs. Theissen says with uncharacteristic sympathy.

I stare unseeing at the scrambled eggs in the warming dish. “I need to talk to Dad.”

“I’ll push back his nine o’clock. Will fifteen minutes be enough?”

It took me less time to tell my mother. “Does he have any meetings outside the castle today?”

“No, I don’t believe so.”

“Fifteen minutes should be fine. Thanks, Mrs. Theissen.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” She touches my shoulder. “It’s nice to see Miss Crow back in town.” I look at her strangely. “She was a good friend of yours, wasn’t she?”

I have no doubt Mrs. Theissen knows exactly how good a friend Hettie was. I wouldn’t be surprised if she even knew about the secret marriage.

Laandia doesn’t have a spy organization, but if we did, I have no doubt Mrs. Theissen would be running it, with Spencer as her second-in-command.

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