Page 25 of A Wise Prince

“I’m intrigued.”

“You should be. Come on,” she says as she motions to my clothes before heading out the door.

I change quickly and hurry down to the dining hall as fast as my hip will let me. I laugh at Anna’s description of it as the dining room. This is not a room, well, not by normal people's standards. You could easily fit fifteen normal rooms in it.

I pause at the door because I’m greeted by the entire royal family and some of their staff, I think.

King Michael stands and walks over to me. “Welcome, Kate. I hope you have found everything satisfactory.” He greets me with a double cheek kiss as he takes me by the arm and leads me toward an empty seat at the table. It’s next to Auggie, who’s standing.

“How are you?” he asks, his voice laced with concern.

“Oh, good as new,” I say, trying to pretend that my hip isn’t killing me.

“What’s wrong, my dear?” King Michael asks me as he releases my arm. Something about his demeanor reminds me of my father.

“Oh, nothing. I just fell off a horse earlier. Not the first time and probably not the last time,” I jest.

“Do you need me to call our doctor? He can be here in a few minutes,” the king says, his lips turning down into a frown as his eyes survey my body for signs of injury.

“No, Your Majesty. I’ll be fine. Princess Anna got me some ice. Just a bruise, that’s all.”

“Please, call me Michael. The Summer Palace is our home. Here…well, we are just a family in our house. No formalities, please.”

I bow my head. “Well, then, Michael. Thank you so much for your hospitality. I love your home.”

Prince Christian walks around the table and extends his hand to me.

“I’m Chris. I don’t think we’ve formally been introduced,” he says. I take his hand and bow my head.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He nods as Auggie pulls back my chair for me to sit. I try my hardest not to wince as I sit but Auggie’s head snaps toward me and his hand grips my thigh.

“Are you sure you’re OK?” he whispers low enough for only me to hear him.

“Sore, but I’ll live.”

His grip tightens on my leg and a shiver of need courses through my body. I glance over at him and he’s watching me intently, his eyes burning with…desire?

“In honor of our guest, I think we need a game today,” Anna announces.

Auggie suddenly pulls his attention away from me and toward his sister. “Hide-and-go-drink?”

Chris laughs. “We haven’t played that in forever.”

A beautiful woman to his left laughs. “Last time things got out of hand. Are you sure?”

She looks over at me. “I’m Mia, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“I’m supposed to be looking after Chris here, but more often than not, I’m pulled into this family’s crazy antics.” She gives them all pointed looks and Anna and Auggie burst out laughing while Chris turns a slight shade of pink. Clearly, I’m missing something.

We eat and converse about America. Everyone peppers me with questions about living in the White House and if the Lincoln Bedroom is really haunted and does the kitchen really prep anything you want to eat at any time of the day. I’m surprised by how normal they all are. To be fair, I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve met many foreign dignitaries and several kings and queens, but I’ve never been invited into their private space.

My parents have always sheltered my sister and me from the public view during my father’s presidency. We occasionally have to be photographed or attend functions, and now that we are both adults, we’ve taken more public and formal roles in representing my father. But overall, I’ve been lucky. I had a somewhat normal adolescence until I lived in the White House, and even then, it was still somewhat normal. I went to prom. I had friends and sleepovers and went to the movies just like any other kid. Of course, I had two Secret Service agents with me all the time. I only managed to sneak out to two or three parties in college. And those required some serious planning, wigs, and makeup and a roommate who loved to help me get in trouble without really getting into trouble. Emma is a good friend. She’s working on her masters at USC now, so we don’t get to talk much, but I know she’d have my back if I needed her.

I remember seeing Chris, Auggie, and Anna on television at their mother’s funeral. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for them, living out the hardest thing in their life for all to see and watch like entertainment. They’ve always been in the public eye, since birth. Auggie though is the most well-known of the family. And that’s because Auggie is always photographed out and about and getting into trouble. The media loves him because he always provides them with a good story. I wonder what the king thinks of Auggie’s antics. He can’t be pleased with them.

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