Page 31 of A True King

“Hey, how are you?” Christian asks. I look over at him because his question is so, unusual.

“I’m fine,” Anna pipes up and quickly moves on from the awkward question. I decide to revisit that later, putting a pin in it. “I wanted to go over some things with both of you.”

I look to Christian, but his focus is on Anna.

She pulls up some photos and I instantly recognize King Ivan. “Jack is looking into the man that talked to you, Mia, but I’ve been digging up your family history. I thought you would like to see what I’ve found so far.”

I nod, my interest suddenly transfixed on photos of my biological family members that I’ve never met.

“This is King Ivan of Skogdal. He’s the fourth royal to lead his principality from the House of Larsen. His mother, Helena, was a queen before him and was married to a man named Kristoff Eldegard.

“Ivan took the throne upon his mother’s death and later married a Greek princess, Agatha Drakos, to who he was betrothed to before his mother dying. He had a mistress, Paula Weber. And for short time after marrying Agatha, he would see Paula, but she seemingly disappears not long after his marriage to Agatha. Agatha gave birth to a son, Gilbert, two years after they were married. All is well until Agatha dies from cancer when Gilbert is in his late-twenties. When he turned thirty, Gilbert married Princess Elsa of Sweden. Their son, Jasper, was born a few years later. However, it was long rumored that Elsa was having an affair with Martin Fleming, a British comedy actor.

“I did digging, and I managed to knab DNA proof that Jasper is indeed the child of Martin Fleming. I had a hunch that King Ivan might have known this and that’s why even at ninety-one, he has refused to relinquish the throne.

“Paula Weber is your grandmother, Mia. From what I can tell, she fell pregnant with your father after Ivan married Agatha but before Agatha became pregnant. But here is where things get very, very interesting. Paula Weber was seventy-fifth in line to the British throne. Her father was the Queen’s second cousin. So, if it had not been for the arranged marriage with Agatha, Ivan would have been able to marry Paula. And…” Anna pauses.

“And what?” Christian and I both bark at the same time.

“They did.”

“Did what?” I ask, confused.

“Marry.”

I freeze as the cogs in my head begin to spin, the pieces falling into place. “You’re saying that my grandmother was the queen of Skogdal?”

Anna nods. “It was done in secret, in the Bahamas. But it was legal.”

“So…they got divorced, then?” I ask.

Shaking her head, Anna takes a drink of something in a large mug. “They never divorced.”

I look to Christian and back to Anna. “Oh my God! Ivan’s marriage to Agatha was never legal because he was already married!” My mouth falls open at the realization that my father is the legal heir to Skogdal, making me second in line to the throne.

“Precisely! Your dad is the rightful heir of Skogdal,” Anna says.

When Anna sees my frown, she continues. “It looks like King Ivan has tried to reach out to your father. Even though your dad did his best to further separate himself from his mom, his parents have always known his whereabouts. I have security logs showing that your entire family has been under Skogdal royal security observation since Paula moved to London and gave birth to your father. I suspect that your father doesn’t know that.”

“King Ivan wants Dad to be king?” I ask in confusion.

“Perhaps or…” Anna trails off and my eyes widen.

“Me?” I squeak.

With a shrug, Anna looks nervously at what I assume is my giant face on her screen. My face is most likely turning green.

“I…I can’t do that. I can’t lead a country. I don’t even know anything about Skogdal,” I whisper.

I feel Christian’s hand grip my leg, bringing me out of my state of total horror. I turn to look at him. His face is filled with concern.

“Anna, I think Mia has learned enough for today. It’s been a long forty-eight hours. Let us go rest and we’ll be in touch tomorrow,” he says.

“Of course. And, Mia, this is just information. I haven’t reached out to anyone with this info. Only Jack and you two know.”

“And your husband,” Logan’s voice comes from off the screen.

Anna groans and leans in closer to the computer. “Sorry, it’s hard to find privacy here.”

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