Page 105 of Duty and Desire

We were on our way out the door when a loud whistle stopped me.

Franz threw something at me. I caught the bunch of keys and stared at him.

He chuckled. “Wreck my car, and I don’t care if youarethe king—there will be consequences.”

I grinned. “I’ll look after it. We won’t go much above one hundred seventy kilometers per hour, I promise.”

The sound of him choking followed us from the palace.

Gio regarded me, his brow furrowed slightly. “Youcandrive, right?”

I rolled my eyes and switched on the engine. “It can’t be harder to drive than a buggy, can it?” I teased.

His cry ofNiiiiiick! as we headed for the gates made me laugh so hard, I ached.

I felt sure the guards would take some convincing, and that they might even refuse to let me leave the palace unaccompanied, but they let us go with little resistance. Franz’s handiwork, I had no doubt. He’d either bribed them or threatened them.

Once we arrived at the marketplace and found a spot for the car, I led Gio through the narrow winding streets until we reached the bustling heart of the city. We went from stall to stall, inhaling the sweet fragrance of fruit, the soft perfume of flowers. Fabrics of all colors tugged us in their direction, and we spent several long minutes choosing a piece for Claudia, for a dress.

The stall owners and shoppers smiled at us as we strolled, and I was sure it was nothing but friendliness.

Until an older vendor stopped us, and laid his wrinkled hand on mine.

“My condolences, Your Majesty,” he murmured. “I am so sorry for your loss.”

My chest tightened. “Thank you,” I croaked.

Beside me, Gio snickered. “So much for the disguise.”

Then an elderly woman approached us, carrying a bunch of flowers. “It is so good to see you here again, Your Majesty. I remember when you came here with your mother, God rest her soul. I always used to give her flowers.”

I stared at her, my eyes wide. “I remember you. You used to have a little dog behind your stall. I’d feed him bits of cake, until my mother said I shouldn’t, because if everyone did that, he’d eventually burst.”

Her eyes shone. “Bless you, Your Majesty. Yes, I did. We lost himlast year, but now we have another. He’s too young to bring here. When he’s older, perhaps.”

“Do you have a photo of him?”

She beamed. “Yes, Your Majesty.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled before handing it to me.

I peered at the image of a puppy rolling on the floor, having his tummy rubbed. I chuckled. “He’s adorable.” I thanked her for the flowers, and we continued on our stroll. As we walked, more and more people stopped to greet me, offering their sympathies and more often than not, pressing something into my hand and mentioning my mother.

By the time we headed back to the car, our arms were full?—

And Gio had gone very quiet.

As I deposited the gifts of chocolate, cake, and little trinkets into the trunk, I gazed inquiringly at him.

“To quote you, where did you go?”

“Watching you this afternoon, I was struck by how deeply you care for your people—and they for you.” Gio smiled. “You have a connection to them that’s beautiful to see. You’ll never be some distant monarch up in his palace on top of a hill.”

They were perhaps the sweetest words I’d ever heard.

Gio

Dinner was over, but I wasn’t ready to call it a night. When I said as much, it soon dawned on me that Claudia had plans of her own.

“Thereissomewhere else I could show you,” Nick proffered. “But it isn’t a place I’m familiar with.” He stilled. “However, I know someone who is.”

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