Page 85 of Duty and Desire

Not anymore.

It would forever be burned into my memory as it was now.Where Eisenland’s flags once hung, there was nothing but black. The arched windows set into thick walls admitted a cool light in keeping with the air of solemnity. The focus of the hall had become the two coffins, their polished surfaces invisible beneath the flowers covering and surrounding them, wreaths of green and white, blooms of all colors, a visible outpouring of grief and respect from the populace. Mourners filed past the coffins, looping around them, the line of people finally reaching its end after several hours, the last public day the coffins would stand in state before the funeral the coming Monday. Some people stopped to write in the books of condolence standing on tables at each corner of the hall.

I watched from the balcony, nodding to those mourners who bowed their heads when they spotted me. Franz stood to my right, in the same black suit he’d worn the day he came to take me home.

Below I saw Daniela Risch enter the hall, and I knew she was seeking me. I also knew what she’d come to say. The same words she’d uttered for the past four days.

Your Majesty… we need to discuss the plans for your coronation.

Beside me, Franz cleared his throat, an innocuous sound, but I knew him.

He was tired of her too.

“You can’t hide up here forever,” he murmured. “She’ll find you. She’s like a dog with a bone, that one.”

I couldn’t help smiling. “An astute assessment.”

My own words reminded me I was not like other men of my age. I’d been tutored to speak correctly at all times, a lesson drummed into me from the moment I could talk. My years at university and on Bora-Bora had loosened me up a little, but here I was, speaking as I had done most of my life, and sounding older than my twenty-five years.

I guess there are some lessons that cannot be unlearned.

I wasn’t the only member of a royal family to speak so correctly. There were two English princes who came across as older than their years too, even when they’d been teenagers.

“I heard your conversation with her yesterday.” Franz kept his voice low. “You were right.”

“She wouldn’t agree with you.”

Daniela had begun the conversation with her repeated statement about making plans, but I’d cut her off.

“No, we don’t.”

“But Your Majesty, we are a country without a head of state.”

I faced her. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

She flushed. “Yes, but?—”

“And I am the king. The head of State. How long do we have before I must ascend the throne? What does the law say?”

Her expression tightened. “There isn’t a law, as such, but?—”

“Exactly. When the Queen of England died, her son became king, but it was six or seven months before he was crowned. I think we can wait. We will have this discussion at another time.”

“Your Majesty?—”

I squared my shoulders. “Miss Risch, I haven’t even buried my father and my brother yet. Surely this conversation can take place after that event.”

She flinched, but I didn’t care. I was getting close to the point where biting my tongue was no longer an option.

Daniela bowed her head. “Your Majesty.”

As soon as she’d closed the door behind her, I’d glanced at Franz.

He’d tried not to smirk and had failed miserably.

And speaking of Franz, his hand was gentle on my arm, drawing me back into the moment.

“Your Majesty…”

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