Page 36 of His Runaway Princess

“Absolutely not, sir.” Though Ryker believed the king knew the answer already, he couldn’t keep the indignation out of his voice, even as thoughts of the very mutual kiss they shared flew through his mind.

“I had to ask, Mr. Drasil.” One more notation.

Glancing between the two of them, Ryker took the opportunity to ask a question of his own. “May I ask what this is about, sir?”

“A strange confluence of legalities among the three countries involved.” The king made one more note before closing the cover on the pad of paper. “If it was only one, or possibly two, depending on which two, we might be able to make an argument, but it appears that it’s all three.”

“What legalities?”

The king leaned back in his chair, fiddling with his pen as he did. “There’s been a push in a number of countries to clean up the law books.”

“In what sense?”

“Many countries, including ours, have old laws on the books,” the duke told him. “Ridiculous ones dating back decades, if not centuries. In Great Britain, you can’t wear a suit of armor to Parliament. That law dates back to the 1300s. You’re also not allowed to die there. In Spain, it’s illegal to build sandcastles. In China, you can’t reincarnate without permission, and you can’t wrestle bears in South Africa. The States are full of them, like wearing a fake mustache in church is illegal in Alabama because it would disrupt the service. In Minnesota, you can’t throw an octopus. Things like that.”

“What does that have to do with me and the princess?” Dread once more filled his chest.

“There are old marriage laws in all three countries. If any one of them didn’t have it or it didn’t apply, we could make an argument that it wasn’t fully legal, but instead...” The king finally looked Ryker in the eye. “You and the princess appear to be legally married.”

12

Over the last couple of days, Amalia had spent more time with her half-sister than she had in the last year - outside of the boating incident.

This time, a message from their grandfather interrupted the meal. Ginny stayed behind to finish the meal while Amalia headed for the king’s office.

Once there, she was asked to wait in the outer reception area for an extended period of time. Why couldn’t she have finished her lunch first?

After an interminable amount of time, the door opened to let one of her grandfather’s top aides out. He bowed his head toward her. “Your Royal Highness, please join us.”

She went into the office and curtsied to her grandfather before looking to see who else was in the room. Several men she didn’t recognize stood near the conference table as did King Benjamin.

Then she saw him and froze.

Ryker?

He didn’t just bow his head but bowed from at waist without saying anything. His face seemed guarded, almost a mask.

They all took seats around the conference table with her grandfather at the head of the table and King Benjamin on the other end. Amalia, her grandfather’s assistant, and someone she thought might be one of his lawyers sat near her grandfather. Ryker, along with two other Eyjanians, sat on the other side. Another man, this one with a lapel pin of the Ravenzarian map, sat with them.

Her grandfather opened his notebook. “This was not how we expected to meet Mr. Drasil when we offered the Order of the Dragon. The decisions made today will not change that honor, but may change every other aspect of your lives.”

What could he be talking about? Amalia looked down the table to see Ryker staring at his hands. Did he already know what her grandfather meant?

“What do you mean?” she asked when no one offered any more information.

“You are aware of the push to update the legal codes, especially of laws that simply don’t make any sense?” Her grandfather looked like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

“Of course, Grandfather.” Her eyes flicked back to Ryker. “Is that what this is all about?”

“It’s about a confluence of laws in our three countries.” King Benjamin took up the explanation. “In Ravenzario, a couple who registers in writing as married is legally wed.”

Had Ryker done that?

“In Eyjania, telling people you’re married three or more times means you are legally wed.” King Benjamin went on.

“And here in Øyanord...” Her grandfather sighed. “Even being on the same bed for completely innocent reasons can be construed to require marriage. If you sleep on the same bed, there is no flexibility in the interpretation.”

Her grandfather’s lawyer spoke next. “Were you aware that Mr. Drasil registered as a married couple and mentioned it several times to different people?”

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