Page 38 of The Prodigal Prince

“Can you simply renounce any claim you might have? Just tell them you have no intention of taking the throne if, God forbid, it ever reached you?” All of the potential implications were enough to make Fiona’s head swim.

“I don’t know.”

She thought it was going to say something else, but a knock on the door interrupted whatever it might have been.

A couple of minutes later, the three of them sat at the small table on the balcony.

Gray devoured his sandwich. Fiona managed to keep from laughing as she tried hers.

“This is so good,” she told Mac around her first bite.

“It’s a sweet bread with garlic and Parmesan in the melted butter. Silas always bought the Hawaiian bread in the States. This isn’t quite the same, but similar.” He reached for his spoon to start on the macaroni and cheese. “This is chef’s own recipe. He wouldn’t share it with us.”

Gray and Fiona took their first bites at the same time. Gray declared it the best ever. She had to agree.

They chatted amiably as they ate. As they finished the last of the chocolate cake that had also been sent along, Mac checked his phone.

His face fell as did his shoulders before straightening. “My sister wants to talk to us.”

* * *

Walkinginto a monarch’s office would always be surreal to Mac.

His mother had used the office for many years, and his sister since their mum’s passing, but he didn’t think it would ever change.

Mac held the door for Fiona to enter before him. Though she wasn’t technically required to, she gave a little curtsy when the queen stood to welcome them inside.

The queen addressed her first. “It’s good to see you, Fiona. I trust your quarters continue be acceptable. The staff is taking care of you?”

Fiona took the seat the queen motioned to as Mac took the one next to it.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “They are taking very good care of us. Your chef even fixed all of us his famous grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.”

The queen grinned. “Mac does love his cheese toasties.”

Fiona laughed. “These were the best cheese toasties ever. Gray loved them, too.”

The look on the queen’s face turned serious. “Unfortunately, we have some other matters to discuss.”

“We talked about the news released this morning,” Mac told his sister.

“This child will be Gray’s aunt or uncle. Same with your children.” Fiona went straight to the heart of the matter. “Everyone knows how your father treated both of you. You will be judged on how you treat this child, despite that.”

Esme nodded. “Agreed. We’re working on a way to do that while ensuring our father doesn’t have unlimited access. That’s not entirely why I asked you here, though. I understand why you’d like to keep your new relationship under the radar for a while.”

“But you’d like us to do something to make a splash,” Mac finished for her. “To keep the attention off of the other story, but it can’t look like a set up. It has to look natural.” Some things he’d never quite forgotten.

“You are free to decline,” Esme clarified. “But it would be appreciated.”

Mac leaned back in his chair as he turned the thought over in his mind. “Like what?”

“Princess Angelina of Eyjania and her husband, Beau, have extended an open invitation for the three of you to come visit them. Perhaps a trip for the three of you somewhere then on to Angelina’s home.”

He stared at his hands, two sides of him warred with each other deep inside. “There’s something I need to tell you, Esme.”

This wasn’t going to be easy.

Maybe he could ease into it.

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