Page 10 of Royal Valentine

“Like picking up strange girls from the Spanish Steps and bringing them back to your apartment weird?” I teased and he grinned.

Then his smile faltered. “All jokes aside, I do know what it’s like to want to disappear.”

My heart fluttered that he understood so perfectly where I was coming from. Then he outlined for me why flying was clearly the superior superpower.

All the sites we were visiting I had seen before, but it felt different seeing them with Callum. Despite his earlier teasing, he insisted that I tell him the history of the art and buildings we saw. He hung on my every word, seeming fascinated.

It made me feel seen in a way that I hadn’t in a long time. I wasn’t a title to him. Not a photo op or a way to make a name for himself. He enjoyed hearing my thoughts, the things that I knew, what I enjoyed.

And I felt exactly the same way about him.

There were no awkward or uncomfortable pauses between us. We talked about everything.

He told me about how he’d grown up with three older brothers and the sorts of pranks they’d played on each other. He seemed delighted by the fact that I was also from a big family and had four older brothers and one younger sister. I shared as many stories as I could without revealing that I’d grown up in a massive villa not far from the palace.

We talked about our university days. He’d gone to the University of St. Andrews. “Although I did spend one year studying abroad at UW–Madison in Wisconsin. I made agood friend there, also named Callum. Callum Sundberg.” He glanced at his phone. “I usually hear from him today. He has a habit of reaching out to friends on Valentine’s Day.”

“Why Wisconsin?” I asked, a little surprised.

“It’s a bit of a long story. But what about you? Where did you go to university?”

When I said I’d attended the University of Imperia, he raised both of his eyebrows.

“Isnae that in Monterra?”

I wanted to curse at my inability to remember the role that I was supposed to be playing. “It is.”

“Lucia’s mother is from Monterra,” he said.

My heart slammed hard into my rib cage, like it was trying to escape. I had to take in a deep breath. Had Lucia recognized me? Had she said something to him?

Or would she?

Was everything about to come falling down around me like a house of cards?

I told myself I was being ridiculous. My grandfather had five sons and a daughter, and they all had large families. There were so many princes and princesses running around Monterra that we liked to joke we made up half the population.

Lucia’s mother being from Monterra didn’t automatically mean Lucia would know who I was.

“Oh?” I responded, recognizing that I needed to immediately change the subject. I pointed at his camera. Callum had been taking pictures all day. “When do I get to see the finished product?”

“I have to develop them. But if you’re really interested, there’s a gallery not too far from here that has some of my photos.”

“Really? That’s amazing!”

He shrugged in a self-deprecating way. “I met the gallery owner at a party and he offered to show my work. I think he was just being kind.”

I doubted that.

He glanced at his phone, noting the time. “It would be faster by taxi,” he said and I nodded. We went to the nearest taxi station, and I was amazed that I didn’t feel even a little bit tired, despite all the hours we’d spent exploring. There was something about being with him that made me feel rejuvenated.

His phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen and scowled.

“What is it?” I asked.

“My father reminding me that I need to come home and do my duty,” he said. It sounded so much like something my own father would say that I nearly tripped over the curb.

Callum was there, steadying me by my elbow. “Careful. Maybe I should get you another espresso.”

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