Page 91 of American Royals II: Majesty
“Goodbye, Himari,” Daphne ventured. “And good luck.”
As she watched Himari get into her car, Daphne knew she should feel satisfied, or at least relieved. Instead she felt oddly hollow.
Her greatest enemy, her best friend—whatever Himari was, she had defined Daphne. And now that she was gone, Daphne knew a piece of her would always be missing.
“Hey, Daphne.”
She looked up and saw that Himari had rolled down her window. “You know the Crown Prince of Japan is only two years older than us,” Himari went on, an eyebrow raised in unmistakable challenge.
“I’m aware.” The ache in Daphne’s chest seemed to loosen, just a little.
Himari tilted her head, that old mercurial smile playing around her lips. “So who knows? Maybe you won’t be the only one of us to marry a prince.”
“Thanks for walking me back.” Beatrice held open the door to her suite so that Teddy—who carried the stack of last-minute presents they’d been given at the rehearsal dinner—could follow her inside. As she moved, the antique mirror on her wall caught the swishing of her dress, which was hand-sewn with pearls to match the ones woven into her updo. When Beatrice nodded or shook her head, they gleamed against the silken darkness of her hair.
“You look so pretty tonight, Bee,” Teddy told her, and she smiled.
Pretty.Not majestic or elegant or any of the other things that Beatrice thought of herself, but justpretty.She knew it was ridiculous for something like that to matter, but it was still nice to hear. It made her feel almost like a real, ordinary girl—one who’d been to high school dances and stayed out past curfew and read magazines thatdidn’thave her picture on the cover. As if she and Teddy might be any couple at all, rather than the Queen of America and her future king consort.
She went over to lift the window, letting in the warm summer air as she glanced outside. Hundreds of people were already lining up in anticipation of tomorrow’s event. Ten miles of scaffolding had been erected along the parade route—after the ceremony, she and Teddy would drive through the streets in the golden state carriage before returning to the palace for the reception.
Beatrice looked down at the blurred sea of faces, many of them waving miniature American flags, or clutching flowers, or holding posters that said her and Teddy’s names. Her heart seized in her chest.
Perhaps alone in the modern world, this was a crowd of people who’d been drawn together out of something positive—not animosity, or anger, but love. For the country, and what it stood for. And forher.
She understood now what her dad had meant, when he’d told her that the symbolic aspects of her job were still the most crucial ones. America needed these moments of pure and uncomplicated joy, something outside the ugliness of political rivalries, to bring the nation together when so many things conspired to tear it apart.
Thunder rumbled through the capital. A low mass of clouds gathered in the distance, making the fluorescent glow of the city lights seem even brighter in contrast. The crowds squealed and began to retreat under cover.
Teddy moved toward her. “It looks like it might rain on our wedding day.”
Beatrice nodded; she felt the pressure gathering. The sky was swollen, the air thickening in anticipation of a coming storm. It felt like the entire world was holding its breath—waiting for something monumental, somethingbig.
“People will say it’s bad luck,” she agreed.
“Doyouthink it’s bad luck?”
“I’ve never believed in luck. Or, rather, I believe in making your own luck. Besides,” she added, “now the souvenir shops can sell all those commemorative wedding umbrellas, the ones printed with our faces.”
“Oh good, do we have extras of those? I could use a new umbrella,” he joked, and she smiled.
Teddy turned toward the gifts, which he’d stacked on her upholstered blue sofa. “By the way,” he went on, grabbing a flat box wrapped in ivory paper, “I have something for you.”
Beatrice hadn’t realized that one of the gifts was from him. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“Given that you bought me a house, I figured I should dosomething.” He said it lightly, but Beatrice heard the note of emotion beneath. She tore open the box, and her breath caught.
Inside was a pair of Minnie Mouse ears: the special bridal ones, covered in white sequins and affixed with a miniature veil.
Beatrice felt an aching pressure in her chest that pulled her somewhere between laughter and tears. She placed the ears on her head, not caring that they would ruin her updo. Compared to the tiaras she usually wore, they were curiously light.
Teddy reached to adjust them, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wish we could elope to Disney World, so you’d get the wedding of your five-year-old dreams, but I think a few people might be disappointed. So, since I couldn’t bring you to Disney World, this seemed like the next best thing.”
His hand was still cupped around her chin, tilting her face up. Moonlight traced the sweep of his eyelashes, caught the startling blue of his eyes.
“I’m so in love with you,” Beatrice blurted out.
Her hands flew to her mouth in shock, the way a cartoon character’s would. She had justsaidit, had told Teddy she loved him without a second thought, which was so unlike her that she wondered if it had really happened. Sheneverspoke without thinking.
