Page 150 of Tall, Royal and Grumpy

“Oh, yes,” Nur, the head chef, gleamed, his silver moustache curling up with his grin. “I think your thirtieth birthday is a brilliant occasion to make your first design choice.”

I pressed my palm over my mouth to hold in a laugh as Kai shuffled from foot to foot, his fitted, dark blue suit moving fluidly with his awkward steps. He was so adorably confused.

“I’m…” He cleared his throat. “I’m not sure I’m the correct person to ask about…light fittings.” From an angle, I watched him scratch his stubbled jaw; it didn’t look like he’d shaved recently. “Fay might have something more to offer…or the palace maintenance team.”

“What about Princess Esmeralda?” Nur said and my stomach hiccupped. “Her Highness might be able to help.”

King Rami clapped a hand on Kai’s back. “That’s a brilliant idea. We should ask Esmeralda.”

I assumed that was my cue, but I couldn’t seem to get my swollen tongue to cooperate. Except I heard myself croak, “I think spotlights would look nice.”

Kai spun around so swiftly all I saw was a blur of dark blue. Then his round ink black eyes sucked me in and locked me down in my favourite place to be.

My mouth blossomed into an aching smile. “Happy birth—”

A thousand Newtons of force hit me as I was engulfed in a bear hug. And by bear hug, I meant bear hug. Arms trapped by my sides and hauled straight off the floor with his face buried in my neck.

I giggled, nose stinging, and wriggled my arms free to wrap them around him. He let out a huge shuddering noise. “I thought you couldn’t come,” he croaked, his muffled words tickling my skin. “You said you couldn’t come.”

My heart shattered and fit itself back together again in the space of a second.

“I was never going to miss your birthday, Kai,” I whispered, cradling the back of his head in my hand.

It might have been minutes or moments later, but sudden rattles of movement filtered through in all directions before a roared, “Surprise,” echoed around the kitchen seemingly endlessly.

Kai lifted his head, and I watched his awe-filled expression before following his gaze. All the kitchen staff had gathered behind Nur, everyone who had been in the corridor had come in, and Kai’s family were huddled together with the addition of Gigi and Mariyah standing next to Shehryar and Pierre.

There wasn’t a single face that didn’t have a grin going from ear to ear.

“Did you…” Kai uttered, and his attention flew back to me. “You planned this?”

Everyone burst out laughing and I giggled. So, he was a little oblivious, but it was adorable. Especially as he blushed at his own cluelessness.

“Your family planned it,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. “I just played my role in their plan.”

“It was my idea,” Gigi said, tipping up her chin haughtily.

“It was not,” King Rami and Prince Arsh said at exactly the same time.

Laughs filtered through again, but as Kai set me down on my feet, they turned to oh’s and ah’s.

Two chefs carried a big square wooden board with a three-tiered iced cake, decorated with blue macarons and silver spheres of different sizes. On top were big silver three and zero candles.

“Whoever put the candles on, I very much appreciate you reminding Kai that he’s now middle-aged,” Fay taunted as the two chefs set the cake on the metal serving island in front of us.

Kai scowled at his younger brother, his cheeks pink as he tugged at his left earlobe. “Thirty isn’t middle-aged,” he grumbled, scattering chuckles through the kitchen.

“He’s going to start complaining about back pains soon,” Pierre added with a massive smirk.

I giggled into Kai’s arm as he growled over my head, “You’re older than me.”

Pierre sniffed. “By five months.”

“Might we stop insulting everyone over the age of thirty and cut the cake?” King Rami huffed, giving a jokingly dirty side-glance to Pierre and Fay.

Nur chuckled and stepped forward, a knife and box of matches in his hands. “Would you like to do the honour, Your Highness?” he asked me.

I untangled my arm from around Kai’s waist and took the small box, stepping up to the big cake. On the counter, it was level with my height, the candles just sitting above my head.

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