I continued my speech, talking about not only the tour but the Citizen Letters program and the agenda items I brought before Parliament before I hit the most important part of my speech. “I’ve come to realize being queen is not just about representing the country as it is. It’s about moving the nation forward and keeping the traditions that make Eldorra such a unique, wonderful place while shedding the ones that hold it back. That is true of the reforms I’ve helped push through Parliament. It is also true of traditions binding the Crown to outdated norms and expectations…such as the Royal Marriages Law. Which brings me to my next point.”
More murmurs, louder this time.
I took another, deeper breath. Here we go.
“As you may know, information came to light last month about an alleged relationship between myself and my former bodyguard, Rhys Larsen. Those allegations were officially denied. But I am here today to tell you they are true.”
The murmurs exploded into a roar. The reporters jumped from their seats, shouting and thrusting their microphones at me. Behind them, the crowd went wild.
Camera flashes. Shouts. A million phones raised in the air, aimed at me.
My heart rate slowed and roared in my ears.
I tried not to picture Elin’s or my family’s reactions. They must be freaking out. I’d refused to tell them what I would say beforehand, and I’d insisted they stay in the palace for the event.
Today was all on me.
I raised my voice to speak above the din. “I am also here today to tell you I am still in a relationship with Mr. Larsen.”
Pandemonium.
It was so loud I couldn’t hear myself think, but my speech was over. It was time to turn it over to the reporters—one in particular.
“Yes.” I gestured at Jas, the reporter from The Daily Tea.
“Your Highness.” The crowd quieted to hear her question. “What about the Royal Marriages Law? You will be crowned as queen in less than nine months, and the law requires you to marry someone of noble birth before the ceremony,” Jas said, just as we’d agreed upon.
It was amazing what the promise of the first exclusive interview with the Queen of Eldorra could accomplish.
I smiled. “Thank you, Jas. You bring up a good point. But while the Royal Marriages Law requires the monarch to marry a noble, it does not require them to be married before the coronation. That being said, I believe it is time we rethink the law. It was created in the eighteenth century, when Eldorra needed the alliances secured through royal marriage to survive as a nation, but it is no longer the eighteenth century. Europe is no longer at war. And I believe it is long past time to repeal the Royal Marriages Law.”
“You would need the Speaker to bring the motion to the floor and at least three-fourths of Parliament to pass a repeal,” Jas said, right on cue. “This issue came up during the abdication of former Crown Prince Nikolai. There weren’t enough votes.”
“That is true.” I paused, forcing the crowd to wait for what I had to say next. Keep them in suspense. Elin’s voice echoed in my head. We didn’t agree on everything, but she knew what she was doing when it came to the press. “What happened with my brother was a tragedy. He would’ve made a wonderful king, but he had to choose between love and country, and he chose love. I think that’s something all of us can relate to. While we, as a royal family, strive to represent the country and serve the citizens of Eldorra the best we can, we are also human. We love, and we grieve…” My voice caught as my parents’ faces flashed through my mind. “And sometimes, we have to make impossible decisions. But neither my brother nor anyone standing here should have to make that choice. Whether or not the monarch marries a noble has no bearing on their ability to serve. The Royal Marriages Law is a relic from a time that no longer exists, and I appeal to Parliament to reconsider their stance on the issue.”
That was what my words said, but my real appeal—the whole point of my speech—was directed to the public. Address their concerns about me from the start, connect with them emotionally via my confession about being scared to take on my role, remind them of the good I’d done and my experience with Parliament, and explain the logic of why the law needed to be repealed.
Ethos and logos.
I’d meant every word, but I’d also spent hours strategically crafting the speech. If I wanted to succeed as queen, I needed not only to play the game but dominate it, and public opinion meant everything when I had no real political power.
Of course, there was one important part of the press conference left.
Pathos.
“You keep mentioning the choice between love and country,” Jas said. “Does that mean you are in love with Mr. Larsen?”
The crowd held its breath. The entire country, it seemed, held its breath.
In the distance, a car honked, and a bird swooped overhead, its wings flapping against the clear blue sky. Neither disturbed the heavy hush blanketing the lawn.
I waited for one beat. Two. Then, with a small smile, I said, “Yes. I am. That is all. Thank you to everyone for coming today.”
I left the podium to a frenzy of shouts and cheers.
My legs shook, and my heart thundered as I walked to the back of the palace. I did it. I couldn’t believe it.
But I couldn’t celebrate just yet. I had one thing left on my to-do list.
I stepped into the marble-floored breezeway by the palace’s side entrance. Rhys waited in the shadows of the columns, his gray eyes burning with a molten flame. “You did good, princess.”
I stepped into his embrace, my pulse hammering in my throat. “It’s not over yet.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and whispered, “Kiss me like the world’s watching.”
His slow smile dripped through me like rich, smooth honey. “Gladly, Your Highness.”
Rhys’s mouth descended on mine, and I heard the soft, telltale click of a camera shutter from the nearby bushes.
“Think they got it?” His lips brushed against mine as he spoke.
“Definitely.”
He grinned and kissed me again. Deeper this time, more insistent, and I pressed against him, letting his touch and taste sweep me away.
The first kiss was for the world. This one was for us.
Rhys
1 week later
“Your Highness!” Erhall’s assistant jumped up from her desk, her eyes wide. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened, but we don’t have you on the calendar. There must’ve been a mix-up—”
“It’s all right,” Bridget said with a gracious smile. “I didn’t make an appointment, but we would like to speak with the Speaker. Is he available?”
“Oh, um.” The flustered-looking woman rifled through her papers before she shook her head. “Yes, of course. Please, follow me.”
She led us through the Speaker’s chambers toward his office. The thick blue carpet muffled the sounds of our footsteps, and my muscles knotted with tension.
We’re really doing this.
I wasn’t scared of Erhall, but this would be my first time seeing him since I found out he was my father. Biologically, anyway. He hadn’t done jack shit to earn the honor the title deserved.
Erhall’s assistant knocked on his door. No answer. She knocked again.
“What? I told you not to disturb me!” he barked.
The woman flinched. “Mr. Speaker, Her Highness Princess Bridget is here to see you. And, um, Mr. Larsen.” She cast a quick, awed glance in my direction.
I fought a grimace.
After the past week, everyone in Eldorra—hell, everyone in the world—knew my face and name. They’d taken over headlines from Tokyo to New York, and the footage from Bridget’s press conference, as well as the “candid” photos and videos of us kissing afterward, had played on repeat on every news channel.
The press spun the story as a reverse fairytale about a princess and her bodyguard, and the commentators ran with it, penning entire articles and op-eds about love, duty, and tradition.
The public ate it up. According to Bridget, Parliament had been inundated with calls about repealing the law, and the hashtag #LoveOverCountry had been trending all week on social media.
Love was the most universal emotion. Not everyone experienced it, but they all wanted it—even those who said they didn’t—and Bridget’s press conference had tapped into that core need. She wasn’t just a royal anymore. She was a human and, more importantly, relatable to every person out there who couldn’t be with the person they wanted for whatever reason.
There was nothing more powerful than power people could relate to.
Bridget’s plan had worked better than we could’ve hoped, but it was disconcerting seeing my face all over the newsstands and having people stop and stare wherever I went.
But I’d agreed to the plan knowing it would destroy any semblance of privacy I had left, and if stepping out of the shadows and into the spotlight was what it took for us to be together, I’d do an interview with every goddamned magazine out there.