forward eagerly. “You did find someone, didn’t you, Leo? You’ll need to tell me all about her. I’m going to pick the perfect rose for the two of you.”
“He’s already said that he hasn’t found anyone,” the queen said, waving off Wren’s enthusiasm. It was Wren’s job to pick the unique variety of rose—Rosavia’s national flower—that would commemorate Leo’s marriage.
“But his face,” Wren whispered under his breath, sending Leo a conspiratorial wink. “That was a ‘gonna get some’ smile, wasn’t it?”
Wren was right, which made Leo smile wider, but then his mother pinned him with a regal look that set his teeth on edge. “We understand your resistance to this engagement,” she said, “but as Alphonse and I told you before—”
“But I have, Mother,” Leo cut in, slipping a piece of ham under the table to prevent Treble from destroying the tassel that dangled from the end of the table runner. “I found someone.”
His mother’s eyes widened in shock, and his father set his tablet down and finally gave him his full attention. “Oh?”
“But not from your list,” Leo added, winking at them as he valiantly ignored Treble’s attempts to con him into more meat and speared a piece of sausage for himself instead.
His mother’s lips instantly turned down, her eyes hardening, and the king pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.
“Leo,” Alphonse said. “Believe me, I understand your need to push against the restrictions of your position over the last few years—”
That was… a diplomatic way of saying it.
Wren snorted, not really one for diplomacy, then put a not-even-remotely-believable innocent expression on his face when the queen gave him a pointed look. “What?”
“Aren’t you needed in the rose gardens this morning?” she asked him in a tone that they all knew meant yes, you’re the spoiled youngest, but go away now so the grown-ups can talk.
A flash of defiant brattiness appeared on Wren’s face, but to Leo’s surprise, Wren bit back whatever retort had been on the tip of his tongue and just nodded. Leo had no time to ponder why his youngest brother was suddenly exhibiting some uncharacteristic self-control and maturity, though, because the king and queen had a lecture ready for him, and they launched right into it.
“You have a duty to fulfill, Leopold,” his mother said as Wren left the room. “The candidates we selected for you are all young women we’re confident are capable of upholding the responsibilities that come with the crown.”
“Parliament may handle the day to day legislative matters for Rosavia, but you will be the head of state,” his father added, as if that and a million other realities of Rosavian politics hadn’t been drilled into Leo since birth. “The Rosavian citizens will be looking to you and your consort to uphold certain standards, and the diplomatic duties are—”
“I know,” Leo interrupted, a familiar, crushing weight settling onto his chest. He bit back a rebellious retort of his own. Surely, if his nineteen-year old brother could exhibit a little self-control, Leo could, too. He took a breath, pasting a smile on his face. “And I’ve decided that Edvin Blom is the one I want by my side for that.”
His mother blinked in surprise.
His father cocked his head to the side quizzically.
Treble jumped onto Leo’s lap and attempted to emasculate him with her claws.
Leo winced and peeled her off the royal jewels, plopping her onto the empty chair next to him and ignoring her strident and, let it be said, overly dramatic meow of protest.
Bella, Sander’s cat, opened her eyes lazily to see what Treble was squawking about, then closed them again and tipped over onto her side, exposing her belly.
“I don’t recall including male candidates on the list,” the queen said after a moment, reaching over absently to rub Bella’s enormous stomach.
“There weren’t any,” the king said, his brow furrowing as he turned to look at her. “I can’t place the van Bloms, Aubrey. It’s not the Swedish family with ties to that Grechzen duke with the drinking problem, is it?”
“Not van Blom, Father,” Leo said. “Just ‘Blom.’ Eddie is a librarian with the Royal Library here in the capital.”
He took a bite of eggs as they stared at him, the crushing weight he’d felt a moment ago starting to ease as he pictured Eddie the day before, out on the yacht. Laughing. Relaxed… eventually, even though he’d obviously been nervous at first from the unaccustomed luxury. But mostly, happy.
His happiness had made him gorgeous, glowing like the sun and