gently with a kind smile, “you are a pending member of the royal family. They cannot bow to you yet. However, they must acknowledge your presence.”
“And what do I in return?”
“Whatever you wish,” she replied, and that did not help me. She seemed to get that, so she added. “The queen often just nods once to the whole room. Some mornings she says hello. That is it. We must keep walking, miss. Mr. Ambrose likes to keep to the schedule.”
“So that isn’t everyone? It is just him who holds to a schedule like that?” I asked, nodding and smiling at the people I made eye contact with on our way up the stairs.
“Everyone keeps to a schedule, miss. It is important here. If not, Mr. Ambrose will give them an earful,” she said.
“Does Mr. Ambrose run everything here?” From what I could tell, there was a lot of faith and trust in him.
“Yes and no.” She tilted her head, thinking. “It is hard to explain, but the Head Secretary of Palace Affairs does not really run the palace. Each department has a head followed by the overall head of the subsection. And Mr. Ambrose meets with them.”
I was lost. “There is a head and then another head, I am sorry—”
“Miss, never say ‘I am sorry.’ Royals do not say it unless the matter is very grave. If you mean you are lost, you say, ‘You must forgive me,’ or ‘I beg your pardon,’” she said as we went down a red-carpeted hallway.
And I stopped. “What do you mean? What is the difference between I am sorry, and you must forgive me?”
She paused to think. “Well, simply put, it is not a request. ‘I am sorry’ means the person may not forgive you. You give them the authority to say whether or not what you did was forgivable. That means they are free to judge. Forgive me is closer to what you meant, so not understanding and wishing them to repeat. ‘You must forgive me’ is more formal and can be used as either sarcasm or when the monarch believes they have done something and wishes to apologize. But it is not so major it warrants any serious action. Am I clear? Your tutors may be able to explain better than me.”
“No, you are clear.” So clear, it made everything more confusing. Gale had said I am sorry to me numerous times last night and before that. “Do all royals follow this? I mean, make sure not to apologize?”
“Yes.” Her eyes bugged out as we walked again. “Most children are taught to say ‘I am sorry.’ While royals are taught never to do or say anything to be sorry for.”
So, when Gale apologized and said, “I am sorry. Truly, I am sorry,” he did something he should not have done. Not that it was something he considered grave enough to use those words.
“As for what you were also asking,” she went on, not sensing the moment I was having. “There are three units within the palace. There is the help, which are the palace maids, kitchen maids, scullery maids, cooks, butlers, footmen, doormen, the smiths, decorators, florists, and gardeners. Each of them has a head director like the head of the palace maids and the head cook. Then someone who is the director for all the help. The second group is the staff. These are the secretaries, assistants, and tutors. Again, they all have their heads and then a head for the staff. The last group is the guard—they are the personal guards, the palace guard, and then palace security.”
“And the difference between a guard and the security? Aren’t they for the same purpose?” How many people were in this palace?
“Yes, but to become a personal or palace guard, you must pass the King Ulrik Guard Academy. Everyone either calls it KUGA or the Academy. Only ninety-nine people pass in a year. The top ten can become personal guards to the royals if needed, and the rest can become palace guards or political guards. Palace security didn’t go to the Academy but may have a background in security. They assist the guard with smaller issues such as cameras, watching areas, and notification of threats. I am sure there is much more that I do not know. But I can find out. Nevertheless, Mr. Ambrose meets with all the head directors to overlook everything and then reports to the Adelaar, and the Adelaar reports to the king.”