space one day… It isn't fair.
Not that I would ever tell him that. With my grandmother and the minister watching, I just say the first thing that floats up to the top of my mind.
"Well, that's going to be pretty hard, since I'm already engaged."
The lie comes to me both spontaneously and smoothly. Before I can even think it over, it’s out of my mouth. My words give Stellan, Momse, and the minster pause.
I look back at the three of them at the other end of the conference table and they are all stunned. Well, stunned and disbelieving. Which is totally fair because I am absolutely full of shit.
My grandmother puts her hands on the table and leans in, her gaze frosty. "To whom?"
My heart rate speeds up.
Who?
Uhh…
I say it with only the slightest hesitation. The only person that I know for a fact will back me up no matter what, my best friend in the entire world. "Pippa."
Stellan's eyebrows go up. The minister looks livid. He turns to Stellan, pounding his fist on the table. "He can't do this." He looks at my grandmother, dead serious. "You promised me that my granddaughter would marry a royal! That's the only reason I even walked in here. If Lars doesn't marry my Anna, I'm walking out of this room. And my vote for the treasurer goes with me."
My grandmother fixes him with a glare. "If Lars says he is already engaged, he's already engaged. What do you expect me to do about it?"
The minister actually snarls at my grandmother, making Stellan rise to this feet. He quickly steps between them, looking down on the minister.
When he speaks, his voice is eerily flat. "I think you should leave. Don't make me ask security to escort you out."
The minister seems to shrink back at that, realizing that he has displeased the King of Denmark. He points at me, grimacing, and backs out of the room slowly.
I didn't actually know if my hasty ploy would work, but it seems to have stirred some real emotion in the room. Stellan looks at me, his gaze uncertain. "If what you say is true and you are in fact engaged, then I think the only thing I can say to you is congratulations. But please know that I'm definitely watching you, Lars."
With that, he turns and heads out of the room, leaving me alone with my grandmother.
She folds her arms, pacing over toward the window. "Well, now you have done it."
I push up out of my chair, regarding her as I walk over to the bar. It's just a little mini bar and it only has scotch and champagne for some reason, but I'll take whatever I can get. I pour myself a glass of scotch, probably a little too much, and sigh.
"What have I done, exactly?"
She turns to consider me. "If this engagement is not real, you are going to face some real trouble from me. You had better be serious."
I take a slug of scotch, covering my nervous reaction. "It's real. Everyone has always said that I might as well just marry Pippa because that makes sense for some reason. We got to talking about it yesterday and we just decided to make a go of it."
My grandmother arches a brow. "That's not very romantic. I thought that one of the reasons that you were so against being paired up was that you were waiting for romance."
I lift a shoulder and shrug. "What can I say? Pippa and I have always been in love. A platonic sort of love. We've decided that we should make it more formal, that’s all."
I feel her ice blue eyes narrowing on my face. "Have you set a date, then?"
I am halfway through another sip of the scotch and I sputter a little bit, wiping at my mouth. "What?"
My grandmother paces across the room, coming over to me. There is a knowing look on her face. "A date for the wedding."
I feel the back of my neck start to heat. "Oh… no. We just… We got so swept up in the moment…"
She looks like she's amused. "You know, for your sake, I hope that you are really engaged and not just trying to weasel your way out of this situation. Because if you fuck around, if you get caught in the arms of another woman, that's it. You've always been a wild child, never listening to me or anyone else. And now I finally have a chance to have some