“I’m so sorry, Emma, for the way things—”
“I’m happy, Sebastian,” she said. “Really happy.”
“Good,” he said.
“And I love the band you have here,” she said, gesturing to the quintet. “They’re playing all of the classics.”
“I specifically requested that they play a Metallica song, but I don’t think it’s going to go over well,” I said.
Emma laughed. “Maybe I’ll try to request a punk song.”
A caterer walked past with a tray full of mini tarts, and each of us grabbed a couple, clearing the plate immediately.
“I love good eaters,” the caterer said. “I’ll bring over another round.”
“This all must have been so expensive,” Princess Emma said. “You are doing well with money, right, Sebastian?”
She had a concerned look on her face. It was the kind of question only a super wealthy person could ask another super wealthy person. Anyone else would have been far too afraid to ask Sebastian how his money situation was, but Emma was simply genuinely interested.
“I’m doing okay,” he assured her. “This party was lavish, but it doesn’t even begin to compare to the expense of all of my mother’s private jet bills from last year.”
Emma and Sebastian launched into a lengthy conversation about the aspects of royal life they didn’t care for, and I just silently listened. I was enjoying myself more than I ever thought I could in the castle. Slowly, the champagne started to hit me, and I realized how good it felt to be in here, how different it felt to see the castle like this.
I loved it, now that it was Sebastian’s instead of Queen Charlotte’s.
“Oh God,” Sebastian said minutes later. “It’s time.”
“Time?” I asked from my champagne-buzzed pleasant haze.
He looked scared. “I have to make a speech.”
“You always act like it’s going to be awful, and then your speeches are perfect,” I said.
He leaned in and pressed a small kiss to my lips as the band quieted down, and Genoveve took to the small platform and announced Sebastian’s upcoming speech. Sebastian ascended onto the stage a few minutes later and Genoveve stepped away. The crowd applauded at first, then watched him, rapt, waiting for their king to talk.
“Thank you, thank you all,” Sebastian said. He held the microphone awkwardly, like he wasn’t really sure what to do. Even for someone who’d been in the public eye for his whole life, he still wasn’t quite used to it, and it was one of the things I loved most about him.
“I’m not really too big on speeches, as some of you know,” he said. “But I knew that tonight, it was important. Firstly, I need to thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for supporting me. Without you—the people of Frostmonte Kingdom—I wouldn’t be standing here today.”
The room erupted into applause and cheers. Sebastian held up his glass to the crowd before continuing.
“The transition to a new style of royal rule might not always be smooth. There will be some other kingdoms who will cut ties with us. But that is a sacrifice I’m willing to make, with all of you by my side. It is worth it. Frostmonte can be a symbol of something new. Something different.”
“And that’s the way we like it!” a young man in the middle of the crowd shouted. He was met with dozens of cheers in agreement.
“I am so humbled and so grateful to be standing here with you all tonight. And I’m making a promise to you that as king, I will always have your best interests at heart. Frostmonte Castle can be the hub of a community, not something closed-off and separate. So tonight, we celebrate. And there’s nowhere else I’d rather do it than here.”
He raised his glass another time, and everyone in the crowd followed suit, toasting to Frostmonte before cheering again. The band started back up and people resumed dancing as Sebastian made his way through the crowd, greeting people as he walked toward me.
“I love you,” I told him as he approached. “You did great.”
“Oh my God, I’m still so nervous every time I do public speaking,” he said, letting out a sigh. “Thank you.”
I grabbed his hand, pushing him into a dancing position and dipping him. He laughed, his eyes going wide.
“Henry,” he said. “I didn’t know you had moves like that.”
“Oh, I’ve got moves. I’ve got moves you don’t even know about.”
“I like the sound of that.”
I nodded. “You’ve still got a lot to learn about me, Sebastian,” I said. “It’s only going to get better from