goes home if I need a chocolate fix. But do tell me about your plan.”
She lifted her fork but hesitated before slicing into the cake. “First, why don’t you tell me why Sergio Ribisi wanted to reject it before I could even present it.”
“It wasn’t Sergio. Not unilaterally. That was my call.”
She snagged his gaze, surprised at the admission. “I appreciate the honesty, Your Highness.”
“Even so, it should have been handled better.”
“Why did it need to be ‘handled’ at all?”
Eduardo’s jaw tightened for a moment, then he shrugged. “As king, I need to pick and choose my battles. There are days I would like to be an absolute monarch and pass laws I know to be in the best interest of the country, but we aren’t living in the middle ages. I can introduce or recommend legislation, but that’s as far as it goes. Parliament holds the power in San Rimini. And unlike your president, I don’t have a veto.”
“But you do have sway. A lot of it.”
“Yes, but again, it’s because I’ve chosen my battles carefully, as have my predecessors. Traditionally, in San Rimini, the monarch focuses on non-controversial projects. Most revolve around charitable initiatives, or serving as a mediator for peace talks or as a host for international summits. I have a limited amount of political capital to spend outside those parameters, so I have to spend it wisely.”
“I understand that, King Eduardo. But if you’ve read about the program I worked to establish in Uganda, then you know it’s for the public good. It’s easy for people to think of the world as hundreds of disparate economies, but more and more, we have a single world economy. When one country—or one region—falls behind, it affects the others. Education is the great equalizer, particularly early education. When wealthier countries with strong educational systems contribute teachers and educational funding to the countries that struggle, everyone benefits, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I do.”
“Then why the resistance? Italy and Austria already participate, and I know you value early intervention programs to ensure children aren’t deprived of educational opportunities. It’s why you support programs like Our Place. When you spoke at their anniversary celebration yesterday, it wasn’t out of obligation. It was plain to see that you’re passionate about their work.”
He had a forkful of cake halfway to his mouth and paused. “You saw it?”
“I did.”
“You were doing research on me.”
“I wouldn’t be a good ambassador if I didn’t.”
She couldn’t help but smile as she said it. When she’d called Mark Rosenburg, the embassy’s education and cultural exchange specialist, to tell him about the dinner invitation from King Eduardo, he’d urged her to find a newsfeed showing the king’s appearance at the event. Mark said she could learn a lot about King Eduardo’s beliefs regarding education by listening to his speech and then use that information that to hone her pitch.
Mark had been right. When Eduardo spoke about the importance of Our Place, its success in identifying children who were struggling with mental health issues, and the methods used so their challenges were addressed without stigmatizing them, she saw his belief in the program.
Eduardo swallowed his bite of cake, then set down his fork. “The night you were here to present your credentials, there was a car accident on the Strada il Teatro. You likely saw it on the news.”
“I did,” she said, though she wasn’t sure what it had to do with either Our Place or her education program.
“The accident could have been much worse. The Strada is the heart of our historical area. Every tourist who comes to San Rimini visits that street. Locals go for the ability to people watch or when they wish to dine at any of the dozens of restaurants in the area. It also has nonstop traffic and there’s little to no parking. That’s a bad combination.”
He paused, as if wanting to ensure he had her attention. On a deep breath, he said, “Every resident of San Rimini is aware of the problem and knows it needs to change or there will be a tragedy. However, the appearance of the Strada is part of our national identity, which makes change difficult. Then there are the usual challenges of construction in a downtown area. Businesses don’t want scaffolding blocking their entrances, hotels and restaurants are afraid they’ll lose bookings due to either noise or diverted traffic, and the Grand Prix organizers have concerns about construction interfering with the course and viewing areas. Those are significant hurdles. No parliamentarian