I don’t know how much I’m allowed to bring. I’ll just come back for the rest when I can.”
“Ready to go then?”
“Yeah. I still need to pack and do a little research.” I leaned over and wrapped my arms around my dad. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Yes, you will! Make sure there are fish for me to catch.” He kissed my cheek and I caught the shimmer in his eyes.
“I’ll order more if there aren’t.” I kissed his bald head and grabbed my coat. If I stayed much longer I was going to turn into a blubbery mess.
Later that night I sat on my bed with my laptop and stared at my empty room. There were four suitcases crammed with all my stuff, several giant garment bags, and a box with some books I refused to leave behind. I’d had to borrow a suitcase from Bert because I hadn’t been able to fit everything in mine. The furniture would stay since I wouldn’t need it, and Jess promised to take the rest of my stuff to my dad’s next week.
I looked back at the search bar on my computer. I typed in Lilarian Royalty and waited for the results. It didn’t take long before sites popped up. There were articles about the line of succession, scandals, history. I clicked on the one that detailed the line of succession, then clicked on the tab for the queen and smiled at the picture that came up. Alex favored her a great deal. I read the facts quickly. She was a little older than my dad, was an avid outdoorsman, and had three children. That made me pause. In all this time, I hadn’t asked Alex much about himself.
His Royal Highness Alexander Patrick Fitzwilliam, the Duke of D’Lynsal and heir to the crown of Lilaria, was the oldest child at twenty-seven with a younger brother, Maxwell Jameson Trevor, and a sister named Catherine Marie Rose. I clicked on the tab for Alex and read about his schooling, charities, and hobbies. I chuckled at the thought of him fishing and building things. Then again, I remembered his strong hands and decided it made perfect sense. There were several pictures of him alone, professional shots, and some candid pictures of him with his family or working with children.
I went back to the main menu and scrolled through some of the other royals. I stopped on Rousseau in surprise. Surely they wouldn’t have me listed yet.
But they did. Thank goodness there was no picture, but my full name, date of birth, schooling, and honors were listed. There was a short explanation about my upcoming reinstatement, but not a date. I was the twenty-fourth person in line for the crown. I almost shit my pants when I saw that little detail. I sat up straight and barked a laugh. I was in line for the crown. May every soul ahead of me live a long and prosperous life because that was not something I would ever want.
Below my information was a beautiful black-and-white picture of my mother with her birth and death dates. I ran my fingers over the screen and wondered where they had found the image. She was smiling at the camera, her head angled as if amused by something. Her biography and a list of her publications were listed below the picture. It was a small thing, but I was glad they had included her on the list.
I left that page and looked back through the other names. I looked through a list of charities the family was involved in and at pictures of state events. Jess deserved something nice for saving me from looking like an idiot in my jeans and boots. Thankfully, from what I could tell, my new clothes would fit in perfectly. The site didn’t really offer too much else for me, so I closed that page and went back through the other search results.
After a while I gave in to my impulses and typed Alex’s name into the search bar. I instantly regretted it. Headlines about a sex scandal popped up, links to stories about women he could be tied to, and speculation about what royal he would eventually marry. There were stories with the words player, model, stud, betrayal, and heartbreak in the titles. Like watching a train wreck, my eyes were drawn to the images icon. Maybe it was a sick impulse to torture myself or the need to make him feel even more unattainable, but I clicked