The ministers, for their part, wanted to control what I thought and did. They were constantly feeding me information and opinions, hoping I’d make some decree or other about some obscure statute that would no doubt benefit their various interests nicely. I was constantly bombarded with appointments and responsibilities, and that meant I rarely had time to do anything I really wanted to do.
But I was still Trip Brunhild. I’d slipped many an escort in my time, and I’d no doubt slip many, many more in my years as king.
As soon as we got back into the castle, I headed toward my chambers in the west wing. But instead of cutting down my hallway, I slipped behind a statue and ran down a false stairway. I could hear my guards trying to keep up, but the twisting passageways could get confusing in the inner keep.
I’d spent my childhood wandering the hallways of the castle. It was built like a maze on purpose to confuse assassins and attackers. The guards spent time in the castle, but they didn’t live there. I was able to lose them pretty quickly.
I smiled to myself and found myself in an empty apartment. I quickly removed my jacket and made myself a little more comfortable. I hated wearing the damn suit, but it was a part of the job. I had to look like a king as much as act like a king.
I left the apartment and headed toward the east wing, where our guests were staying. I found a control panel and typed a few commands.
“Yes, sir?” Maximillian answered.
“Hi, Max. Where’s the girl staying?”
“Sir, aren’t you supposed to be in a cabinet meeting?”
“Probably,” I said, “but your king is ordering you to tell me where the girl is, Max.”
He sighed. Maximillian had been a servant of my family for a very, very long time. He was really my closest confidant and advisor, and more like a father to me than my own father was.
“I’m getting tired of you playing that card, Trip,” he said.
“I know you are, Max, but I love it.”
“She’s in room twelve thirty, and her parents are right next door.”
“Damn. Right next door? You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Of course I did,” Max said. “You think I’d leave a lady unguarded around you?”
“That’s my boy,” I said. “Make it a challenge. Bye, Max.”
“Goodbye, Your Highness.”
I switched the communications off and headed down the hall, whistling and smiling to myself. The servants I encountered all looked absolutely shocked to see their king walking the halls without an escort, his sleeves rolled up, his jacket removed. They shouldn’t have been surprised, since they all knew me fairly well.
I was a notorious playboy after all. Starkland loved its bad boy prince. And truthfully, I had a hell of a time playing into that fucking role.
Right now, though, I wasn’t the bad boy or the king. I was just Trip, and I wanted to see that girl again.
I finally found her apartment and knocked. After a second, she pulled the door open.
And stared at me, shocked. She was probably surprised to see the king actually coming to her door alone like this.
I grinned at her, loving the look on her face.
“Invite me in,” I commanded after a second.
That snapped her out of it. “Aren’t you supposed to ask?”
“I’m the king,” I said. “I get to make commands.”
She shook her head. “You’re not my king.”
“I’m everyone’s king.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
“I just came to see how you were liking the castle so far.”
“It’s nice, thank you.”
I laughed, my smirk getting bigger. “You know, I had to shake a security detail to come say hello without five men hovering around me. The least you can do is invite me in.”
“I guess that’s as close to asking as I’ll get out of you,” she said, sighing. “Come on in.”
She stepped aside and I walked into the room. I’d never been in it before, which wasn’t unusual. The castle had hundreds of rooms, and I hadn’t had time to explore them all.
“Nice,” I said. “They gave you a good one.”
“Yeah.. It’s really nice.”
I sat down on a chair and crossed my arms. “So, Bryce, I guess this is us officially meeting.”
“I guess so. What do I call you? King Christophe?”
“Just Trip, please.”
“Okay, Trip.” She sat down on the couch across from me, biting her lip. “Look, about earlier.”
“You mean about you slapping me in the face?” I smirked at her, leaning forward. “Yes, let’s talk about that.”
“Look, maybe I shouldn’t have done it, but what you said surprised me. It was just a reaction.”