Carrying the King's Pride(48)
A rather ridiculous number of customers had come in to the boutique asking for the dresses Sofía had worn in her public appearances. The press coverage she had once considered a suffocating fishbowl was paying dividends. The sooner she got these prototypes off to the manufacturer so they could source material for them and produce samples for approval, the better to take advantage of the current buzz surrounding her and Nik’s engagement.
Satisfaction at a job complete filling her, she leaned back against a table and drank in the late-afternoon sunshine pouring through the windows of the studio. She felt remarkably content. She’d given up her obsession with what the people thought of her because she really couldn’t control that and focused instead on her design work and the creative outlet it provided.
The restlessness that had consumed her since coming to Akathinia had faded as she’d gained a sense of purpose. When she was using her role for good as she had when she’d visited Stella’s youth group and shared her experiences in business, when she helped Queen Amara with one of her charitable endeavors, she could see a vision for her life here.
It helped that she and Stella had become fast friends. Although Queen Amara had taken Sofía under her wing and guided her in her role, she had the sense the queen would always have a certain distance about her, just as Nik had said. As if she held part of herself back. Perhaps it was her way of protecting herself against the storms and humiliations she had endured with her husband?
And then there was Nik. Her insides warmed as they always did when she thought about him. Her cynical, hard fiancé was evolving into a more knowable, approachable version of himself as they continued to deepen their bond. It made her decision to gamble on them, to gamble on the fact he might develop deeper feelings for her someday seem as if it hadn’t quite been the foolish thought it had seemed at the time. That capturing his heart was within the realm of possibility.
Heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway. Her heartbeat picked up in anticipation. Nik home already?
Her suspicion was confirmed as her fiancé walked in, a dark suit complementing his swarthy good looks, a sexy aura of satisfaction surrounding him. She smiled a greeting. “I saw the announcement. Congratulations.”
He crossed the room and gave her a kiss. “Efharisto. It feels good.” He waved a hand at the prototypes as he released her. “What’s this?”
“My first ten designs,” she said proudly. “I’m about to ship them off to a manufacturer to get samples made.”
“That’s exciting.”
“It is. I think we should celebrate.”
He subjected her to a lazy inspection that bumped her pulse up a notch. “A personal celebration in our rooms later, to be sure, agapimeni, plus I thought I’d take you out to dinner. I have something I want to show you.”
She loved that idea. “Give me a few minutes to change.”
* * *
They dined at a tiny local seafood restaurant along the coast that was known to serve the best food on the island. Then they got back into Nik’s car and drove another few miles to the rugged, most scenic east coast of the island, where the highest peaks of Akathinia dropped in a sheer cliff to the rocky shore below.
Sofía stepped from the car, her eyes widening as she took in the dramatic view and the remnants of the old fortress scattered along the edge of the cliff.
“What is this?”
Nik took her hand by way of answer and led her through the disintegrating ruins out to the edge of the cliff. “Carnelia,” he said, pointing to a dark mass in the distance, lit by the dying rays of the sun. “This is where my great-grandfather King Damokles defeated the Catharian navy to secure Akathinia’s independence. When they attacked us, the Catharians sent a smaller contingent to the harbor as a decoy knowing we would expect them to strike there, then massed most of their troops here. They bet on the fact my great-grandfather would mass his forces at the harbor to defend it, but Damokles was too smart to fall for that. He sent his best troops here, defeated the Catharians, and they retreated, never to come back.”
Sofía stood there quietly, taking it in. The significance of where they were standing, what it meant to Nik slid over her, giving her goose bumps.
Nik pointed at the big cannons still guarding the cliff face. “Thousands of men lost their lives defending Akathinia that day. My great-grandfather said it was the bloodiest battle he’d ever been in.”
She turned to him. “And you will never put your people through that again.”
“If I can help it, no.”
She studied the clear blue of his eyes. The strain seemed to have eased from his face with today’s announcement. “I am so proud of you, Nik. You have been carrying the weight of a nation on your shoulders. Not an easy task in normal times. I hope you can relax a bit now. Give yourself some space to breathe.”