Arbon had not prepared me for this because the royals were not treated that way at the school. I mean, some of the staff bowed and addressed them with formal titles, but for the most part, they were just like any other student.
It wouldn’t be the same here, and my mind was blanking on what I should do. Did I bow? Curtsy? Wait for them to address me first before I said anything?
This was not going to be pretty, and I could only hope they would forgive my ignorance.
“Make sure you tell me when to bow or curtsy and shit,” I muttered to Rafe from the corner of my mouth. “And what fork to eat with.”
“Stop stressing,” was his reply. “You’ll be fine.”
Yeah, right. Story of my fucking life.
The private airfield we landed at was still about thirty minutes away from the palace. Apparently it was hard to get a long enough runway up in the mountains, so the next leg was in a fancy black SUV.
Rafe held the passenger door open for me, and I shook my head. “No, it’s okay, I’ll get in the back.”
Before I could push that further, he wrapped his hands around my waist and basically threw me—somewhat gently—into the seat, and then he… was getting into the driver's side.
Shit. I hadn’t expected that.
Didn’t princes have staff to do shit like that?
“I like to be in control,” he said as way of answering my confused expression.
Our friends piled into the back, all of them rubbing their hands together at the chilly air. We were clearly more elevated than at Arbon, with the huge, snow-capped mountains all around us as the car started to wind along a narrow path.
We eventually moved onto a wider, more established road, and I spent the drive with my face pressed to the window, taking in the absolutely spectacular views.
I’d never seen anything like it, white mist coating most of the land as we ascended into the mountains.
When Rafe’s home finally came into view, I actually gasped, pressing a hand to my mouth. Mattie hadn’t exaggerated; this was the sort of palace fairy tales were written about.
“You grew up here?” I whispered.
The sprawling estate was nestled into a mountain range, and we drove down toward it, giving me an uninterrupted view. It was exactly as Mattie had said, a huge, crystal clear blue spring surrounded one side. The side we were approaching. Steam rose in attractive arcs above that water, and I was already imagining how delicious it would be to swim there.
The palace itself was very white and very modern, with lots of sharp angles, high ceilings, and glass from ceiling to floor so that from the inside, one would not miss any of these views.
It went on further than I could see, and even though it wasn’t like the castles depicted in long-ago movies, it was definitely as large as any of those royal abodes. Security waved us through the gates, and I noted there were dozens of the smartly dressed men and women scattered about. They were wearing the same uniform as those who had crashed the fights.
I averted my eyes so it wasn’t obvious I was checking them out. I knew, logically, that none of them would know I had been at the fights. But it still felt like I should be keeping a low profile.
“You’re safe,” Rafe said, turning the wheel to pull into a large circular entryway. “No one will hurt you here, and best of all, none of the considerable enemies you’ve amassed in your short time in our world can reach you here.”
I laughed. “Very reassuring, thank you.”
When the car stopped, someone opened Rafe’s door, bowing as they did. “Welcome home, Your Highness,” the young man said. He stepped back then, allowing Rafe to exit the car.
My door was opened by a different attendant, and I was greeted as Ms. Spencer. I blinked at his formal tone. “Thank you,” I replied as he stepped back to let me out.
Out into a fucking world that was not for me. But I was going to enjoy it all the same.
Here’s hoping I didn’t lose my head in the process.
Chapter 31
King Felipe and Queen Jacinta were both waiting for us in the formal entry. The entrance had glass walls on either side, one showcasing mountains for days and the other a small section of the hot springs. I couldn’t gawk at that, though. I was about to meet some royals.
Rafe didn’t wait to be introduced, hurrying forward to throw his arms around his petite mother. He was a big guy, and it was clear from looking at his father where he got it from. But his mom, she was stunning, like a perfect doll, standing all of five feet two.
She had black hair like Rafe’s, and her features—eyes, hair, skin tone—were all bronze. Rafe’s dad, though, was the one sporting bright blue eyes. From seeing him on television, I’d always thought his eyes were midnight blue, but they must lighten and darken with emotions, like Rafe’s. Because right now they were quite bright. He also had silvery hair and was a picture of health, looking handsome and robust. He was Rafe in thirty years, and it was a good look.
I was surprised when he embraced his son in the same sort of warm hug, and I was starting to see that this royal family was nothing like the creepy Australasian one.
“Where are the twins?” Rafe asked as we waited a little back.
His mother shook her head. “Jean is swimming, and Lucy is having a lesson. We haven’t told them you’re coming; we wanted to surprise them both. They’re going to be so excited.”
Gah, this family. They had to stop being so nice—on first impression—or I might beg them to adopt me.
Rafe must have remembered we were still there; he stepped back and turned to wave us closer. Jordan got the same hugs as Rafe, and it was clear he’d spent a lot of time with this family. Mattie and Nolan were treated as somewhat familiar, receiving warm smiles, and then that left me.
I sort of fumbled through a curtsy, Rafe’s smirking face on me the entire time.
“Oh, please, no, sweetheart,” Queen Jacinta said, waving my ridiculous attempt at etiquette off. “We don’t stand on anything too formal inside our own home.”
She took a step closer to me, hand held out for me to take. “We’re so happy to finally meet you, Violet. Rafe has told us a lot about you.”
I resisted the urge to side-eye glare at him because he should have warned me about what they did and didn’t know.
“It’s an honor to meet you,” I replied, swallowing hard. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”
Rafe’s father laughed. “Any friends of Rafe’s are always welcome here; you can remember that.”
Hmm. That was a little odd—almost felt like there was a deeper meaning there. Or maybe not.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I said formally.
His eyes twinkled, and I couldn’t figure out how any two people were so instantly likeable—not to mention attractive, down-to-Earth, and running a tip-top kingdom. No wonder they were the most powerful nation on the planet. Who could say no to them?
"Now then." Rafe's father—King Felipe—clapped his hands together and raised his brows expectantly. "We've got about half an hour before the twins work out that you're here. Shall we have an aperitif and discuss the rather disrespectful communication I just received from King Steve?"
My stomach dropped to the floor and rolled.
Rafe shot a quick, reassuring look at me. It didn't work. I was about three point four seconds away from vomiting with anxiety right there on Queen Jacinta's designer shoes.
"Mattie, Nolan, you know the rules," King Felipe said, giving the Guay's twin royals a pointed look, to which they looked resigned. "You can go find your rooms and wash up for dinner. We'll keep this brief."
"Yes sir," they both huffed, disappointed but not angry at being effectively dismissed.
I was all kinds of confused. They knew everything that was going on. Why were they not being included?
"Jordy, my boy," Felipe continued, clapping Jordan on the shoulder like the New American prince was his own son. "Nothing has changed with your authorization?"
Jordan flashed the king a winning smile. "No, sir, not that I'm aware."
"Good." The king nodded. "Shall we?" He indicated for us to follow him, and Queen Jacinta hung back, taking my arm so that we walked together.
"It's not as bad as it seems," she told me with a gentle smile. "But when our kids are friends with the next generation of future world leaders, certain protocols and permissions must be observed. The leaders of the Guays haven't given their children authority to enter into political alliances or negotiations on their behalf, so unfortunately they must excuse themselves when we speak on international conflicts and treaties."
I nodded slowly. I didn't totally understand, but my friends did. So that was all that mattered.
Queen Jacinta smiled again and patted my hand on her arm. "I'll get you a drink. You look like you need it."
The empty armchair beside King Felipe was clearly intended for Queen Jacinta. So, with my head reeling, I sank down onto the soft white sofa in the only logical seat left available. Between Rafe and Jordan. Damn, if I didn't sit there like I had a steel post glued to my spine.
"Violet, there's no need to look so panicked," King Felipe assured me with a kind smile. "We already know a lot of the story from Rafael, but without the security of face-to-face communication, we've been hesitant to delve any deeper."