Page 95 of Throne Off Course

“Of course a scandal is Sebastian’s origin story,” Harper said, shaking her head with a mix of disbelief and amusement.

Sebastian gave her a look, his expression somewhere between wounded and wry. “Too soon.”

Harper’s face softened slightly, catching herself. “Sorry,” she muttered, actually meaning it.

Harper then turned to Alexander. “You knew about this?”

“Not until a few nights ago,” Alexander said, his voice steady but edged with something unreadable.

Harper drummed her fingers against the arm of her chair, processing. “Alright. Let’s break this down. If this comes out—if the public finds out the late King had an illegitimate son—there are only two possible narratives. Either this gets framed as some heartbreaking, decades-long secret…” she gestured vaguely, “‘The Hidden Prince of Caledonia’—some kind of romantic tragedy—or it gets weaponized.” She looked at Alexander. “And I don’t need to tell you which option your mother will go with.”

Alexander nodded grimly. “She won’t hesitate to bury it. Or bury us in the process.”

“Cool, cool, love that for me,” Sebastian deadpanned.

Harper straightened, all business now. “Alright, here’s how we play this. First, we need to reframe Alexander’s public image. Less ‘dutiful prince,’ more ‘thoughtful future king with his own vision.’ I’ll leak stories that show you as independent but trapped—it’ll shift blame to the institution, not you.”

She tapped her phone screen. “Then we get social media involved, we’ll make your right to personal choice a national conversation. Once the public is invested, Parliament will have to respond.”

Sebastian leaned forward. “Meanwhile, I’ll work my connections in the government. Half of them only back your mother because it’s convenient. I’ll remind them that betting against the future king is bad long-term strategy.”

“And what about… you know?” Alexander gestured toward Sebastian, his expression guarded.

“We keep the royal paternity card close for now,” Harper said. “But we drop hints about secret payments and cover-ups—justenough to keep the palace off-balance while we build support.”

Alexander listened, his expression thoughtful. When they finished, Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “So, are we ready?”

For a moment, Alexander hesitated. Then, with newfound resolve, he nodded. “Yes.”

Sebastian’s smile widened. “Finally. Let’s cause some royal chaos.”

Harper raised her water glass. “To either making history or spectacular failure.”

Alexander clinked his glass against theirs. “To freedom.”

45

The Art of Elegant Sabotage

The restaurant hummed with the low chatter of journalists, diplomats, and socialites, the kind of place where secrets changed hands over espresso and scandal was served alongside dessert. Harper had always liked it here. It was neutral ground—casual enough for conversation, discreet enough for influence.

Across the table, three of the country’s most well-connected journalists leaned in over half-finished salads and wine glasses, their expressions half amusement, half anticipation.

“So, Sinclair,” one of them, Evelyn Rousseau of The Caledonian Post, said with a knowing smile, “how does it feel to be sitting on the biggest royal romance scoop of the decade and not be able to report it?”

Harper, cutting into her salmon, didn’t blink. “Oh, devastating. Just gut-wrenching.”

“Tragic, really,” added Mark Ellis from The Tribune, shaking his head. “All this time sharing an apartment with Emilia Carter, and you won’t give us so much as a hint? A noble sacrifice, truly.”

“I do what I can,” Harper said dryly, spearing a piece of asparagus.

“Come on,” Evelyn pressed, “it must be something. You’re telling me you haven’t picked up on any late-night phone calls, longing stares, clandestine rendezvous—”

“You’ve met Emilia, right?” Harper interrupted, arching a brow. “She wouldn’t be able to stay quiet about it, she’d be holding a press conference to correct our historical understanding of royal relationships by now.”

That got a laugh.

“Fine,” Mark relented. “No inside scoop on the historian. But you can’t deny things have been… interesting.”