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“I’m not nervous,” Felicity lied. She was. The more Rafael had told her about the guest list, the more she’d known that this was another way for the nation to get to know her. It wasn’t what she’d asked for at all.
Inside, a long table was surrounded by women all dressed beautifully, all talking to each other as if they’d known each other for years. That was because they had. Rafael had invited distant cousins from the royal family, famous Stolvenian artists and artisans, and businesswomen from all over the capital.
It was only a matter of moments before they noticed Felicity and Joy, pulling the women into their circle. One woman, Marta, told Felicity with a breathless excitement that she was foremost in the wedding invitation business in Stolvenia and, in fact, couldn’t wait for wedding planning to go full-steam ahead.
“Yes,” answered Felicity. “I’m excited, too. Also a little nervous. There’s so much to do, and I want to do it well.”
“You can do it well,” Joy said from beside her. “King Rafael is lucky to have you. As queen, you’ll be able to take your HR skills to a new level and get things done on a large scale.”
Marta blinked, still smiling as another woman stepped to her side. “A large scale?” the second woman said, extending her hand for Felicity to shake before turning to Joy. “I’m Oksana, and I’m curious to hear what you’re hoping your sister will tackle when all the dust from the wedding has settled.” She looked so familiar, but Felicity couldn’t place her—not exactly.
“There’s a lot of good to be done, I think.” Joy was in her element.
Marta laughed. “What kind of good?”
“Oh, I just think—” Joy didn’t hesitate. “I think there’s room in Stolvenia for a little more focus on women’s rights. I think the healthcare system could stand to be more universal, covering more of what women need. I was talking with some of our staff the other day, and I learned that women have to pay out of pocket for maternity insurance to cover extra costs. And I’m not satisfied that women are paid equally with men.” Joy laughed. “I could go on forever, but now’s probably not the time.
“That’s quite a lot,” the second woman said, and reached for her purse, tugging something out from inside.
“Wait,” said Felicity. “Are you—”
“Oksana Orlov.” She was scribbling on a notepad now. “The Capital Daily.” She finished writing and slipped the pen and notebook back into her purse. “We’ve heard from your sister,” she said, flicking her eyes back toward Felicity. “What are your thoughts on the matter?” She chuckled softly. “I suppose more than one thing has been brought up, but they all fall under the umbrella of women’s rights.”
Felicity swallowed hard. This was the kind of thing that Rafael always wanted her to steer clear of. It was not her job to wade into controversy, but that didn’t seem to matter. The controversy found her anyway.
Everyone was waiting for her to speak, not least of all Joy.
There was a choice to be made here, and Felicity knew it. She could be political—be the princess—or she could be truthful and stand up for what she believed in.
“I agree with my sister,” she said firmly, even though her heart was racing. Then she clapped her hands. “Now, who’s ready for dinner?”
* * *
Rafael had never been so proud of himself.
He’d given Sara the evening off, and he’d handled things remarkably well with Hope. They had already read five books together, one of them twice at Hope’s insistence. Rafael had done some research on his own about child development, and the studies showed that reading three books a day to your child would give them a big head start when it came to learning to read.
He was rocking this.
“The witch came back again,” he read from the toddler version of Snow White while Hope cuddled against his side, stroking the ribbon around Mr. Bear’s neck. “Now. This witch has come back three times,” Rafael said softly. “Snow White should stand strong and send her away, since she has a bad feeling about her. You should follow your instincts, Hope. It’s part of being a good leader, and a good leader is a strong ruler.”
Hope smiled at him as if she understood. “Ruler,” she said, and smiled wider. The expression on her face melted his heart. He thought it couldn’t melt any further, but then the little girl yawned, leaning her head against his arm.
“You’re right,” he said, closing the book. “It’s time for bed.”
He’d successfully tucked her in, and Hope was asleep when he came back out into the hallway…and found Felicity there, waiting. She opened the door to her own bedroom and dropped her purse inside.
“How did it go?” she whispered. Felicity’s eyes were bright, but there was a pinch of worry in her forehead. He leaned down and kissed her there, willing it away.
“It was wonderful.” He told her about the books they’d read, and the games they’d played, and how easily Hope had gone to sleep for him. “How was dinner?”
“Oh, it was…” Felicity followed him out to the living room, and the two of them sat down on the couch together. “It was very interesting. I met…well, I met a woman who I couldn’t quite place at first, and then Joy—”
Rafael’s phone buzzed in his pocket. “It’s all right. It can wait.” He reached in and pressed the button to dismiss the notification. But the phone only buzzed again, and again.
“Rafael, I think you should know—”
The buzzing was incessant. “I’m sorry about this.” He took the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. Then he looked back up at Felicity. She was staring down at his phone, too.
