“Delicious, right, Lilija?”
“Very.” Lilly dabs her mouth with the corner of her napkin, just as I taught her. Before we walked into the dining room for dinner, she pulled me aside and asked me to review meal etiquette one more time. I told her she had nothing to worry about, but she wanted to impress King Theo. So, we had a quick crash course before entering the dining room. “The entire meal was great. Although, Brimar is quite the chef. He would bake fresh bread every day, and I couldn’t get enough of it.”
“Ah, yes, Brimar has made quite a few loaves for us,” Katla says. “Brilliant with his sourdough starter.”
“I think a part of this gut is from Brimar’s bread,” Theo says, patting his stomach. He’s unlike any king I know. Pretty sure the Queen of England wouldn’t be patting her belly at the dinner table. Theo yawns and says, “Excuse me. How rude of me. It’s been a long day. Didn’t get much sleep last night. I was nervous about meeting you, my darling.”
Lilly smiles shyly. “I barely got any sleep either, but I think I can confidently say the nerves are mostly gone. They’ll probably shake away with every day that goes by.”
“They will,” Theo says.
“Has Keller walked you through the itinerary?” Katla asks.
“I’m not sure Lilly even knows Keller’s new role,” Theo says.
“What new role?” Lilly asks, looking concerned.
“Keller will continue to be at your side. Even though he’s been my private secretary for years now, I know his work will be more valuable to you. I want you to be comfortable, and with Keller leading the way, I know you’ll be taken care of.”
“I will,” Lilly says, slipping her hand into mine under the table. “It’s surprised me how comfortable I’ve felt around Keller. Yes, I’ve depended on him to prepare me for this role. But personally, I feel so connected too.”
Katla smiles. “That’s so wonderful to hear. It’ll be a perfect match, then. So, that means tomorrow will go swimmingly. Keller will be giving you a tour of the palace and our everyday routine while Theo and I prepare for Friday.”
“What’s Friday?” Lilly asks.
“Your first public appearance,” Theo says. “We’ve held off the public as much as we could, but they are anxious to meet you, and I believe if we wait much longer, they’ll become antsy and think something is wrong.”
“Oh, wow, okay,” Lilly says, taking a deep breath.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be there, and so will Keller, who’s been working on the welcoming with Henrik.”
“You’ll be fine,” I reassure her.
“You will,” Theo says as he pushes his chair away from the table. “Now, I must get to bed for fear of passing out at the dinner table. Face first into the dinner plate isn’t very kingly.” He stands, and so does everyone else at the table. Theo walks over to Lilly and me, one hand on each of our shoulders. “Go to bed, get some sleep. I’ll see you two tomorrow.”
Before Theo takes Katla’s hand, she leans in to stroke Lilly’s cheek. “I’m so thankful you’re here with us, Lilija. Sweet dreams, darling,” she says, causing Lilly’s eyes to well.
“Thank you. I am, too,” Lilly replies.
Then Theo and Katla walk out of the dining room, leaving me with Lilly. “Want me to show you to your room?”
“Yes, please,” she whispers. “I must get out of these heels, or I might die.”
I chuckle. “You’ll get used to them.”
“Says the man in the comfortable shoes.”
“Who says these are comfortable?”
“How about this, we trade shoes and then make a decision?”
“Nice try,” I say as I press my hand to the small of her back and guide her toward the stairwell. “So, how has your first half day been?” I ask.
“Overwhelming,” she answers as we head up the sweeping staircase. We pass by quite a few staff who bow or curtsy, and I can feel Lilly’s discomfort with the gesture. She smiles gracefully, and when we finally reach her room, I open the door for her and let her step in first.
“Oh, wow,” she says as I shut the door behind us. “This is . . . this is opulent.”
That’s an easy way to put it. The walls are covered in a cream damask wallpaper, the windows are shrouded in yards and yards of green velvet fabric, and the four-poster, gilded bed, which takes up a good portion of the space, is decorated in purple and green velvet bedding. The creaky wood floors are covered in Persian-style rugs, and the ceilings are adorned with intricate carvings. A decadent chandelier hangs from the center of it all, casting a dim light throughout the space.