Royally Not Ready(105)
She glances in my direction, and when she sees me, she gives me a wary smile, and it nearly splits me in half. She’s unsure. She’s questioning herself when she did nothing wrong. And as Theo said, she needs to know what she said is not to be punished, but commended.
I close the distance between us, making sure to approach cautiously in case they’re talking about anything sensitive, but when Katla invites me to the conversation, I know it’s safe.
“I was just showing Lilija Margret’s beautiful stitches.”
I walk up right next to Lilly, put my arm around her waist, and bring her in close to press a kiss to the top of her head. It’s my way of letting Lilly know everything is okay. Katla smiles warmly as I reach down and pick up one of the napkins. “She did exquisite work. With more practice, I believe Lilly will be just as good, if not better.”
Lovingly, Lilly looks up at me. “You think so?”
“I do.”
“Okay,” Lilly whispers at the dinner table. “The cod cakes were actually really good.”
I chuckle softly. “See, nothing to be scared of.”
“I will always be scared of fermented cod.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Theo asks as he brings a goblet of water to his lips.
“The cod cakes,” I answer as Lilly grips my thigh under the table, giving me a warning squeeze.
“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.