A Nordic King(83)

Which is great because we have full privacy here.

We put the anchor down and then the royal attendants’ boat does the same right next to us and then we get started on dinner.

I hate to admit it, but I’m not much of a cook. Call me spoiled or having grown up a prince with countless cooks, but I certainly lack the culinary talent.

Aurora, on the other hand, takes charge. Down in the galley, she whips up a Spanish paella that rivals even the greatest chefs at my disposal. She even makes enough to give to the RAs and Johan rows over to deliver it.

“Another hidden talent,” I tell her after a few bites. We’re all sitting around the table, digging in, a nice bottle of Bordeaux between us. Johan can’t drink it because he’s officially on duty, so it’s just between Aurora and me.

“Believe me, this was easy,” she says. “I’ve made so many meals for so many families, this is the first time I’ve been able to show off for you guys.”

“How many families did you cook for?” Freja asks.

“Oh, I wasn’t a cook. I was just the nanny. But in those houses, they didn’t have a cook, so I did that as well. I was also the driver. I did everything.”

“Was their mother dead too?” Clara asks.

I nearly drop my fork, but Aurora handles it all in stride. “No, their mothers were alive. They just needed the extra help because they worked too much.”

“Like Papa,” Freja says quietly.

Ouch. I hate having that reminder.

“Everyone has to work,” Aurora says gently. “If I had children of my own, well I’m sure they’d be upset with me for spending all my days with you.”

“Why don’t you have children?” Clara asks.

“Clara,” I hiss at her. “That’s not an appropriate question.”

“Why not?”

“It’s fine,” Aurora says, giving me a sweet smile. She looks at Clara with kind eyes. “You only have children with people you love. Or, at least, you hope it ends up that way. But as you know, and often remind me, I don’t have a boyfriend or a husband. So, for now, you’re all I’ve got.”

I know she’s saying this in a glib sort of way, just trying to move past the conversation and go back to eating but I definitely catch the strain in her voice.

“For now,” Clara repeats. “What family are you going to go to after?”

“Where are you going?” Freja practically yells in horror.

“Nowhere,” Aurora says quickly, wiping her lips with a napkin. “Absolutely nowhere.”

Clara looks at me closely, like I’m going to tell a lie. “Aurora is staying with us forever, right?”

I meet Aurora’s eyes. “I hope so,” I say gravely.

Aurora nods. “I hope so too.”

Thankfully, after that the subject is dropped, the girls start talking on and on about the Minecraft game they like to play, which normally would bore me to tears but I’m just thankful they’re not grilling Aurora with the hard questions anymore.

If one of the advantages of being on the boat is that you get to get out of the palace and go on a vacation of sorts, the downside is that there really is no privacy.

Even with a yacht of this size, there are only so many cabins to sleep in. Johan gets one at the stern and Aurora gets the other one. The girls get a bunk cabin along the side, just above the salon, and I get the V-berth at the bow.

There’s no way that Aurora and I can sneak into each other’s rooms, we’d be walking past the girls each time and I know for a fact that they don’t sleep well on the boat because one of them always has nightmares about mermen, for some reason.

But that doesn’t stop me from going up to the cockpit after dessert is done, and the bottle of wine is gone, and the girls have been put to bed. I bundle up in my Helly Hansen jacket with a highball glass of scotch and a cigar and sit beside the wheel, taking in the night.

The skies have cleared above, and the stars are out like a shimmering velvet blanket. I take in a deep breath and try to light my cigar.

“Mind if I join you?” Aurora asks softly as she climbs up. She’s wearing one of my fleece jackets from one of the races I did, which is completely oversized on her. Looks like the sexiest damn thing I have ever seen.

I pat the space next to me and go back to lighting the cigar until I’m satisfied it’s lit.

She sits down beside me, her hips pressed against mine, maybe a little too close for some but still nothing people could get upset about.

Not that there’s anyone around to see us. The motorboat of royal attendants is dark and silent, and though I know that there is someone on the deck all night, they aren’t focused on me.

Still, I remind myself to not get carried away, not with wine and scotch and the bracing sea air running through my veins.

“The girls fall asleep with no problems?” I ask her.

She tilts her head back and forth, considering. “Maybe. You were right, Clara really is afraid of mermen for some reason.”

“Well, it would be a hell of a thing to see one.” I puff on the cigar and let the smoke fall out of my mouth before offering it to her. “Cigar?”

I didn’t expect her to take it, but she does, sticking it between her lips with ease.

Fuck, that’s sexy.