I hugged her.
“Mom, what is going on?”
“I was hoping you could tell me.”
That earned a nervous laugh.
Before anyone could say more, another figure approached.
Prince Alexander.
In person, he looked different than he did on television. Less polished. More human. More nervous.
He stopped a few feet away, then extended his hand.
“Commander Carter.”
I shook it.
“Your Highness.”
The prince smiled.
“Please call me Alexander.”
I was not sure royal protocol allowed that, but before I could respond, another voice interrupted.
An older voice.
Strong. Measured.
The crowd around us seemed to straighten instantly.
I turned and saw him.
The king.
For a moment, everything around me seemed to quiet. Not because he was frightening, but because everyone clearly respected him.
He walked directly toward me.
No hesitation. No ceremony. No distance.
Straight toward me.
I instinctively stood a little taller.
Military habit.
The king stopped in front of me.
Then something happened that left the entire gathering speechless.
He reached out and shook my hand with both of his, warmly and genuinely, as though greeting an old friend.
“Commander Emily Carter.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
His eyes softened.
“We have been waiting for you.”
The words hit me like a freight train.
Waiting for me?
Why?
Around us, guests exchanged confused looks. Photographers scrambled. Reporters whispered into microphones. Even my parents looked completely lost.
I opened my mouth, closed it, then finally managed a question.
“Your Majesty, have we met?”
The king’s smile widened slightly.
“Not formally.”
Not formally.
What did that even mean?
Before I could ask another question, movement near the reception area caught my attention.
Rachel stood near the entrance, watching everything.
Her face had gone completely pale.
Not angry. Not annoyed.
Terrified.
For the first time all day, she looked as though she had lost control of the story she had worked so hard to write.
And somehow, I had become part of it.
Rachel looked like someone watching a bridge collapse beneath her feet. I had never seen that expression on her face before. Not fear, exactly. Not embarrassment.
Panic.
The kind that comes when a secret you have carefully protected is suddenly standing in front of hundreds of witnesses.
The king turned slightly toward the crowd.
“Would you join us inside, Commander?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
I followed him into the main reception building. Alexander walked beside us. Several members of the royal family came along as well.
