"Magnus, I would like to speak to you in private if you don't mind?" Cossette's voice carried a tone of concern.

"Right now?" he replied.

"Yes. Please. It should not take too long."

He motioned for Bernard to leave them.

"Okay, I'm all ears."

She sat across from him in his office, looking rather pale. He'd heard his mother speaking to one of the staff members about Cossette's morning sickness, so he attributed her lack of color to the pregnancy. Albeit, he really didn't know much about pregnancies and had no desire to research it at this stage of his life.

"Santiago has tried to contact me. I haven't wanted to tell Father, but if he insists, I might have to." She looked down. "I don't want to lose his trust again."

"Has he said what he wants?"

Tears flowed down her pale skin. "Yes. He said he plans on fighting me for custody of the baby. But first, he has every intention of having a paternity test performed. He's now drawing into question my virtue." She sobbed. "Magnus, I've been with no other man. You must understand. As far as I knew, we were married."

Magnus' blood was boiling. He knew exactly what game Santiago was playing - a perilous game of Russian Roulette. Except he'd forgotten who the Princess was, and who he was.

"Cossette, I believe you. But I have an idea. I do not want to propose it unless you are on board."

He paused, waiting for her to finish crying so he could have her full attention.

"What is it?" She sniffled.

"Would you be willing to forgo giving your child his name? Basically, cutting Santiago out of the picture?"

She sat quietly for a few moments, contemplating Magnus's suggestion.

"I think I understand where you are coming from. If he is going to pretend like I'm unscrupulous, I'll just ignore him and declare that I have no intention of including him in anything or even naming him as the father. But you forget, dear brother, Santiago is a snake. It'll come back and bite me in the rear. He'll then attempt to sue me for paternity, basically causing even more damage. Drawing out the matter."

She wiped her tears away with a tissue from a box Magnus had set in front of her. "Santiago wants money, and he wants a hold. Power. And the only way he sees getting any of it is via this baby. And for the record, I'm keeping my child, and I will fight tooth and nail for it.

"But like I said, Santiago wants so desperately to extort me. I, too, have an idea. What if before he leaks this to the media, I file for the paternity test and child support? You know, he's a citizen of the United States now. They take these matters very seriously over there. I don't need his money, but it is more the message I want to send."

Now it was Magnus who contemplated what his sister was saying. He had to admit it, it was a good idea.

"We should speak to Mother and Father about this. I suspect they'll agree with this direction."

"Thank you, Magnus. I really appreciate your support. Shall I schedule time with them or do you want to handle that?"

"Actually, I was thinking we both head over and barge into whatever meetings they may be in." He chuckled and said, "You know, like back in the old days when we'd be arguing and would crash their meetings to get them to solve our problems?"

Cossette laughed. "Yes! How could I forget."

"Mother, it's the best course of action we currently have," Magnus urged.

He and Cossette had pulled their parents out of meetings. And quite frankly, Magnus believes they were relieved about it. Both had to do with strategizing on time with certain dignitaries that were going to attend the ball tomorrow.

He was reminded Tristan had probably already arrived. He wanted to be there with Freya to greet him, but she insisted on doing so alone.

"We can't rush into these situations. I understand where you both are coming from, and for the record, it does seem like a good avenue," the Queen said as she gently reached for her left shoulder. Magnus knew it had been bothering her, but he didn't know if she'd seen the doctor yet.

She massaged it a little and returned her focus back to the discussion at hand.

"My dear Queen, have you seen the doctor yet for that shoulder?"

She shook her head. "I know. I should. I thought it would've gone away by now. But it hasn't. I promise after the ball, I'll make time for it." She smiled warmly at her husband.

"So, what do you suggest, Mother?" Cossette pressed.

"Santiago has proven to be a scoundrel. However, this one happens to come from a decent family. As much as I hate to pull the parent card, I really don't see another option, without the media frenzy."

The King crinkled his forehead. "Are you sure about this, dear? I mean, I'll fully support this, but do you think he cares what his family says?"

"I have to believe he does. Besides, he works for his father. So, he's fully dependent on that income."

"Mother, I don't believe that is accurate. His business in Seattle was entirely started by him," Magnus offered.

"Son, that's what Santiago led you to believe. It is untrue. The business in Seattle is part of his family's portfolio. I've done my digging, you know." She winked.

Magnus wasn't surprised. Santiago hadn't changed one bit.

Perhaps his mother had a point.

"Maria Celeste, it is so great to hear your voice. How have you been?" the Queen inquired.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid we all haven't been blessed with the same health as that of my Queen. I sound like my dear mother now, may she rest in peace, complaining about aches and pains here and there. Sometimes in places, I didn't know existed." The woman gave out a throaty laugh followed by a smoker’s cough.

"Trust me, I'm barely holding it together myself." The Queen laughed. "I'm just good for my few public moments anymore."

"I can only imagine the struggles of having to always be on your best. And as much as I love speaking to Her Majesty, I believe this call has something to do with our children."

One of the things the Queen appreciated about Maria Celeste was she was quick as a whip and easy to speak to. She wasn't one to beat around the bush or get too emotional over trivial matters.

“Indeed, my friend. I wanted to meet with you, but the ball is fast approaching, and I'm hosting a few guests in the palace. And I didn't think it prudent to have this conversation tomorrow at the ball."

"I'm going to make this easy. I know Santiago is up to no good with Cossette. Like Her Majesty, I'm first a mother and considering the ramifications of this matter, so my husband and I have done our own digging. We know what he did. Of course, we do not support his actions in the slightest.

"Your Majesty, I don't need to tell you what kind of family we are. This is not something we condone. We are at a loss at how to make this right."

"I'm glad you both know. But do you also know he is now calling and threatening Cossette to file a paternity test as he questions whether he is the father? And when the test comes back positive because it will, no questions asked and he knows this, he plans on making a spectacle of the matter. Of course, in our country, we are the final say, and he knows this. I don't know what game he is playing, but I'm hoping you can shed some light on this?"

Maria Celeste had gasped to hear what he'd been doing while allowing the Queen to finish speaking.

"My dear Queen, I believe I can help shed some light.” she coughed. "His father put him on probation. His spending is out of control; the only reason anything he is handling is doing well is not a reflection of him, but of the team we've carefully put into place. He was already on a short leash, and I believe he felt he found his golden ticket out of the mess by using Her Royal Highness, Princess Cossette. I'm truly sorry about that. If I'd had even the slightest inclination, I assure you I would've intervened."

"I trust what you say, Maria Celeste."

"Thank you, my Queen. Give me until tomorrow morning. I'll have this situation rectified immediately. He will no longer threaten the Princess nor have any contact with her regarding the baby. Please know, we want to be in the child's life. But we understand if it is too much to ask."

"Thank you, for handling this discreetly, Maria Celeste. And regarding the child. That will be up to my daughter."

"I completely understand. I'll be in touch with Her Majesty tomorrow before noon. I know you'll be busy, but I'll keep it as brief as possible."

"Until tomorrow."

They hung up the phone, and she sat back in her chair. She was tired, more than the usual. All the stress was catching up to her, but there would be time to rest around the holidays. She smiled to herself, thinking about how different it would be next year with a little one joining in on the fun. She'd have to get the child a tree of their very own.

She rubbed at her shoulder. It hurt, but she didn’t have time to deal with it now.

Cossette and Magnus were making their way toward the drawing room to meet Freya and Tristan.

Magnus held his sister's arm in his, like the ever-proper Prince, and Cossette was appreciative of it as she was a bit weak and slow.

"Magnus, I'm really worried about our mother. I've been noticing her fussing with that shoulder more and more. I hope it isn't anything too serious."

"I promise you to follow up with her. I'll make sure she has it checked out."

They were near the drawing room when Cossette asked, "so, what do we know about Freya's brother? Tristan, right?"

"Yes, Tristan. You know, his job is a bit elusive. Gerard and his men are still trying to uncover all the details, but they've yet to come up with anything solid. What we know is this. He travels a lot. He has an office in Portland, Oregon in the USA. He's single. Never a real steady girlfriend that they could find. In fact, there is little they could find about any love life. Which is odd because he seems good looking from the photos I've seen? He's a bit of a mystery."

Cossette didn't say a word as they reached the door, and Magnus opened it. She turned ever so slightly, conscious of the added security in the area, figuring the elusive Tristan must have warranted at least that level of alert.

Magnus walked slightly ahead of her to greet his beloved Freya, leaving Cossette to greet the stunning god of a man before her. She was sure color had returned to her face as she stared at the handsome specimen. His tall, athletic frame and a strong resemblance to Freya took her breath away, so she was not even able to understand his speaking. He was moving his lips as he'd bowed, but she really couldn't hear a word, feeling a bit faint.

"Oh my, I think I need to sit down," she said as Tristan rushed her to the closest seat.

"Your Royal Highness, are you okay? Do you need to lie down?"

His voice was like an angel, and she was sure she was having a hot flash.

"I… I'm...," words escaped her.

"Cossette?" Magnus rushed to her side. "What is it?" The look of worry caused her to laugh.

She couldn't stop as she looked at the puzzled faces of the other three.

"Cossette, are you okay?" Magnus pressed.

It was useless, she was hysterical.

What am I doing getting flustered over the first hot guy I see, in my state? she reminded herself.

"I'm fine. I think I just got a little light-headed is all."

"Can I get the Princess anything?" Tristan asked.

He spoke comfortably, putting her at ease. "Thank you. A glass of water and maybe something sweet? I think my blood sugar may be low."

Freya rushed to pour a glass of water while Magnus found a candy bowl and grabbed the whole thing for Cossette to choose from.

"Thank you both. Sorry for the scare. And Mr. Sinclair, it is very nice to meet you."

Now that is a man, she told herself.