Excitement swirled in the pit of Emma’s stomach as the plane made its final descent into Solrighavn’s airport. She all but pressed her nose against the window to get a look at the deep, blue waters of the Baltic Sea and the green of Aegiria. She’d missed the place terribly in the four weeks that she’d been gone.

The intensity of her longing made her laugh and face forward as the plane touched down. It seemed almost ridiculous that she could miss a place she’d only spent one week in, but it had been an eventful week. Really, the way she felt about Aegiria boiled down to that one, stunning moment, when the power came back on in the arena and everyone saw her and Arne kissing. Those people had been so supportive, so happy for the two of them. That one outpouring of emotion had meant more to her than anything in her life.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the captain’s voice came over the plane’s intercom. “You are now free to move about the cabin and to deplane.”

Emma jumped up as soon as she was able. She’d protested when Arne said he would pay for her to fly first class on her return trip, but in the end, she’d given in. First class meant she was one of the first people off the plane.

“Excuse me,” she said, trying not to bump into the businessman who had been seated next to her. He gave her a bland smile, but that was it. The rest of the passengers had been the same way. They’d more or less ignored her, having no idea who she was. The news of Fuchsia’s true identity had broken worldwide after the concert, but the face of Emma Sands was so normal compared to Fuchsia’s wild make-up that the world had quickly forgotten.

Emma’s heart danced a jig as she slung her carryon over her shoulder and hurried up the skywalk to the VIP waiting area. This was the moment she’d dreamed about for the whole long, arduous month since she’d left after the concert. She turned a corner, and there was Arne, standing there waiting for her. He burst into a smile at the sight of her, and she picked up her pace to run into his arms.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she said hugging him tight, then kissing him.

The few other passengers who were permitted to deplane into the VIP area sent them smiles or approving nods. Emma barely noticed any of them. She kissed Arne for all he was worth until he let her go.

“So?” he asked. “How did it go?”

Emma made an impatient sound and rolled her eyes. “Hoss started out trying to fight it. He wanted to run me through the wringer, but my lawyers argued the case, just like you suggested they should.” She turned and started walking through the lounge toward the special area for first-class immigration and customs.

“Did it work?” Arne asked, taking her hand.

“It did,” she announced with a happy squeal. “They let me out of the contract with only minimal penalties.”

He frowned. “What kind of penalties?”

“My share of Fuchsia’s royalties going forward has been cut, and I’m not allowed to appear as Fuchsia, sign autographs, or give interviews in character.”

“How about money?”

Emma smiled. “They didn’t pursue damages.”

Part of her couldn’t believe how happy she was to have her music career utterly destroyed. Overnight, Fuchsia had disappeared. Fans were outraged. The industry was curious. But Dazzle Productions was being incredibly close-lipped about it. It was no secret that Fuchsia’s true identity had been exposed, but because Emma had turned down every interview and talk-show opportunity that came hurling at her head, the story had died faster than she would have thought possible. It could have been because Hoss was already promoting a new, flashy singer to take Fuchsia’s place.

But the lack of publicity wouldn’t last long. In no time, Emma was sure her celebrity status would return. Her new job would turn heads internationally.

“So are you ready to start making public appearances as a representative for Enriching Children?” Arne asked as they finished going through immigration and headed out to the limo that waited to take them to the palace.

“I’m so ready,” Emma sighed. She nodded to the bodyguards who were tucking her luggage into the limo’s trunk. “And I’m ready to be involved in your mom’s wedding in any way I can.”

“Good.” Arne kissed her hand before letting it go so she could slide into the limo. Once they were both settled, he went on. “She’s excited about you coming back.”

“Really? We hardly spent any time together before.”

“She’s hoping to make up for that this time. She really likes you.”

Emma laughed. Never in her wildest imagination would she have imagined a queen liking her. “I just hope I don’t disappoint her.”

“I’m sure you won’t. I don’t think you could be a disappointment to anybody.”

She arched an eyebrow at him, thinking of Hoss.

“Well, anybody that matters,” Arne corrected, sliding closer to her and looping an arm around her back. “I’m just so glad you’re here at last.”

She leaned close to kiss him, beyond grateful that he would be there for her in what could have been a stressful time.

“Oh!” She leaned back. “Did I tell you that Tracy is coming back to Aegiria too?”

“She is?” Arne smiled.

“Yes. Since she doesn’t have her job as my assistant to get her into the inside world of the music industry, she’d decided to throw her energy back into journalism full-time. She said she found a lot of leads for stories she’d like to pursue here in Aegiria.”

“Aegiria is the last place I’d think of for excitement of a newsworthy nature,” Arne laughed. He stopped and tilted his head to the side with a frown. “Although, on second thought, weird stuff does keep happening around here.”

“Like the concert,” Emma said.

“And my brother’s kidnapping.” He paused, rubbing his chin. “There has to be more of an explanation about the ordeal with Alek than meets the eye. No one kidnaps someone simply to stop them from supporting a marriage.”

“Just like no one turns the world upside down to stop a concert at which the queen announces her impending nuptials?” Emma sent him a wry look. Although they still didn’t know exactly how it was done, the conclusion that the entire royal family had come to was that the difficulties with the concert had been for the sole purpose of stopping the wedding announcement from happening. But why was still a mystery.

“They failed, whoever they are,” Arne said, letting his tension go. “The wedding is on, and it’s coming up fast.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Emma asked, snuggling against Arne’s side.

“Other than singing at the reception?” He grinned at her, planting a light kiss on her lips. “Nope. We’ve got a wedding planner taking care of everything. Jensen Events, which is run by one of my Aunt Marina’s friends. They’re doing a great job, and nothing bizarre has happened for weeks now.”

“Good.” Emma let out a relieved breath, happy to be where she was.

“I, for one, am looking forward to the whole thing being over,” Arne went on.

“Over, why?” She blinked up at him.

“Because royal protocol says that no further royal announcements can be made until after the wedding.”

An excited buzz filled Emma’s stomach, spreading lower. “What kind of announcement did you have in mind?” Her heart thumped in her chest.

Arne shrugged. “You never know.” He glanced down at her with a heated grin.

Nothing had been discussed and no questions had been popped. It was still far too early for that, but Emma knew the direction they were headed in. She’d known almost from the start. She wouldn’t have accepted Arne’s job offer and come back to Aegiria if she wasn’t absolutely certain that’s where she belonged.

“One love story at a time,” she said, sighing with contentment and leaning her head against his shoulder.

She could wait as long as she needed to for the queen’s wedding and anything else that happened. As long as she was there with Arne, she had her happily ever after.

I hope you have enjoyed Prince Arne and Emma’s story! There’s nothing like a royal romance! And Book 3 of The Royal Wedding series, The Stepsister’s Prince, by Caroline Lee, is coming within days! Can Cassandra Hayes overcome her arorkable ways to win the love of a prince? Can Prince Kristoff find a way to rise above the image people have of him to support a cause he loves? And what else might happen to stop the royal wedding? Something’s definitely going on there…. <wiggles eyebrows>

Be sure to so that you can be alerted when all of these exciting books are released!