CHAPTER SIX
Sebastianos
Meetings were a form of torture that I was certain was meant to be saved for the vilest of criminals.
In my life as a training instructor, meetings usually meant phone calls from higher-ups with training objective changes and short briefings once a month. Information came in one direction, was received, and orders were followed.
But in a closed-door security council meeting in the Kingdom of Cassia? There were opinions and orders being thrown about from all directions, and nobody wanted to wait long enough to listen to another person.
It was in these meetings that I came to know the Minister of the Interior, one Anjou Alaine. She’d served in that role for nearly as long as I could remember, having been appointed nearly twenty-five years ago. I’d still been in short pants at that time.
Anjou behaved like some sort of reigning monarch wherever she went, and I’d bet my annual salary that if her position had been voted in and not appointed, any constituents she might have would likely have voted her out of office twenty years ago.
“Your Majesty, I don’t believe that was a wise move,” she said, rubbing her temples and letting the monarch, my uncle Demetrius, know that she disagreed with his recent interview about the Amurian rumors. “The people have a right to know of any potential risk.”
Part of the reason people thought she’d stayed in office so long was mostly because of her friendly relationship with the press. She granted interviews often and could always be relied upon for a comment. So, if she somehow managed to be fired, she could run to the newspapers and the television stations and make the situation messier than necessary.
One of the major drawbacks of it all, despite her attitude, was that it gave her bigger teeth in meetings like these.
I sighed and sat back in my chair.
“The threats are more frequent,” Anjou pressed. My uncle was looking down at his notes and twirling the pen in his fingers. “The threats are more violent. You must let the people know.”
The king just shook his head. “Sometimes, Anjou, I think you try to use scary headlines to frighten the public into obedience,” he said. I perked up a little because that’s exactly what plenty of us thought she did.
“I would never, Your Highness,” she said, all placating eyelash fluttering and fanning of her hand out over her chest.
“Right,” the king said, tapping his pen on the stack of papers in front of him. “We’ll keep the tone I’ve set from the palace for the time being, at least until I hear anything more credible. We don’t need to scare our people and put a damper on the summer festivities.”
The king loved the annual summer party, complete with public street and block parties, a parade, and a Legacy Ball. It was weeks away, and I was still trying to get Penelope’s security detail and “range of motion” nailed down. I groaned… and mine.
It wasn’t that I was especially happy to limit how far Penelope could venture at the largest party of the year, but there wasn’t much of a choice. The ball was invitation only, and most everyone would be vetted beforehand. There’d also be metal detectors and inconspicuously placed security teams throughout the palace. But keeping a six-year-old from darting off this way and that, especially this six-year-old who had a penchant for finding trouble a mile away, was harder than it looked.
Especially since I was expected to play into my new role. Smiling and waving and… dammit, making polite conversation with everyone.
The ball would be my first formal gathering as second in line to the throne since my father’s passing, and I didn’t enjoy the publicity at all. Being able to avoid having my photograph taken was one of the benefits to being in the special forces. And if my photo did make it online, our cybersecurity team, now led by Nate, either altered the photo or took it down.
But now… shit.
Now, it would be my damn job to be in the public as much as possible, creating additional interest for our country. Cassia depended on tourism dollars and having “a handsome prince,” as my uncle called me, “single and available” was supposed to generate that interest, which would generate income.
Perfect.
Not that I allowed myself to be called Prince Sebastianos. I refused to let my uncle take it that far. Duke of Becktonas was pretentious enough. I much preferred Captain Sebastianos Xenakis, but my fate was now out of my hands.
Back in my office, I clicked through the emails that had arrived during the meeting and sighed. On the desk in front of me were three clipboards, all of which were functions or events that the princess or myself would be part of, and I needed to make sure she and I were prepared for each event.
Which was ridiculous. She was six and should be out playing with her friends, but heightened security due to national unrest changed how much freedom the little girl could experience.
And although I wasn’t her personal security, I had the training to protect her whenever she was in my presence. So protect her I would, with my life.
Which meant that my schedule now must work in concert with hers, especially with the numerous public engagements I’d be expected to attend.
I sighed, my eyes crossing as I filled in yet another date on the calendar. This time to lay flowers on unmarked graves, an event I was honored to attend.
A knock sounded on the door, and I called out for whoever was on the other side to enter. It couldn’t have been Nate since he would have barged right on in.
It was my uncle, and I immediately stood up, giving him a formal bow without thinking.
He rolled his eyes and waved me into my seat. “At ease, Seb. Sit back down. I just wanted to stop and chat for a bit. I haven’t really seen you since you returned from America. Did you have a good trip?”
I’d gone to discuss the training of a battalion of American troops scheduled for early next year and had used the trip to stop and visit the Cassian embassy on behalf of the Crown. Well, that as well as enjoy the last weeks of my personal freedom. Enjoy Ana…
Damn.
My cock pulsed at the memory of her, and I cleared my throat, focusing all my attention on my uncle.
“It went quickly,” I said as I sat. Uncle Demetrius took the chair on the other side of my desk. Outside the door, I heard his personal guards in the hallway. “I secured a tentative date for the Americans to arrive and agreed upon a price.”
These sorts of special training schools were a big part of the Cassian military budget. Being such a small nation, we didn’t have a need for a huge military, and the one we had could pay for itself just through the training program I’d been part of alone. There was also a water rescue school for naval and coast guard forces on the other side of the country, which also took in foreign military students.
“Good,” my uncle said, nodding. “And how are you liking the job?”
He knew that I’d been reluctant to take the post and had told me repeatedly that I’d find my way soon enough. He was so excited to have me back in the palace that I couldn’t bear to let him down.
“It’s great,” I said, trying to look like I meant it earnestly. “Getting easier every day.”
It seemed to be what he wanted to hear, and he smiled.
“I haven’t seen Penelope this excited in years,” he said, the happiness clear on his face. Penelope was his pride and joy, and he’d been worried about her since the moment she was born, and even more so after her mother died. I’d been worried about him but knew better than to make it too obvious.
“It’s also been great for me to see her every day,” I said, meaning it. Penelope and I had that bond, a strong lifeline since she made her debut in the world and pulled my broken self back from the brink.
But the times between getting to watch Penelope zip her scooter around the halls and over her guards’ feet were what I was struggling to make work. Things were so different now that I was in this position and my time was no longer mine. Now, I couldn’t even venture out into public for a drink with Nate in Cassia. In America, it had been easy. But in Cassia, the local paparazzi had gotten a little too interested in my personal life and seemed intent on digging up stories from my past that I could have done without reliving.
“How are you getting along outside of work?” he asked.
I read the gleam in his eye instantly and just shook my head. “No, Your Majesty…” In private, the honorifics weren’t necessary, but I often used them just to be a smartass. “I’m not dating anyone.”
In an instant, Ana’s adorable face popped into my mind, and I nearly grinned. Recovering, I refocused my thoughts and wondered what the hell had just happened. Why was I thinking of her in random conversations about my dating life?
“Yet,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “One of my secretaries has a granddaughter a few years younger than you that she’s been telling me about. Perhaps you’d be interested in meeting her? Or someone else? We have a ball coming up. According to legend, those are perfect nights for young noblemen to meet their lady loves.”
I snorted. My parents’ own arranged marriage had ended in an epic failure with my mother leaving the country, leaving me, when I was just a boy. My uncle’s marriage had been arranged as well, but it’d been happy. In fact, he had been so happy with my late aunt that I doubted he’d ever attempt to marry again.
The only downside to their union was the complications my aunt had experienced producing an heir. Although over twenty years my uncle’s junior, Queen Helena had suffered through numerous miscarriages and stillbirths before Penelope came screaming into the world. But, sadly, my cousin’s birth had taken the ultimate toll on the queen’s body, and she hadn’t been able to recover from the ravishes she’d gone through.
Her last words to me before she closed her eyes for the last time were, “Promise to care for her, Sebastianos. Make sure she understands that I would gladly die a thousand deaths to give her a moment of life.”
So care for her I did, and although my little cousin didn’t realize it, she’d cared for me too. Just her sweet presence had been a balm to my war weary soul.
“Well?” my uncle asked, pulling me back to the present. “What do you think about meeting my secretary’s granddaughter?”
The king wasn’t the only person in Cassia trying to set me up. Little Penelope was too.
She’d gotten to the age where she was a huge fairy tale fan and had started asking me when I was going to ever find a princess. In fact, she asked me that very question just last week.
“You’re the only princess I need in my life,” I’d shot back.
She just rolled those pretty blue eyes and sighed, acting for all the world like she was twenty years old. “No, a princess for you to marry.”
“If I ever marry, she won’t be a princess,” I reminded her. “She’d be a duchess.” Although officially, she could be either.
Penelope had considered my words a moment before turning her blue eyes back up to me. “Okay, Sebastianos…” she only used my full name when she was irritated with me, “when are we going to find you a duchess?”
The question rang in my mind because it seemed to be a favorite topic of conversation now between father and daughter whenever they caught me alone.
I’d never really wanted a duchess before, to be honest. I’d shied away from dating anyone in the peerage because gossip was vicious in that circle, and I already had a big enough target on my back. Even though I was rarely at home, I was blamed to have broken many a female heart.
Which was total bullshit.
I’d never been with a woman long enough for her to properly fall in love with me, but that didn’t stop the conniving females from claiming it to be true. Now, it seemed I’d been labeled a playboy. The Duke of Debauchery, one tabloid had called me, though they’d been forced to use a picture of my eighteen-year-old skinny self since I’d managed to escape their telegraphic lenses since my return to life at court.
Returning to my uncle’s conversation, I tried to respectfully decline. “If it’s all the same to you, Uncle, I imagine I’ll be far too busy to worry about meeting single women at the Legacy Ball. It’s a big night with my official debut as duke.”
He scowled, and I bit back a grin. I was pretty sure he didn’t like me using the job he’d persuaded me to take against him and his matchmaking attempts, but I’d won that round.
“Soon,” he said, a warning to me. “You need to find yourself a good woman and settle down soon, Seb. You’ve earned it.”
Being married was a reward? Not likely.
“Besides, we need more heirs, you know.” Sadness flickered over his face, and I knew he was thinking of all the little heirs who didn’t take their first breaths. And he was also thinking of my father, his beloved brother who’d been taken too soon.
He didn’t say it, but it would be up to Penelope when she was older to continue the lineage, and it was up to me to be that backup should something go terribly wrong.
I stood when he did and gave him another bow as he said goodbye. “Don’t be a stranger. Dinner is at six every night. We’d love to see you sometime.”
I managed not to cringe. I much preferred to eat without worrying about my manners. I’d just as soon eat something at my desk before wandering back to my apartments on the fourth floor.
“I’ll make it there soon,” I promised as he left.
Looking back at the paperwork on my desk, I sighed as I lifted an invitation for some ribbon cutting event I needed to schedule myself to attend. Worse, I’d be expected to speak and smile for the cameras.
I cursed.
It would get better soon, I reassured myself as I typed out an email letting my secretary know I’d attend.
Smile and wave, folks. Smile and wave.
Yes, it would get better.
It would.
It had to.