The press event was a resounding success in the end. Gloria stood back and watched the queen and Dr. Hayes dazzle the reporters, posing for a whole series of photos that had her and Mack giggling in the corner. It was a relief to see everything back on track.

That included her own life. The weight she’d been carrying around for six months suddenly lifted from her shoulders when she said her piece to Mack. She really did belong in Aegiria, and she intended to follow up with Carl Gustavson about teaching at the flight school as soon as the wedding festivities were over. But what she loved even more than that was the way the royal family was so close. In spite of being in the kitchen, the princes had all circled around their mother, supporting and protecting her. And they’d managed to do it without tossing Princess Marina to the curb…which she most certainly would have done.

“Do you think that’s the last time your aunt will act out?” Gloria asked after the event, as she and Mack walked back to the suite of rooms where she would be staying for a while longer.

Prince Alek walked a few steps behind them with Toni, and Princes Viggo and Johan were a few paces in front of them with their heads together.

“I don’t know,” Mack admitted with a sigh. “I’d like to think that all the trouble Aunt Marina caused really was out of misplaced love for Mother.”

“But you’re not sure?” Gloria asked, eyebrows raised.

Mack made a face and rubbed the back of his neck, but he didn’t answer.

Ahead of them, Viggo and Johan glanced over their shoulders in mirrored gestures.

“Are the two of you talking about Aunt Marina?” Viggo asked.

They paused, and Mack and Gloria came to a stop next to them. Alek and Toni dropped their conversation as the six of them formed a small group in the middle of the hall.

“Something isn’t right about the whole situation,” Mack said. “I don’t want to doubt Aunt Marina’s word….”

“But there are too many missing pieces,” Alek finished for him.

The air in the hallway suddenly felt charged. They all glanced up and down the hall to make sure no one was listening who shouldn’t be.

“I can see how Aunt Marina would set things up so that it looked like Dr. Hayes was cheating on Mother,” Johan said. “I can even put together how she would have caused all the trouble at the arena during the concert.”

“Her assistants easily could have pulled the plug on the power,” Viggo agreed.

“But I don’t think she’s horrible enough to be behind my kidnapping,” Alek said, although the troubled expression he wore hinted that, actually, he was thinking just that. “I always thought she liked me.”

“And she was on the boat that sank at the regatta, wasn’t she?” Viggo went on.

“She was.” Johan nodded. “Why would she do something that would put her own life in danger?”

“Unless she knew she had a way out if she needed one,” Mack said.

“It almost feels like someone else is the real culprit and Aunt Marina is covering for them,” Viggo said.

“But who?” Mack asked. “Who does Aunt Marina care about enough to protect by falling on her sword?”

The princes fell into silence, rubbing their faces, raking their fingers through their hair, or otherwise making gestures of men who couldn’t put all the pieces together. Gloria felt bad for them, but at the same time, it warmed her heart more than she could say to know she was being included in the delicate family matter. It gave her hope that she could be accepted by the princes in a far more familial way.

“I can ask some of the other guys who have been doing security duty for the royal family if they’ve seen anything odd over the summer,” Toni said when the princes remained silent.

“And although he won’t like hearing anything bad about Aunt Marina, I’m sure if I sat down and talked to Arne about things he might have heard or seen, he could remember something,” Alek said.

“Kristoff might know more about the regatta that would help,” Viggo said. “He told me he saw someone running away from the scene of the crime when the boat sank. We’ll pry him away from Cassandra long enough to help us brainstorm.”

“Cassandra might even know something,” Gloria said. “She seems pretty observant to me.”

“I bet Tracy knows something too,” Johan added, flushing.

Again, Gloria caught herself wondering what was going on there.

“It’s decided, then,” Alek said, clearly comfortable in a role of leadership, even over his brothers. “We accept Aunt Marina’s answer about wanting to be close to Mother, but we keep looking for answers.”

“Agreed,” they all said, nearly in unison.

“I feel like there are pieces we’re missing,” Johan said. “Other reasons Aunt Marina—or whoever she’s protecting—might want the wedding stopped.”

“But until we find out what they are, we should all act like nothing is out of the ordinary and like we accept her explanation, right?”

“Right,” they agreed.

Gloria half expected them to all put their hands in the middle of a circle, like a pledge at a pep rally.

“Okay. Why don’t we all go get some sleep,” Alek went on. “We’re about to have an insanely busy week, and I think we’re all going to need to be on top of our game.”

There was one last round of agreement, thumps on the back, and smiles of camaraderie before they continued down the hall. Everyone went their own way as they reached a juncture where two wings broke away from the main part of the palace.

“I’m glad that I can be here to help you with this,” Gloria said, taking Mack’s hand as they walked. “Although it still feels like a dream to me.”

“A dream I hope we never wake up from,” he agreed with a smile.

Then, without even bothering to check who was watching, he swept her into his arms and kissed her as thoroughly as any prince in a fairy tale would.

And so the mystery deepens! Do you think Marina is really the guilty party? Or is there much more going on, like the princes suspect? The answer to these questions and more will begin to be revealed in The Introvert’s Prince, by Caroline Lee. Marcia Lindqvist is hiding something, but what is it? And can Prince Viggo figure things out and stop a disaster from unfolding?

Then, get ready for the exciting conclusion to the series in The Journalist’s Prince, by Merry Farmer. Will the wedding take place? What does reporter Tracy Minhall know, and just what exactly has been going on between her and Prince Johannes behind the scenes?

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