An Inconvenient Truth

Cromwell Palace, Henfordshire

The early morning darkness still enveloped the royal bedroom, with only the faintest hint of dawn filtering softly through the heavy drapes. King Maximilian and Queen Aria-Grace lay entwined in each other’s arms, still lost in the peaceful embrace of sleep. The tranquility was abruptly shattered by a persistent knock on the door, which was subsequently opened, revealing a flustered-looking man, King Maximilian’s personal assistant and advisor.

“Your Royal Majesty,” called out Sir Reginald, his voice urgent. “My deepest apologies to both of you, but I must speak with you immediately. There is something you simply must see right away.

Maximilian groaned, reluctant to leave the coziness of his wife’s embrace and the warmth of the bed. “Reginald, it’s still dark out. Can’t you see Her Majesty and I are in no state to discuss palace business yet? Can’t this wait until we are properly awake?”

Sir Reginald entered, holding a tablet. “I’m afraid it cannot, Your Majesty. You need to see this at once. It requires your immediate attention.”

Maximilian sat up, revealing his bare chest as he rubbed his eyes. “Something better be on fire if you march in here making such a ruckus before I even have trousers on,” he muttered, his voice thick with sleep.

“I am afraid you would think so, Your Majesty. Apologies again, to you as well, Your Royal Majesty,” he added, addressing Aria-Grace, while purposely avoiding looking at her.

Aria-Grace stirred beside Max, lifting her face from the pillow, still half-asleep. “What is it now?” she mumbled. “Can’t it wait until we’ve at least had our first coffee? You know I can’t think without some caffeine in my system, Reginald. If this is about another tabloid smear on William being in some state of undress in public again, I will superglue his clothing to him, I swear it!”

Maximilian took the tablet from Reginald, slipping on his glasses, his eyes widening as he read the headline: “Royal Scandal: Princess Vivienne’s True Parentage Revealed!” The article detailed the DNA test results and hinted at the involvement of Jack Kershaw.

“Good God,” Maximilian whispered, fully awake now. He handed the tablet to Aria-Grace, who blinked at the screen, her drowsiness vanishing in an instant.

“Oh no,” she breathed, her face paling. “What the actual …?! Max, what are we going to do?” she folded back the blankets and slipped her feet out of the bed, still staring at the tablet while reaching for her silk robe to slip over her matching silk nightgown.

Maximilian’s expression hardened. “Reginald, have the children woken at once. They need to be briefed immediately. After that, assemble them in my private study along with all the other advisors, solicitors and what have you who would make sense, but keep is as small as possible. And fetch Jack Kershaw to the palace at once. If he refuses, insist, but don’t tell him details just yet if he doesn’t already know.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Reginald replied, bowing before hurrying out of the room.

Maximilian turned to Aria-Grace, his eyes filled with determination. “Just when you think it can’t get worse yet. No, please leave us, we’ll dress ourselves.” he immediately dismissed the chambermaids and valets streaming into the room to assist the king and queen with their morning routines.

Aria-Grace nodded, her hand gripping his tightly. “Max, we got this! We’ll fix it. I’ll call my dad and Nick,” she said, steeling herself for the storm ahead.

Later that same morning

King Maximilian summoned an emergency meeting with his closest advisors and family members. Jack Kershaw, along with his wife Izzy, were also present. The tension in the room was palpable.

“How did this happen?” King Maximilian demanded, his voice trembling with a mix of fury and despair. “Who could have leaked such private information? Who has access to those documents?! I was under the impression we had them sealed from the public!”

Jack, his cowboy drawl steady and calm, shifted. “Well, don’t look at me, I sure as heck didn’t tattle, ain’t stupid enough to go shootin’ myself and Viv in the foot and you and AG as well.”

Queen Aria-Grace, her eyes filled with tears, nodded. “Max, darling, I am so sorry that you have to deal with this now. I was so hoping it would never become a topic again.”

“Well, truth be told, I always thought it might.” he took her hand and squeezed it, bringing it to his lips to plant an implied kiss on it, smiling at her encouragingly.

From the speaker phone, the metallic sounding voice of Liam Cameron, Queen Aria-Grace’s father and long time top tier level attorney with decades worth of keeping the VIP Cameron family members in the various entertainment branches out of legal troubles, now sounded. “Well, there aren’t many options now. Fact is, as your own legal counsel probably already told you, the Palace needs to issue a public statement as soon as possible, and none of which you say in that can be a lie. If they found the DNA test, they can find everything. So, we gotta stick to the truth. All we can do is fluff it up a bit, put some lipstick on it to make it prettier and maybe more palatable for the public, but that’s about it. No way back, and we can’t sit on it. Something official with your name, seal and signature has to go out today, Max, best would be a personal announcement.”

His son, AG’s older brother Nick, also a well versed and skilled lawyer, chimed in. “I agree with Dad on all points. Far as I see it, there are two options. One, the King publicly acknowledges the fact, but also Vivienne as his own despite not having biological paternity. The more waterproof version would have been an adoption, bit late for that now, we can’t get that through the system in any reasonable amount of time, so it would still be pending for weeks and not do us much good now.”

“Now just wait a hot minute there, Nick, adoption is NOT an option! I ain’t NEVER gonna agree to it! Viv’s MY kid, and she’ll remain MY kid, and that’s that!” Jack immediately blew up, quickly calmed by his wife Izzy, while the king turned to him.

“Jack, calm yourself! You know full well I would never take Vivienne from you! I love her every bit as much as you, and I know she loves you too, so why would I ever do anything to hurt her? That’s just poppycock and you know it! Even if we unanimously were to agree on an adoption, all it would really be is merely a formality on paper for Vivienne’s future benefit, as I have told you many times before. Now, here you see WHY I kept bringing it up. It wasn’t to see your face run through every shade of crimson humanly possible, it was solely because I know skeletons have a habit of not staying in the closet but coming out to haunt you when you least expect it, as proven again here. What, if any, are the legal repercussions for Vivienne? She is third in line to the throne, and I wish that to remain intact!”

“Your Majesty, if I may?” the royal solicitor now spoke up. “Luckily, there are filed and notarized documents acknowledging your awareness of the fact of another man’s paternity from back before Her Royal Highness Princess Vivienne was even born. Legally we are covered and her status as royal princess is fully secured. However, as far as succession is concerned, I am afraid, the Henfordian succession has always been a strictly absolute primogeniture, meaning, only biological children with direct Cromwell lineage, true blood relation, can ever be part of the succession line and the oldest one, regardless of gender, will be the heir apparent. In other words, Her Highness Princess Vivienne, while a true and proper royal princess, would never be able to be queen, therefore isn’t part of the official succession line, no matter the circumstances and unfortunately, that can’t be changed by neither adoption nor any other document or action you or anyone could take. Even if Your Majesty were to be able to get congress to pass a decree to change the succession rules now, it can’t be done retroactively, only would apply to any future heirs and personally, I would strongly advice against such a notion. At this point in time, the succession is clear, His Royal Highness William is the heir apparent, should he be unable to fulfill this duties it would go to Her Royal Highnesses Princess Victoria, then Veronica and until either of the aforementioned have produced proper heirs, Princess Eloise would be next, due to her direct relation to the Cromwell bloodline, while Her Royal Highness Princess Vivienne would be excluded. Since most likely none of this would ever come into effect, Her Royal Highness Princess Vivienne is a princess every bit as her sisters, no further action required.”

Early afternoon of the same day

Later that day, the royal family gathered in the Royal Gala Hall, a magnificent building on the palace grounds, detached from the main residence. The hall, used for grand events like dances, balls, and coronations, was adorned with the royal colors of green, gold, and white, creating an atmosphere of regal elegance. Cameras from news networks around the world were set up to broadcast the announcement live, and a select group of reporters filled the space. Conference calls with emissaries, ministers and high leaders of the world had at that point been concluded.

King Maximilian stood at the podium with Queen Aria-Grace by his side, their children, Crown Prince William, Princess Victoria, Princess Vivienne, and young Princess Veronica, stood behind them. Jack Kershaw, Vivienne’s biological father, stood slightly off to the side, his rugged charm contrasting with the royal formality.

“My fellow citizens, my people, Henfordians, ladies and gentlemen of the press and to all those watching around the world” King Maximilian began, his voice strong and resolute. “Today, our family faces a deeply personal and rather irregular revelation. Princess Vivienne is our daughter, and we love her unconditionally. The circumstances of her birth do not change her place in our family or her status as a princess of Henfordshire. Let this serve as my official statement acknowledging the fact of her conception, and state that I have, in fact, been aware of said fact since before she was born. However, love knows no bounds, and my fatherly feelings towards her are no different than for any of my other children.” he took a brief pause, before continuing.

“To assure everybody sufficiently, House Cromwell has made the DNA certificates of all four of our children publicly available. This is to confirm that while Princess Vivienne’s biological father is Mr. Jack Kershaw, our other three children—Crown Prince William, Princess Victoria, and Princess Veronica—are indeed the biological children of Queen Aria-Grace and myself. While not initially inclined to share those facts publicly until our hands were forced earlier today, we do not look upon this as a blemish at all, and believe in transparency and wish to put any doubts to rest.”

King Maximilian paused again, a warm smile spreading across his face. “I would also like to take this opportunity to publicly introduce my daughter Vivienne’s biological father to all of you, and would like to add that there are and never have been any harsh feelings between him and myself, both of us always aware of each other’s role in our daughter’s life. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to introduce to you a man who has grown to become a very dear personal friend of mine as well as an additional father figure to all my children, just as I am, have been and always will be to our dear Princess Vivienne. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Jack Kershaw.”

Maximilian turned slightly, as Jack now hesitantly stepped forward, Max’s hand encouragingly on his back, as Jack whispered, “The hell ya want me to do now, Yer Majesty?”

“For starters, how about smile into the cameras, no matter which, all are currently aimed at us and very much live. Maybe say a few balmy words into the microphone. At the very least, maybe greet those watching around the world, or sing one of your Country & Western classics for all I care. For heaven’s sake, just do something, you’re the father of a royal princess, Jack and for better or worse, you are now very much visible to all. So, go forth and be a properly visible dad to a princess, can’t be so hard, since a Muppet like me does it daily, and as we both know, your opinion of my usefulness and skill set ranks somewhere in the ‘mildly entertaining’ range, aren’t I right, Jack?”

Jack shot him a ‘you will pay for this!’ glare, which made King Maximilian smirk. Jack stepped up to the microphone, smiled, and attempted to speak, but it created a high-pitched screeching sound instead. He winced, then awkwardly cleared his throat. “Uh, howdy, folks,” he began, his voice cracking. “Uh, well, uh…”

Suddenly, his phone rang loudly, playing a twangy country ringtone. Jack fumbled to silence it, his face turning beet red. “Sorry, sorry,” he muttered, shoving the phone back into his pocket. The dignitaries exchanged amused glances, and the royal family assembled behind him all tried hard to keep straight faces, even the security personnel scattered strategically around the stage hard a hard time stifling their laughs.

Vivienne, sensing her father’s discomfort, tugged on his jacket. He picked her up, which incited smiles and nods of approval from the gathered dignitaries. As he turned, allowing Max to put his arm around Vivienne as well, both men now holding the little princess up, she waved royally after both men kissed one of her cheeks.

Queen Aria-Grace stepped forward, her voice filled with withheld amusement about Jack’s unfortunate mishaps. “Thank you all, we appreciate your support more than words could describe. Our family stands united, and you all can rest assured that we will continue to serve you with the same dedication and love as before – and evidently even a healthy helping of humor – as you were able to observe. Let this serve as a reminder to all of you that we are, in fact, still human. Love for a child goes well beyond biology and DNA.”

William nudged Victoria, then picked up their youngest sister Veronica, and the siblings assembled demonstratively behind their father, Jack, and their sister, still in her father’s arms, all hugging her and both men demonstratively, while the queen air kissed Jack’s cheeks, kissed Vivienne, then stood at her husband’s other side. All still part of a demonstration of their union.

Once the public display was over, Max walked out of the room next to his son, leaning in and patting his back as they followed the others.

“Nice touch, William! Normally, I abhor it when one of us goes off script, but that was masterfully done. Just like a true future king, you truly impressed me. I am proud of you, my boy.”

William’s smile broadened, and he inclined his head respectfully. “Thank you, Father. I had, and still have, a great teacher.”

With that, William caught up to his mother and siblings, while Jack leaned into Max with a mischievous grin.

“So, how did I do ya? The monkey with the cowboy hat behaved to yer likin’, Yer Majesty?” His tone was clearly teasing, underlined by a casual snicker.

Turning partially to acknowledge that fact, Maximilian tilted his head slightly, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “It was satisfactory enough, considering nobody could observe that the monkey in the hat—today mercifully without such and for that, bravo!—can even speak, as you regretfully didn’t manage to get a single proper word out to address the good people. You know, Jack, I have to address large crowds and leaders of entire nations frequently. It’s not as easy as it may look from a distance, is it? And I must say, you clean up quite nicely. It’s a refreshing change from your usual attire, which I find rather… rustic. For future reference, however, please clear it with Aria-Grace or me next time you think about picking up princesses in public. It is considered low-brow,” he mocked, mostly to watch the reaction for his personal amusement.

Jack’s grin vanished, his eyes twinkling with mild anger. “Well, Yer Majesty, I didn’t pick up a princess, I picked up MY daughter, if ya please, and I will do that all day long and twice on Sundays, no matter if ya think it’s so low-brow that yer brows become a new moustache! Besides, yer boy picked up yer other daughter and…” Jack halted, realizing the amused chuckle King Max was displaying. He relaxed with a defeated look and a grin of his own. “Ah, I see, y’all are messin’ with me. Had me goin’ there for a sec. Good one, Majesty. And glad ya liked the suit, but I’m already married and you ain’t my type!” He winked playfully. “So what’s next?”

Maximilian began to walk, his hands linked behind his back in a graceful yet slightly casual manner. “Next, my dear Jack, I suggest you join us at the palace for a celebratory drink to toast to the fact that we now collectively have one less skeleton in our closets to worry about.”

Jack’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm. “Hell yeah, I’ll drink to that! You owe me a drink, a couple really, for just stickin’ me up at that microphone with no damn warning or any idea what to say!”

Maximilian stopped and turned to face Jack, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Jack, what are you on about? A brief address was written for you, even as close to your style of natural speaking as my press secretary could get. What did you think you were supposed to do with it, if not say those words during the press conference you were invited to? While it is usually expected for myself and my family to memorize it, nobody expects this from you in this haphazard situation. You could have just read it off. You can read, can you not? I don’t know how much easier and convenient I could have made it for you.”

Jack’s face shifted, he raised his hand and awkwardly rustled through his hair. “Yah, I can read, but I just … didn’t, I suppose. I thought y’all just gave me a copy of yer drivel, so …” Jack shrugged.

Maximilian raised an eyebrow, a mix of disbelief and mild irritation crossing his face. “So, you didn’t bother to read my drivel? Where is the speech? We like to keep the documents contained. The most trivial things seem to grow legs and walk out straight onto eBay sometimes, so my staff either files them to reference back to if needed, which clearly won’t be needed in your case, or they shred it.”

Jack smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “Uh oh. Hope ya have some royal falcons on staff then.”

Maximilian’s eyes widened in alarm. “I don’t like the sounds of that. You threw it out?!”

Jack quickly shook his head. “Nah, the wind did. Look, the two little uns were bored, so was I, so I taught them to make paper airplanes and … well, wind gust came and …”

Maximilian gave him a look, shaking his head, rubbing his temples for a moment, then looked back at Jack with a resigned sigh. “Oh, dear Lord, Jack, you are harder to keep straight than a toddler sometimes! Well, I suppose I am to blame. I should have taken into account that you are unfamiliar with public address and court protocol. In the hectic of putting all this together, it got away from me. Apologies then, Jack. Well, at least this is over with, we can all move on with our lives, and finally with one less thing to worry about.”

Jack grinned. “Right on, yer Majesty, and no hard feelins. Figured ya were gettin’ back at me for something I done. Can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same to you if given the chance, so no worries! And yer right, this is good news. Finally, I can take mah daughter downtown and don’t have to cover her up like a member of one of them desert-dwelling tribes so no one recognizes her. And you and I can finally discuss me takin’ her to my hometown. Kid’s been begging up a storm and I hate telling her no. It’s her roots too…”

Maximilian’s expression grew more serious, though still kind. “She is still a royal princess, Jack. I can’t have my children lost in some desert town among tumbleweeds and cougars. Have you forgotten what happened to your son some months ago? A cougar attack, Jack! Even I know that is serious business! It’s but by the grace of God and skilled physicians that Jackson is still with us today!”

Jack’s face softened with a hint of nostalgia. “More like the grace of someone’s Remington 870. Everyone’s got one or something like it, and we all know how to use it. Now ya know why. Ya can’t hold a press conference with a cougar or other wildlife; they listen worse than me, and can decimate yer livestock in no time flat, and yer family too if ya don’t do nothing about it. Ah, it’s safe at mah old home. Have ya forgotten yer other daughter already invited herself to a little vacation in the prairie some months ago? I brought Vic back to ya in the same condition or better than she snuck herself away in. And mah boy Jackson, he’s a man’s man. He and some other fellers went ridin’ lookin’ for that cougar, had to, it had become a maneater. But us Chestnut Ridge men, we don’t sit on problems waiting for them to get bigger, we fix it. He just got himself into the wrong place at the wrong time tryin’ to help another feller, but the kid’s all better now, good as new. Talked to Connor just last night, he’s been goin’ to get the kid so he can spend some time with Bri now and again. Jackson’s truck’s on the fritz and he can’t ride all the way out to San Sequoia, so Connor’s been driving to get him and takin’ him back. Said he looked over Jackson while he was at it and not even a scratch left on him, maybe two or three lil scars. That cougar ain’t been so lucky, what’s left of it is probably layin’ round one of the guys’ homes as a new rug now.”

Maximilian nodded thoughtfully, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Lovely visual. Oh yes, how is Briar Rose? Aria-Grace and I were considering calling her parents to inquire about her condition, but we refrained, feeling it might be in bad taste in case the news weren’t favourable. All progressing well, I hope?”

Jack’s face brightened with a hopeful smile. “Yeah, so far, so good. Fingers crossed. They were supposed to come see me, but she can’t travel right now, so when all this blows over I might just pack up the wifey, my little boy, Viv and go see them.”

Maximilian considered this for a moment, then smiled warmly. “Well, we’ll see about that. Maybe I could be persuaded to agree if you could promise Vivienne stays with Connor or Chase and Hailey and only ventures out to Chestnut Ridge for a day trip.”

Jack’s expression turned serious, his voice firm. “Listen here, Yer Majesty, what good would takin’ mah daughter back to her roots be, if I ain’t actually takin’ her to her roots, but to Connor’s fancy big house. I ain’t got nothin’ like that.”

Maximilian sighed, trying to remain patient. “I understand that, which is why I suggested day trips. You take her there in the morning, do whatever it is you do there, then drive back home, to the safety and luxury of Connor’s home. I have stayed there myself, and I would be happy with that arrangement.”

Jack crossed his arms, a stubborn glint in his eye. “Well, yer arrangement don’t fly with me, I’ll talk to yer wifey and see if she gets it.”

Maximilian chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Yes, you do that, Jack. But at least now it has become clear where Vivienne gets her combative ways from. Not dear Aria-Grace, but you, Jack. No offense, but I know Aria-Grace and you must have fought non-stop, beyond me how your relationship ever got on. Aside from horses, I can’t see any common topics.”

Jack laughed heartily, wiggling his eyebrows. “Ever heard that the dumbest farmers have the biggest taters? Same is true with certain body parts. Think about how dumb ya think I am, and then you got yer answer. AG and I didn’t have a lot of time to spend together, so we didn’t waste none of it talkin’ …”

Maximilian raised an eyebrow, a mix of amusement and disbelief on his face. “Dear lord, man, that is my wife you are speaking about! Lovely topic indeed. But I suppose it would make sense. Back in the Middle Ages, especially during the Italian Renaissance, being well-endowed was considered a sign of lack of intelligence. Odd really, if one considers that normally society favors those who have the most and the largest things, be it property or otherwise.”

Jack smirked, leaning in closer. “Well, Max, I ain’t tellin’ ya something ya didn’t already know. Yer smarter than to think Vivienne was conceived by AG and me just smilin’ warmly at one another. Not to mention AG wasn’t yer wife when she and I were at it, so there’s that. I met her after you two had already split up. You were fool enough to let her go, and I was smart enough to catch her, at least for a little while. And for whatever it’s worth, Vivienne was conceived from a place of deep love. But yer right, AG and I got nothing in common, except the love for the child we created, which is why we both moved on without each other after only a little while. She was meant to be back with you, I could see that even then, and you both were meant to help me find mah Izzy. I adored AG, I was doggone crazy about that woman, but she don’t fit with me like Izzy does, that girl and I were meant to be and nobody could ever convince me otherwise. But thanks for the history lesson, gotta say, must be real love then between Yer Majesty and AG, cos while I don’t care to know ya that well to gauge how ‘smart’ ya really are without yer pants on, I know for a fact that there ain’t nothing big on yer wife.”

Maximilian’s expression turned stern. “That is quite enough of that dismal topic, Jack! I will not discuss private bedroom matters with my wife’s former lover! Now, let us return to more dignified subjects. Shall we proceed to my study for that celebratory drink?”

Jack laughed, clearly enjoying himself. “Or what, yer gonna fight me? No offense there, Max, but that ain’t gonna go in yer favor.” Jack was clearly amused, and even Max realized he was being had, so a smile turned up the corners of his lips as he leaned in, pointing to the royal guards and Barrett Security people scattered around, at first glance one could easily guess their number to be at least a dozen. “Are you so sure of that, Jack?” which made the former cowboy burst into loud laughter.

Both men patted each other’s shoulders and walked off towards Max’s study, their laughter echoing through the halls.

***

A few days after the royal family’s public statement, in the early afternoon at the Royal Cromwell Stables, young Viscount Liam Kensington was exiting the stairwell leading to the upstairs onsite staff apartments, whistling a cheerful tune—“Happy” by Pharrell Williams—when he was suddenly pulled into an empty horse stall. The abrupt movement caused his last note to distort into a surprised yelp. The door slammed shut, and Princess Victoria blocked it from the outside, stepping forward and slapping him through the bars.

Liam’s expression shifted from shock to anger, then to amusement as he rubbed his cheek, surprised by the force of the slap. He bowed slightly, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Princess… you might consider not holding in your feelings. Though, I must admit, I’m rather curious as to what I’ve done to deserve such a warm greeting.”

“Stop it! That was you, wasn’t it?! How could you?! I don’t quite like whom you have become, Liam!” Victoria stepped forward again, hand raised to slap him once more, but he caught her wrist through the bars.

“What are you talking about this time? All I did was visit my father.” He shoved her back slightly, releasing her wrist roughly. “And why lock me in a stall? Planning to saddle me up and ride off into the sunset? You could have just asked …” he added mockingly.

“I am not in a joking mood! And may I remind you, Hawthorne isn’t your father. Earl Kensington is.” Her tone was sharp, eyes narrowed, clearly not appreciating his joke.

“You don’t say? Ironic, coming from you after the recent headlines. Who needs reality TV when we have royals like you?” he mocked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Victoria frowned, then got serious again. “Maybe me insisting Hawthorne isn’t your father was hypocritical, but not as bad as what you have done. Why did you do it? What do you want, Liam? What is your grand idea here? Why would you deliberately hurt my little sister, my Papa, and Jack, just to get back at me?”

Liam’s face softened, a hint of vulnerability showing through. “I would love to answer all of that, if only I knew what you are even on about. Victoria, whatever you think I did, it wasn’t me. I like Jack. And your sisters. And as we have discussed sufficiently of late, I especially like you. I wouldn’t hurt any of you.”

“Oh yes? Is that why you leaked Viv’s DNA results to the press just to get back at me? Too bad it backfired, isn’t it? How is THAT for ironic, considering you are in the same position as Vivienne, huh? On that note, how are your fathers? BOTH of them.”

Liam’s face contorted through a whirlwind of emotions before settling into a look of resigned understanding. “Wait, you think I…?” His eyes widened in disbelief as he pointed to himself. “Me? Really?” He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Wow, Victoria. I really had you all wrong. Sorry Your Highness, but you have the wrong guy.”

“Don’t play coy. If not you, who then? We haven’t upset anyone. Whom are we hurting? We aren’t even publicly funded anymore, a little here and there, but negligible. So, why hate the royals? Why, Liam? Considering you practically are engaged to one, or have you forgotten Eloise is a Cromwell, and directly related to me? By the way, your new hairstyle is ugly. You look ridiculous. Was that her idea?” she ranted, the last words ending in an almost comical pout, generating an unimpressed raised eyebrow from Liam knowing it was a failed attempt to hide she liked his new look.

“I am just as much engaged to Eloise as you are to your flying Dutchman, Vic, and still in charge of my own hair. Speak about something looking ridiculous, it would be you do with him. He looks and acts old enough to be your father! I am not trying to hurt anyone. I know I accidentally upset you, clearly you found a way to pay it back to me, so I would say at best, we’re even. For heaven’s sake, Vic, my dad … Mr. Hawthorne … raised me to love our royalty. You’ve seen his apartment; it’s practically a shrine to the monarchy. Portraits of kings and queens line the walls, and he never misses a chance to toast, ‘God Save the King.’ Why do you think I just couldn’t imagine you would even remotely return the feelings I have for you, missing every single sign which may or may not have been there, which ultimately created this entire mess between us. When we are speaking as we are now, as friends, I force myself to forget who you really are, but I could never do that if we were to … Well, you made your position on all that very clear and I don’t want to start another war between us by upsetting you by talking about it all again, so let’s not get into that again. But you must know that I would never hurt you or your family, not on purpose. Not to mention I wouldn’t know the first thing about finding DNA test results to distribute in the first place. It wasn’t me. Can’t you see that yourself?”

Victoria nibbled on her finger, a gesture of insecurity that Liam had rarely seen from her. She was clearly considering his words. She had always been kind and considerate, always hearing the other side, something that Liam had always found enticing, not just for a royal, but for most people he knew who judged all too quickly. He could read Victoria’s thoughts in her face right now and knew she believed him, even though she clearly still carried some bitterness within, as her pout and next words confirmed, even though they only invoked a smile from Liam.

“Fine. Maybe you’re right, it wouldn’t make sense and really does not sound like you in the slightest. Fine, I believe you. I don’t think it was you. Sorry. I must say, I am rather relieved. I would have hated for you to turn out to be such a dimwitted cretin,” Victoria spoke while unlocking and opening the stall door, allowing Liam to step closer. He leaned casually in the now open stall door, looking down at Victoria, who crossed her arms across her chest. She glanced up at him, her eyes widening slightly. “Wow, what have they been feeding you at the military academy for you to suddenly become so tall,” she blurted out, clearly appreciating the fact. Realizing what she had said, she blushed and quickly backpedaled, “I mean, not that it matters or anything.”

Liam’s grin widened, clearly amused by her flustered state. She looked away, her cheeks still pink as she continued, her tone deliberately nonchalant. “For your information, however, Henk isn’t much older than me, only three years. And he doesn’t look old, he looks … masculine and distinguished. Speaking of, I liked your suit, by the way, the one you wore at the official announcement. The green one. And maybe your new haircut isn’t so bad after all, now that I see it up close. Probably better than the wretched bird’s nest you used to sport.” Her words made the young man chuckle.

Liam’s grin widened, clearly amused by her flustered state. “I can tell you approve, considering you locked me in a stall when I am trying to go home after visiting my … Mr. Hawthorne… my, my Princess, who knew you were so … fiery tempered.”

“Oh, don’t you just wish. And just call him dad, Liam. I said I was sorry. I was merely trying to make a point. I know you love him, I know he loves you, so he is every bit your dad as Kensington is, maybe even more so. DNA alone does not a father make, after all.”

“You got that right, but what I really wish is that you weren’t so upset with me still,” Liam said, his voice softening. “This would have been a lot more enjoyable, as I must say I appreciate your spicy side, but I genuinely missed how sweet you can be.” He gave her a playful smile. “Not a fan of the face slapping though. Zero out of ten stars for that on my Yelp review.”

Victoria’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she grinned. “Well, turn around then and you can rate my foot up your derriere. Maybe you’ll find that more to your liking, but I am more than willing to slap you again for a direct comparison.”

“Oh, but Princess! I do declare, I am utterly scandalized!” Liam exclaimed, fanning himself dramatically. “Next, you’ll be telling me you’ve taken up sword fighting and plan to duel me at dawn!” They both burst into laughter, the tension between them easing, just like old times.

“Tempting, but hardly, seeing how I am no fool and you are the one out of the two of us with the military training. And didn’t they use guns rather than swords for duels anyway?” she smiled, looking down. When she raised her eyes to meet his again, her expression had softened. “Walk me home?” Victoria asked, her tone softening, a hint of vulnerability in her eyes.

“Is that Vic asking or a royal command from the Princess?” Liam teased, raising an eyebrow.

“Whichever gets you to agree,” Victoria replied with a playful smirk. “It’s quite the walk, and you could entertain me with stories about your military school. If you do a good enough job, I might even be persuaded to offer you some tea.”

Liam’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he offered her his arm. “Well, in that case, how could I refuse?” he said with a grin.

Victoria linked her arm into his, her earlier anger melting away. They started walking, her giggles and laughter occasionally chiming up as Liam recounted anecdotes from his time at military boot camp, his voice animated and full of warmth.

***

In a secluded room, a figure watched the royal family’s public address on television, their face twisted in a bitter smile. With a displeased grunt, they turned off the TV and stood up, moving swiftly across the room.

The same figure was also present at the Cromwell Stables the following day, an uninvited witness, watching intently, piecing together the implications of Princess Victoria Cromwell and Viscount Liam Kensington’s conversation. They saw the way the two young members of the aristocracy looked at each other, the underlying tension and unspoken feelings. A sly smile spread across their face as they realized there was something between the two.

“Well, Viscount Liam, former stableboy, you pesky little nuisance might just come in handy,” the figure muttered to themselves, an evil grin forming on their lips. “Hope you enjoy chess, as you have just become a very important piece in my personal game of vengeance.”

With that, the figure turned and walked away, their mind already plotting the next move to bring down the royal family.