Page 42 of Royal Caleva: Luis

At the San Ignacio airport earlier that morning, they had been met at the gate by Clara and whisked through Customs in a special line before boarding another elegant van. As they drove from the airport into San Ignacio and up the cliff to the castle, Clara had pointed out all the notable sights along the way. Eve caught glimpses of the lavender vaho hibiscus glowing against gray basalt walls, but the van windows were closed, so she couldn’t smell it.

Now they were getting a brief tour of the castle on their way to being greeted by the minister of Agriculture. “We are in the oldest part of Castillo Draconago, which was built in about 1510,” Clara said. “This hall is used for formal ceremonial events. Your welcome reception is in a newer and more hospitable wing built in the 1600s.” She paused to let them gawk at the stone walls and vaulted wooden ceiling high above their heads.

As Clara marched them down another hallway, she explained that they were now in the wing of the castle that was Caleva’s version of the White House, where King Luis and his ministers had their official offices. At the mention of his name, Eve’s pulse gave a little leap, and Grace’s eyes lit up as she gave her mother an excited smile. The air seemed to grow more vibrant at the thought that Luis was somewhere nearby.

Clara opened a door and gestured them through. “This is the Salón de los Lirios. Please help yourself to the food and beverages.” She glanced at her watch. “The minister will be here in fifteen minutes. There is a bathroom through that door.” She pointed to an oak door set in the paneled wall.

The salón featured tall arched windows, several comfortable seating areas delineated by vivid Persian rugs, and portraits of what Eve guessed were previous rulers on the walls. On one side of the room stood two long, carved wooden tables laden with elegantly arrayed food and drinks, behind which stood several servers wearing black trousers, white shirts, and teal vests and ties. The teal was a shade known as Calevan green, as she had learned on the flight over. It evoked the skin color of the native Calevan lizards.

Although they had all eaten on the plane, the students made a beeline for the food and drinks.

“I suppose we should make sure there’s no alcohol over there,” one of the veterinarians said with a worried look. “Some of the students took full advantage of the free booze on the plane.”

Eve watched the group piling their plates with food. “I think they’re overawed enough by the castle to stay sober, but I’ll check with the servers.”

She strolled over to the beverage station and asked about the offerings and was assured that none contained alcohol. The server suggested she try a pineapple drink that was a Calevan specialty. She found it deliciously refreshing with subtle touches of mint and lime.

The students were clustered in one seating area, devouring their tapas, when the door swung open and a small brown-haired woman dressed in a burgundy pantsuit burst into the room. She was followed by a tall, thin young man in a gray suit.

“Bonjour! I am Adeline Arnaud, Caleva’s minister of Agriculture,” the woman said in a voice that made all the students jump to their feet. “This is my assistant, who will be your liaison during your stay.” She smiled, and her stern face became beautiful. “We are excited to have you all here because a veterinary college in Caleva has always been a goal of ours. Now, I wish to meet you, so please come here and introduce yourselves.”

Eve liked the woman’s no-nonsense approach. Since the two vets looked taken aback, Eve shepherded the students over to meet the minister, introducing them one by one. The two vets joined them, and soon everyone was chatting in a single group.

The door opened again, and a gray-haired man, dressed in a dark suit, announced in an authoritative voice, “His Majesty King Luis!”

The room fell silent, and excitement fizzed through the air. Grace threw Eve a nervous look.

Luis strode into the room, dressed in a navy suit, pale blue shirt, and red tie, and as always took possession of every square inch of the space. His smile seemed to add extra megawatts of illumination as he said, “I wanted to welcome our delegation of veterinary education experts.”

Eve suddenly realized that all the Calevans in the room had sunk into deep curtsies and bows. She quickly emulated them and gestured that her other compatriots should do the same.

“A pleasure to see you, Ministre,” Luis said. “I heard that you were here with our new arrivals, so I took a few minutes to add my welcome to yours.”

“We are honored, Votre Majesté,” the minister said, looking stunned. She recovered quickly. “May I introduce them to you?”

His gaze swept the rapt faces turned toward him, but he gave no indication that he recognized Grace or Eve. “That would be delightful.”

The minister marshaled them into an orderly line to make the introductions. Eve made sure she was at the beginning of the line so that she could demonstrate to her fellow Americans how to curtsy when meeting royalty. She mentally crossed her fingers that they would follow her lead. All of them had received instructions on proper Calevan etiquette, but she wasn’t sure they would remember when dazzled by the king’s presence.

“May I present Eve Howard, a veterinary technician at the university’s clinic,” the minister said, her memory impressing the heck out of Eve.

“Your Majesty,” Eve said, curtsying before placing her hand in his to shake. That warm, strong grip felt so familiar and so delicious.

There was an intimate twinkle in Luis’s eyes, and he gave her hand a slight squeeze. “Thank you for coming to advise my countrymen, señora,” he said. “I hope you will find your stay here interesting and rewarding.”

“We are happy to be here,” she said.

And her turn was over.

The two veterinarians, both men, came next, and Eve was relieved to see that they made very creditable bows. If the students muffed their obeisances, they were young and would be forgiven.

She watched Luis as the students cycled through, suspecting that Grace also got the extra twinkle and squeeze because her polite smile widened a bit. Otherwise, he was clearly a king, warm and socially graceful, but with a profound distance between him and the others in the room.

Eve felt a quiver of unease. She had sensed his power in Iowa, but now it was on full display. Even the self-assured minister’s manner changed to pure deference when addressing Luis. In the casual settings of their previous interactions with him, she and Grace had not grasped the full implications of his position. Now they were on his home turf, and Luis dominated it.

“My apologies, Señor.” The man who had announced Luis’s presence appeared at his side again. “We must depart for your next meeting.”

Regret flashed across Luis’s face as he said farewell to the starstruck group of grad students and vets. “We will meet again at the reception later this week,” Luis said. “Until then, adios.”

---