Page 3 of The Billionaire's Royal Secret

The brush hesitated before finishing its swipe through her hair. “You have that faraway look that suggests a plan is hatching in that sharp mind of yours.”

“I believe I have formed a plan. And if it works…” She ripped her gaze from the landscape, centering them on Caroline through the mirror. “I just may be free.”

The corners of her lips turned up as she practiced her plea. She spent the last parts of her afternoon perfecting it, refining the words, carefully crafting the statements for the maximum impact. She’d learned much over the years from both her father and her mother about how to win an argument, a skill she’d need as monarch of a small country.

“Any hints?” Caroline asked as she finished with her hairstyle for dinner.

Elena grinned at her as she pulled her gloves on. “None. Wish me luck, dear Caroline. If I succeed, we shall have much planning to do.”

She lifted her skirts on her formal dinner gown and hurried from the room, down to the living room.

“Fashionably late, darling,” her father said as he poured her a sherry.

“My sincere apologies, Father, but I had quite a bit of thinking to do.”

“Oh?” her mother said after a sip of her cocktail. “And what conclusions did you come to?”

“It was not so much a conclusion as an idea,” Elena answered, perching with a straight back on the edge of the sofa next to her mother.

“An idea? For?” her father asked.

Elena sipped at her sherry, making her final refinements to her proposal. “I understand my duty to this country and this family. And I intend to fulfill it. Though I have a request first.”

Her father arched a dark eyebrow. “Excellent news, darling. What is your request?”

“I have been quite sheltered here. Before my life becomes entwined with state affairs and the demands of a husband, I wish to travel. Maybe engage in solitary charity work without the formalities of royal obligations. Real character-building work.”

After exchanging a glance with her mother, her father narrowed his eyes at Elena. “Travel? Darling, if you would like to see the sights, I would be happy to escort you on a world-wide tour. It can be your birthday present.”

Elena shook her head. “No, Father. Not a tour. I have seen Paris, London, Athens, Rome, all from the back of a limousine and the heights of a penthouse. But I want to experience life. Somewhere where no one knows me. I want to spend some time alone before I am tether–joined by a husband.”

“And on this little…life trip, you would…do what?”

“Learn. About the world. About me. About how to be aneffective leader.”

He puckered his lips as he shot another glance to her mother who offered a slight tilt to her head and a lift of one shoulder, indicative of her entertaining the idea.

“And how would you do that?”

“Well,” she said with a deep breath, “I will participate in a number of charitable organizations. Like a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter. But not throwing a charity gala for them—actually working with the people.”

“And afterwards, you would return home, and announce your engagement?”

“Yes,” she said with a smile. “I just feel…overwhelmed and would like to explore before I’m so fully committed.”

“Perhaps a spa session would be more in order.”

“Oh, Father, I am trying to be responsible here. A massage and a facial will do nothing for my character.”

“I do not like it, Elena,” he answered as he paced the floor.

Her heart sank as she desperately searched for a way to bolster her argument without seeming too desperate.

“Perhaps it is not a terrible idea, Frederick,” her mother said.

“Sending her to London or Paris to live among the masses alone is not a terrible idea? Sophia!”

Her mother heaved a small sigh.

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