Page 70 of Modern Romance November 2024 5-8

There were some gorgeous jewels contained in a little pouch. She poured them into her hand. ‘Are these real?’

He barely glanced over.

‘I would think so,’ he said. ‘We don’t have any...’

‘Costume jewellery?’ She rolled her eyes. ‘You are such a snob.’

She looked at the gorgeous sapphires, diamonds and rubies, all just exquisite, and then carefully replaced them in the pouch.

‘Here’s a report card...’ she said. Then she read the name. ‘It’s your father’s.’

‘We went to the same school.’ He rolled his eyes.

She read through it. ‘It says that he’s kind and thoughtful.’

‘So long as he gets his own way. I think they probably only said such nice things because of his title.’

‘Did they say nice things about you?’

‘They did,’ he agreed. ‘Because I was an excellent student.’

‘Arrogant?’

‘“Confident”, I believe they said...’

‘Did you like boarding school?’

‘I would have liked it a lot better without Aadil guarding me.’

‘You really don’t like him?’

‘No. He was always snooping...reporting back to my father. He was the one who told me that my mother had died.’

‘What did he tell you?’ Violet asked.

‘The truth.’

Violet frowned.

‘He told me she was ill. That it was serious, and I was needed back home. I wanted to see her. He took a message after we boarded the jet and then started going through protocol.’

‘Protocol?’

‘For if the Queen dies, or the King, or whoever...’

Violet nodded, trying to imagine what that must be like—to be losing someone you love and having to think of protocol.

‘I told him that I was aware of my role and that it was offensive of him to speak like that when she was fighting for her life...’

Violet nodded. ‘I’d have felt the same.’

‘Well, he barely glanced up from his papers, then he said, “The Queen has already died.”’

Violet gasped. ‘That’s how he told you?’

‘He then added “Your Highness”, and offered his condolences, but, yes, that was how he told me.’ He looked over. ‘I think he was trying to provoke me.’

‘Provoke?’

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