Page 169 of Modern Romance January 2025 1-4

‘I know. Twins. Who would have thought?’

‘Two babies—’ he let out a low whistle. ‘How do you feel?’

‘Actually, I feel great. Excited. Nervous. But mostly, just...so blessed.’

He drew her closer and pressed his brow to hers. ‘We’re both blessed, my darling.’

And they were. Six months later, via an early, scheduled caesarean, Her Royal Highness Princess Rosalind al Morova was safely delivered of a son and a daughter. They both had dark, spiky hair and pale blue eyes and even as newborns, their hands seemed to reach for one another, linking their tiny little fingers as if in a pinkie promise that they would be best friends, always.

The pregnancy was mostly without complications, and the delivery went as planned. Not the least afraid, once the babies had been born, Rosalind was swept up in such an intense rush of love for her little ones, her husband, her country, and also her mother, to whom she now felt an irreplaceable bond. In that moment of cradling her twins, she knew for sure that she and her mother had shared a similar experience, had known a similar sense of overwhelming love, and it would join them for all time.

They named the children Antonio and Emilia, two lesser-known names from Shakespearean plays, a subtle tilt of the cap to Rosie’s mother, who was always and forever more a part of their family.

Far from reliving her mother’s terrible health fate, however, Princess Rosalind went on to have three more children, in three more healthy pregnancies, and the king lived to see all five royal descendants arrive.

He was a doting great-grandfather. It was as if he recognised that he’d been given the most valuable of all second chances in life and was determined not to waste it. Bit by bit, over time, and with effort, his relationship with both his daughter and grandson improved. The king was nothing if not stubborn, and once he’d set his mind to making amends, he spared no effort. At every opportunity, he did what he could to show how much he valued his kin, and gradually, love won out. There was no going back and fixing things, but time helped heal a wound that had at one point cut very, very deeply.

Sebastian never saw his father again, but in becoming a father himself, he overcame something else he’d been unknowingly terrified of all his life: that he wouldn’t know how to love his children. That he wouldn’t know how to put himself on the line for them. As it turned out, Mark had taught him all he needed to know on that front, and in addition, his heart had been ignited by his love for Rosie, and there was no switching it off again.

Seven years after Rosie and Sebastian’s marriage, after a family dinner with much food and laughter and happiness, the king died peacefully in his sleep. Death is, of course, always sad, but in his passing, all who’d loved him could say with sincerity that they had no regrets. The king had erred, but in recognising that and finally making amends, he’d also showed humility and forged a family connection that would prove lasting and valuable.

King Sebastian and Queen Rosalind were by then beloved figures in Cavalonian society. Far from Sebastian being considered an outsider in any way, his people had claimed him with a ferocity that at times made him laugh. But he was proud—oh so proud—of this country, his people, his family, his life and most of all, his commitment to make things better for every single person who lived in this land. To this end, both he and Rosalind worked tirelessly, lobbying the government, and using his considerable personal wealth to build state-of-the-art schools and hospitals in areas that were financially disadvantaged. Their goal to create one of the most educated and literate societies in the world was something they worked towards all their lives, and which they instilled in their children.

At the start of their marriage, both Sebastian and Rosalind would have laughed at the very idea of fairy tales. They were just make-believe stories for children, after all! Except they weren’t. As it turned out, they’d stepped into their very own fairy tale with a big, bright happily-ever-after, and they never stopped appreciating that. With every breath, every smile, every sigh, they lived and they loved and enjoyed the life they deserved—side by side, for all time.

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