Page 65 of A Valiant Prince

“Come in,” I say, something keeps me from going to the door.

Jack cracks the door open. “Your aunt has taken a turn for the worse, I’m afraid. We are being summoned back to the palace,” Jack says with a sigh.

“What?!” Anna says. “What do you mean ‘a turn for the worse’?”

“Her vitals aren’t staying where they should. It doesn’t look good. Your father wants you all home,” he says. I wince because their father doesn’t know where they are.

“So, our plan is ruined then,” she says with a huff and sits down on the bed.

“Well, our plan has changed. You will all still be together. We will need to very carefully orchestrate the next few days. I have no intel that anyone has been here, although it’s only been a little over forty-eight hours, so…anyhow, we’ll need to adapt. I will fly out ahead of you tonight. Your father has contacted your security. He’s going to be calling each of you to let you know. Act like this is news. Ask questions. I’ll tell him I want to stay close because we have some concerns about anti-monarchists attempting something with Lara’s condition worsening,” he says.

“Fine. When do we leave?” she asks.

“You are technically flying tonight to London, where you’ll meet your brothers and fly on to Norddale tomorrow morning. Pete is dealing with things now. We’ll get you all down to London tonight and out first thing in the morning,” Jack says.

“But…” Anna trails off and looks longingly at her computer. “Never mind. It can wait,” she says as her phone buzzes. She reaches over and picks it up, giving us a nod that tells us it’s her father.

I follow Jack out of the room to give her some privacy.

“Jack? I’m not leaving her. Will my father be there?” I ask him.

“Yes. He came back as soon as he heard about Lara. They are good friends as well,” Jack explains, making me realize just how little I know about my father.

Jack starts to walk down the hall but turns to me. “Give him a chance, Logan. Your father is a good man,” he says before he walks down the stairs, leaving me standing by myself, immersed in my own thoughts.

Chapter Twenty-Three

As we land in Norddale, I realize that I’m getting entirely too used to flying on private jets. Our security team quickly ushers us through a private area in customs, and we are whisked away in SUVs. I place my passport back in my bag as I sit next to Anna. I feel something in the pocket and pull out my mother’s locket.

“I thought you shouldn’t keep it in a box,” Anna says quietly from next to me. I place it in my pant’s pocket because I’m not sure what I should do with it. Less than thirty minutes later, we pull up to the royal palace.

My eyes nearly bug out of my head. I had no idea of its grandeur until this moment. The summer palace had seemed so large, so ornate, but this…this is a whole other level of opulence.

“This…is your home?” I ask, turning toward Anna. She looks out the window and nods.

“You grew up here?” I reiterate.

She places a hand on mine. “It’s just a building,” she reassures me. It dawns on me, as we drive through the gates where citizens have laid out flowers for Lara, that my father probably lives in a ginormous castle too. I don’t know why that never dawned on me before today.

We exit the cars in a private courtyard area. An older woman greets us at the door.

“Oh, Anna! I was so worried!” she cries as she sweeps Anna into a giant bear hug. Anna hugs her back and pats her shoulder.

“I’m fine, Helga. Really,” she says as she pulls back.

“Helga, this is Logan,” she introduces me. I won’t lie, I’m a little hurt she doesn’t say that I’m her boyfriend, but I try to hide that with a smile.

“Pleasure to meet you,” I say as I extend my hand which is promptly swatted away. I, too, am pulled into a giant bear hug.

“If you’re Anna’s friend, and she brought you here, then you are family,” she says. Her warmth and hospitality seem unusual juxtaposed against the lavishness of the castle.

“Your room is ready for you,” she says to Anna. Anna nods and takes my hand, leading me into the castle or palace or whatever you want to call the monstrosity of a building we are entering.

I lose track of where we go as Anna drags me up a flight of stairs and down various corridors.

“Should we have left a trail of breadcrumbs?” I ask her as we ascend a second staircase.

She laughs. “You’ll figure it out quickly. I promise,” she says just as she pushes open one side of a set of giant double doors. We enter a sitting area. I realize we are in an apartment essentially.

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