Page 34 of A True King

“Hello?” my father answers.

“Dad?”

“Mia? How are you, love?”

I take a deep breath. “I’m fine. I mean, I’m OK. Dad, I need to talk to you about some things.”

There’s a long pause. “I figured you would eventually call.”

“Do you speak with your father?” I ask.

The silence is more of an answer than any spoken words could possibly be. “I…” Dad trails off.

“When?” I ask.

He clears his throat before speaking. “First, you need to understand that I only met my father once. I was five years old, and he came to see me and my mother. I didn’t know who he was at the time. He took me on a carousel, and we ate ice cream. I had my first trip to the zoo that day. It wasn’t until years later when I inquired about who my father was that my mother asked if I remembered that man.”

“And since then?” I prod.

“Several weeks ago. I had a phone call. I didn’t answer. His personal secretary left me a message saying he was trying to get in touch with me. Something urgent and to ring back as soon as possible.”

“Did you?”

“Yes.”

“Dad, what did he say?”

“He wanted to meet you.”

Now it’s me who remains silent.

“I told him that I didn’t want you involved in anything royal. He said he was asking out of respect to me as his son and your father, but he would arrange it himself if I did not.”

A million questions flew through my head. Why did my grandfather want to meet me? Why now? What did he want to talk about? Why had he bothered to go through my father at all?

“I didn’t change my mind. I told him no and to stay away from my family. He gave me a long sob story. Claimed to have actually married my mother. Claimed I was the rightful heir to his throne. It was crazy talk from a crazy, old man.”

“Dad…” I trail off as movement at the door catches my eye. Christian stands there, watching me intently.

“Dad,” I start again, “what if…what if he wasn’t crazy? What if what he said was true?”

“What? That’s preposterous. Mum would have said something to me.”

“Is your mother, my grandmother, still alive?” I ask.

“No. She passed away a few years ago,” Dad says.

I swallow, realizing for the first time he had confirmed that I’d never know her. “I’m sorry.”

“She had been sick for a long time. I let her visit you once when you were little though.”

I try to remember meeting an old woman as a child, but I can’t recall it.

“She went to the zoo with us,” he says.

“Well, I guess history does repeat itself,” I respond with an eye roll.

“Listen, I never meant for any of this to happen, Mia. You must understand. I wanted to protect you and your mother. Just as my mother wanted to protect me. Being a royal…legitimate or not, is…tough. It’s public scrutiny. I didn’t want that for you.”

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