Page 51 of The Heart of the King

Bowing at the waist, he kissed the back of Hazel’s hand as well. “You look lovely, my dear.”

Her cheeks colored. “Thank you.”

David let go of Hazel’s hand and held out his elbow instead. “Would you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to the vehicle?”

Zellie hesitated again, but after a few seconds slipped her hand into the crook of David’s arm.

Part of Jazz wondered why she didn’t feel jealous - or maybe slighted would be a better word - but most of her was exceedingly glad the two were starting to connect.

David would be driving them to the marina where the yacht was currently docked. Lex and Lux would follow them, but remain on land while Randall and Daniel handled security with teams from the other countries. David held the rear door for Hazel to get in then the front door for Jazz.

Jazz started to admonish the girl to put on her seatbelt, but found she already had.

The ride to the marina was quiet but also short. They were the first ones to arrive. The other delegations had been in town since earlier in the day, but David hadn’t seen any of them yet.

David led the way up the gangplank and into some sort of lounge/salon area. Jazz tried not to gawk as she looked around.

Hazel made no such effort.

In fact, she spun in a circle as she looked around. “This is so cool.”

David motioned for her to sit down. “I know we’ve talked a little bit about what to expect, but I wanted to tell you some more about it. There’s going to be three kings and one queen here. I’m one of them. King Edward has been king the longest, followed by King Benjamin. They’ve both been kings for many years, while Esmeralda has been queen for only a couple of years. Because Eyjania is our closest ally the other three so King Benjamin will arrive first with his wife, Queen Katrín. Next will be King Edward. He’s the oldest. He’s bringing his daughter, Princess Astrid, and his granddaughter, Princess Sofia. I think she’s a little bit older than you. You’ll sit with her and when it’s time for grown-ups to do grown-up things, Mrs. Sneedly will take you to watch a movie, okay?”

Zellie’s eyes were wide. “Okay,” she said softly.

“Last is Queen Esmeralda from Islas del Sargasso. Her husband, Prince Gabriel, will be with her. Do you know who Gabriel is?”

Hazel shook her head.

“Gabe is my - our - brother. He’s a couple of years younger than me.”

This time the girl seemed to almost shrink into herself, but she didn’t say anything.

“I’ve told him about you, and he can’t wait to meet you.” David leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “In fact, I think he’d probably rather watch a movie with you and Sofia than do the grown-up stuff later.”

That helped her relax a little bit.

“Who do I have to curtsy to?” Her voice sounded subdued, but her shoulders had straightened.

“You, Jasmine, and I will stand together to greet everyone as they board. When we do that, you’ll need to curtsy to all of the adults, except one, and use their titles, Your Majesty, except for two. Do you know which one?”

Jasmine watched as he gave Hazel a lesson in royal etiquette.

Zellie’s brows knit together as she thought. “The other girl’s mum.”

David grinned as he nodded. “Very good. Do you know why?”

“Because she’s a princess not king or queen.” Hazel’s brows pulled together as she thought. “She’sYour Royal Highness.”

“Exactly.”

“Why do I curtsy to Gabe then? He’s a prince.”

Jazz hid her smile as her husband’s grin widened. “Very good question, Hazel. Who is Gabe married to?”

She thought a second. “A queen. The one with the long name.”

“Exactly. A woman who marries a king is a queen, like Jasmine is, but a man who marries a queen is a prince, but he still gets the respect for someone married to a monarch. He’s called Your Royal Highness, too, instead of Your Majesty. Does that make sense?”

---