Page 58 of Lorenzo & Lily

A skittering excitement brushed over his skin and goosebumps erupted. His daughter was finally here, under his roof. He would finally get to know her and protect her and guide her.

He wouldn’t mess this up. He would succeed. He had no other choice.

* * *

As a Masillian resident, Lily knew of the castle. She’d seen many, many pictures of it. As Lorenzo had renovated it and made it relevant as more than just a royal holding, more press and pictures had followed. She and Liliana had even walked by it on occasion.

None of that had prepared her for this.

Though she supposed Lorenzo was used to opulence and luxury, Lily had learned to live without it for the last several years. She associated luxury with her past and her parents, and it’d had no place in her present.

Until now.

She felt a cold, slithering fear crawl over her as she entered the castle for the first time, Royal Protection agents leading the way, the movers using an alternate entrance into the Royal Wing. She wasn’t afraid of the castle walls or their history. She wasn’t even afraid of Lorenzo.

She was terrified of depending on that luxury – of depending on anything, really – only to have it slip away.

What if someone came between them again? Lorenzo had said he would protect them, but he didn’t have all the facts.

What if she and Liliana were told to go – or worse, she was asked to go without Liliana – and leave this beautiful place which, despite her fears, felt reluctantly like coming home? In its own way, the Royal Wing was comfortable and cozy, and the gilded moulding and marble floors was more a reflection of Valleria’s history than it was the preference of its current residents.

“Welcome,” a warm voice called, and Lily turned to see Princess Rebecca standing there, a bright smile on her face. She stepped forward and Lily hastily curtsied.

Rebecca stopped in front of her. “Please, there’s no formality between family. You’ll need to curtsy if we’re in public, I’m afraid, but please don’t bother with it when we’re alone, unless you’d prefer it.”

“Oh, well, thank you, Your Highness.”

Rebecca winked. “That also applies to names. Rebecca, please. And who is this lovely little girl with you?”

Liliana’s exuberance had faded as they’d stepped inside, and she’d clung to Lily ever since. Perhaps the change was too much for her. “This is Liliana.”

Rebecca crouched down, expertly balancing herself on the toes of her high-heeled shoes. “Well, hello. But I think this is Princess Liliana, isn’t it?”

Liliana nodded, but still clung to her mother’s leg.

“Do you know I’m a princess, too?”

“You are?” Liliana whispered.

Rebecca nodded, a wistful smile on her face. “I married a prince, so that makes me a princess.”

“She married Prince Alexander, honey. Remember when I told you I was going to the royal wedding a few months ago? And we watched the replay together when I got back? It was her wedding.”

Liliana gasped and stepped forward, one hand still clutching her mother’s. “On the tele-wision, they said he was the king.”

Rebecca grinned. “He will be, and one day I’ll be the queen. Right now, though, he’s just an acting king and prince, and I’m a princess.”

“Will I be queen one day?”

Rebecca smiled. “You might be, but it’s not very likely. You’ll probably stay a princess your whole life.”

“Oh.”

“That’s still a very important job.”

“It is?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Rebecca stood and held out her hand to Liliana. She looked at it a moment, then looked at her mother. After another glance at Rebecca, Liliana slowly removed her hand from Lily’s and took Rebecca’s hand. Together, they began walking down the hall, Lily following.

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