Page 36 of Coral Prince Conundrum
Daryl looks at me, his brown eyes pleading for help. I sit up straighter. “Priya, be nice,” I grumble.
Her eyes flick to me, then she shakes out her shoulders and studies her food. “Of course. Anything for the Coral Prince.”
“Hey, I am the Coral Prince,” Oroy says in an indignant manner. His message is undercut by the crumbs flying out of his mouth. I forget that my siblings did not have nearly as much decorum training as I did. “The second Coral Prince.”
“Which means you do not deserve the respect,” Priya retorts. She points at him with a challenging smirk. Oroy rolls his eyes, and Priya sips her water. “Or the responsibility,” she says, putting her goblet down. She turns to me and adds, “You know Father is meeting with the Corali Court in three days?”
“Three days?” I frown. “I thought we had more time.”
“It’ll be fine,” Daryl says in a low tone. “We can do this.” His fingers twitch, and I can tell he’s abstaining from touching me, the physical affection we both crave.
I smile and place my hand over his. “Thank you,” I mouth to him.
“What do you mean, ‘we can do this’?” Priya asks.
Daryl nods. “I’m helping him draft a presentation for your Corali Court.”
“Really?” Priya asks.
“Daryl carries with him a vast amount of knowledge. Working together, I believe he and I can convince the governing body not to declare martial law on the sea.”
“You’ll be doing the talking. I’m just there for the media stuff to assist with the message.” Daryl gazes at me with fondness, and then turns to Priya. “Your brother here is an inspiration.”
“Media stuff? Like what?” Oroy asks while stuffing his face with oatmeal. “Those old dudes are like dinosaurs with parchment. It is so not cowabunga.”
“I have various digital presentations ready. Speaking of, Oroy?” My brother freezes mid-bite when Daryl turns to him. “Your brother told me you have access to underwater smart technology. Think you could assist me?”
Oroy’s eyes light up, and he coughs. After he breathes again, he says, “Yes. Yes, oh my gosh, so much so. This will be so cowabunga, so rad, and so ill.” My brother nearly hops up and down in his seat. “I would love to help you!”
Daryl chuckles. “Great.”
“Finally, someone interested in my underwater screen technology!” Oroy beams at all of us. Meanwhile, Priya seems dubious.
“You are both working on a presentation for the Corali Court?” my sister asks.
I take another spoonful and nod. “Yes. He is quite wise.”
Priya looks around, then stands up. “Brother, may I have a moment with you, please?” she murmurs in Corali. I hesitate, but when I spot Oroy showing Daryl a phone, I stand up. I follow her to the kitchen, where Imelda is eating.
Before Imelda can stand up, my sister raises her hand. “Clear the room, give us privacy for five minutes, please.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Our most loyal servant nods and dashes away, taking the chef with her.
I fix my sister with a serious look. “Yes?”
“Are you sure you should be telling this American all about our country?”
A defensive heat blooms in my chest. I cross my arms and look away. “Yes. He is, after all?”
“Your soulmate, yes, yes.” My sister rolls her eyes. “But are you sure he is not changing your mind about what you know to be true?”
I give her a stern look. “What we know to be true changes every day. The choices I make are my own. If you can prevent war, wouldn’t you?”
She looks away, mulling my words. “I suppose the duties of the Coral Prince are great. Millions of humans and marine animals hang in the balance.” She turns to me. “I only hope you know what you’re doing.”
I try to give my most confident smile. “I am, dear sister.” I walk her back to the dining area to finish my breakfast. Naturally, I don’t know for certain if I’m taking the right next step, or if our research will even be enough.
When I see Daryl laughing with my brother, my heart swells. His smile is as dazzling as a hundred bioluminescent krill. I will never regret growing closer to this surface-dweller. Now we just need to focus on the mission.
