Page 17 of Appointing

“Right,” Elin said as the steam from the water nearly overtook her face.

This would have been a perfect time for that catalog photographer to take that cover photo. Elin’s face was just above the water. Her eyes were ice-blue. Her hair was slicked back now and a darker blonde.

“Maybe we should just relax in the water for a bit.”

Elin nodded slowly.

CHAPTER 6

“Why are we delaying the announcement?” her mother asked.

“We’re not delaying; we’re trying to ensure everything is done in the proper order and in the proper time,” her father replied.

“Dad, I’m leaving soon. I report for duty in–”

“Christian, I know when you’re leaving.You’rethe reason we’re having this meeting, to begin with. Don’t you think I’m aware of the timeline you’ve presented me and your mother with?”

“Actually, it’syouwho’s doing this, Dad. I was going to wait until I’d gotten to Major before announcing anything. I figured by then, Lillian or Mari would have kids, and I could tell you I didn’t want the throne officially. You’d have more heirs, and I could go back to the Air Force. You needing to retire meant that I had to tell you a little earlier, but I’ve been trying to warn you since I joined the military that I wanted a career there, not as King.”

“What about Elin?” her mom asked.

“What about her?”

“You mentioned Mari and Lillian’s children, but Elin takes over for you now.”

“Oh, Elin doesn’t–”

“Mom, you know I don’t really want children, right? We’ve talked about this,” Elin joined in.

“Yes, you’ve mentioned. But you’ve never said why, and things have changed now: you’re assuming the throne. You need to reconsider a lot of things in your life now. That Prince of Denmark, for example,” her mom reminded.

“Mom, please. This isn’t the seventeenth century; you don’t need to sell your daughter off to the highest bidder now,” Lillian chimed in. “She’s a Queen. He’s a Prince.”

“Yes, well, there aren’t many Kings available these days, are there?” her mother joked.

“So, he’d be expected to come here? Mom, he’s going to be King of Denmark one day. She’d have to live there. They’d rule Norway from Denmark. That doesn’t make sense,” Christian reasoned.

“He’s a good boy. He’s twenty-eight years old. And his father is a good man, raised him well. The King is also only in his fifties, had his firstborn young. Erik won’t take the throne for at least another thirty years. He’s a great water polo player, and I’ve been told he isn’t bad at rugby, either,” her father noted.

“Elin could do worse,” her mother added.

“Hi, I’m sitting right here,” Elin replied. “And I don’t want to marry Prince Erik.”

“It’s tooLittle Mermaid, isn’t it?” Lillian teased her.

“What about a party?” her mother suggested. “Before the announcement, we could invite eligible bachelors and bachelorettes to the palace for a party. Christian, you need to start thinking about settling down, too; crown or no crown. We could do it before people know Elin is going to be Queen. You meet someone who treats you right before they know you’re about to take the crown and take it from there.”

“Mom, I really don’t want to have a party,” she replied.

“You’ll have a consecration anyway, and it’s better for them to meet you before they know. When you see how they are without the–”

“Can we discuss this later?” her father interrupted. “Right now, we need to discuss what will happen when Christian officially removes himself from the line of succession. Have you thought about your own children since we last talked, son?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, once you’re removed – they’re no longer in line. You’re removing yourself from the family on paper, Christian. We’ve talked about this. You’ll take pay from the Air Force like any other Captain. You’ll be able to stay at the palace, of course, and at any of our private residences when you’re not on duty, but you’ll be paying your own way from here on. There’s no halfway in this for you; I won’t have you taking the nation’s money and not performing the job of a royal. Your future wife and children then won’t receive titles. They won’t receive compensation from the family. Of course, this is my decision, and once Elin reigns, she might change her mind, but I’d encourage her not to. You’re making this decision for yourself, which I understand, but I can’t abide you reaping the same benefits of being part of this family as someone who will still work for it like Elin, Lillian, and Mari.”

“Mari hasn’t even started royal life yet. She’s been at school and then in–”

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