Theo:
My mind was numb as I went to dinner, dealing with my last official engagement as a Prince. The guests consisted of mostly ambassadors and other royalty, looking for one last chance to plead their case for this or that, treaties and the like. I sidestepped most of them, promising to keep the course my father had chosen. But there were enough of them to keep me from ducking out early—especially when Daniel Hofstetter honed in on me like a guided missile after the others had worn me down, sneaking in at the end.
"Your father would be proud to see you like this," he said as we finished off our meal with the usual after-dinner drinks. "Taking command of the country like a King would."
"I haven't done anything yet. Just promised not to do anything. Hardly 'taking command'." I drained m
