Princess in waiting

Chapter9

Giselle leaned back with a smile on her face. Her conversation, which was a conversation she had been planning to have with Julian, yielded the results that she had been dying to earn. Julian was a stranger to the fire inside her, to heal people, to make people’s lives better. Before she met Julian, she had volunteered in many NGOs. She had worked passionately with many teams, while yearning to get promoted so that she could have a voice that had more prominence than being a single volunteer among a mass of passionate volunteers. Dating Julian could give her the prominence and acceptance that she craved, to make her mark in the world and make a difference. Giselle was thrilled. Today, she spoke about her dreams.

"How come I did not know that this was your passion? I can see that you are passionate about it, and you truly care!" Julian was moved when Giselle spoke of her detailed plan to use her status as the crown prince's girlfriend to get involved in projects that would make the rich and the elite aware of the people who are less fortunate. Though she was almost frightened to admit it, she believed that rich people should be more sensitive towards those who suffer and that they should contribute more when they come across people who are unable to live with the privileges that the rich enjoy. Giselle wanted to make her mark as a royal who worked for the people.

****

“ Have you taken care of the tickets?” Prince Julian Stuart spoke to his agent.

Then he dialed Lady Evelyn—Arthur Calpabelle’s fiancé.

“Dude, it’s me, Julian.” He heard Derek’s joyful voice from the other end.

“ What’s up, man? You and your girl are expecting? ”

“ Dude, you c***k me up! Nah! But I’m gonna propose, and I know that you would keep your mouth shut, all right? Don’t tell Evelyn because I’m gonna call her and tell her myself. ”

“ Noted, Julian. Where are you taking her for the surprise "?

“Ibiza.”

A few days later, four of them were on a double date to Ibiza. That is what Giselle knew, and she was happy about Lady Evelyn joining the trip. They were to book the tickets and check into hotels as Paul and Stella. Julian was extremely anxious about getting the names right and all the bookings done in secrecy. Paparazzi swarming in when he fumbled with words to propose, and the camera shutters clicking away, would be his worst nightmare. More than anything, Julian was afraid that it might scare Giselle away at the last moment. Giselle might change her mind.

Lady Evelyn-Arthur Calpabelle and her husband were the most delightful spectators as the most romantic and peaceful proposal ended in a ‘yes’. The monarch and the queen were the happiest recipients of the news that their son had thoughts of choosing a lady whose hands held the future of the monarchy.

“I know that both of us are happy for Julian. I feel like it’s a safe place.”

“But what?” The Queen knew what her husband would say next.

“How would the public react? I mean, this hasn’t happened before. It has always been one of us. Things just happened to fall into place.”

The Queen laughed aloud, which made the King jump slightly.

“Things fall into place? Didn’t people work on making those things fall into place, my dear?” The Queen looked at her husband, which made her husband take his eyes away from the sharpness in her eyes.

“Also, I may add something, the public is gonna react, you and I are going to protect her.” With these words, her majesty the Queen walked out of the room without turning back.

“What triggered that?”

The Queen asked herself as a solitary tear streaked down her face. She had narrated what had happened to her in the past and how “things” were “planned" to “fall into place” and how her state visit with her parents ended with an arranged marriage between her and the King, who would become her husband, forcing her to leave the love of her life behind.

****

The garden of St. Santiago’s palace was an entire celebration. The engaged couple was to make their first public appearance and the interview to announce their engagement, in the garden of St. Santiago’s Palace. Among the many invitations the couple received, one invitation demanded non-negotiable attendance.

“But why? I barely have time to breathe,” Giselle complained.

“Sweetheart, we have a history. We practically co-exist, and I’ve already told the story of ‘the great code green’. It’s an undocumented, unspecified agreement between those Scandinavians and us. They’ve been there for us and we for them. You can count them as sincere well-wishers.”

“That makes me think, Julian…” When Giselle paused, Julian chuckled.

“Hmmmm?”

“I’ll be in the middle of a lot of people from around the world, whom I do not know,” Giselle pronounced the last three words with more emphasis. Julian kissed his ladylove’s hand.

“Not in the middle of. But you will be thrust into it. There will be vivacious people around you each passing second, and you wouldn’t know any of them. You have us, me, Mama, and Dada. You can confide in them in anything and always come to me. Not anyone else. Relax because you have us.”

“Another question.” Giselle held up her index finger and smiled sheepishly.

“Am I supposed to be discreet about these kinds of ‘code green’ stuff? To keep it from my family?”

“I’m afraid, yes. When it comes to these things, your family members are denied access to.”

Giselle sighed, but she smiled.

“You are supposed to be super discreet about a hundred other things.” When Julian looked at Giselle, he knew that she understood. He thanked the lord for Giselle.

“Can I wear the ring?”

Julian smirked.

“You told me the previous one was the last question!” Both of them laughed.

“Of course, wear it to the wedding, but it is best if you are not seen with the ring until we make the announcement and give the interview.”

****

“Set up and arrange for my house in Merzouga as my office. I’ll be overseeing everything from there. Arrange for my private vessel, and I’ll need 12 of you with me on the vessel, and I need a matcha.”

“Here comes a new wave of moods!” “ One of the members winked at the Underboss, as their boss said these words, looking at the Underboss. They understood that when the boss needed time to think, had chaos going on, or when business was not smooth, he got himself a matcha. Definitely, Danny Kay detested the taste of matcha. What they did not understand was that every time the Underboss got the boss a matcha, the boss had something which he wanted only his deputy to know about.

“ I need you to set up surveillance within the 1st day that I’m out of here. 24 hours is the deadline. The others will be with me, and this compound will be cleared. I need to oversee the office here from Merzouga.”

By midnight, a priest was ready to go on his escape trip, dressed in a cassock and a black belt, grooming his long beard. The Underboss laughed wickedly as he slipped a large cross of silver around the priest’s neck. In another five minutes, the mafia leader and his crew were at sea, ready for anything, and the Underboss had already begun his faithful part of the work.

****

“Boss, why have you decided to go across Belfast?”

“Who goes across Belfast? I’m a priest traveling to Ireland to a religious ritual in Belfast.” Danny Kay glared at his crew member.

Hours later, Danny Kay’s peaceful slumber was disturbed by a message delivered by the Captain of his vessel, reporting that another vessel was headed straight at them, without any hesitation. According to the watcher, that vessel had the Scottish and the Irish flags on it.