Princess Thief: Stealing Your Heart (13 page)

Se
ñor Ordaz set
down his pen and smiled at Juliette.  “Now then, miss, what can I do for you?”

Juliette
hesitated. 
“I
have some questions for you.  But, first, I’d like to confirm something.  You
are bound by confidentiality, is that right?”

“I
most certainly am,” the lawyer responded.  “Nothing said in this room will
leave this room, I can assure you.”

“Let
me be more specific,” Juliette clarified.  “Our conversation must remain
private.  It cannot be shared with even the prince.  Is that acceptable to
you?”

The
lawyer arched his eyebrows in surprise. 
“Miss, I will not share anything you say
to me with the prince — just as I will not share anything the prince says to me
with you.  I will hold our conversation in the strictest confidentiality.  Fair
enough?”

Juliette
nodded and settled back into her seat. 
“Fine.  I need to know everything that
you can tell me about the law requiring the prince to be married before his
coronation.”

The
lawyer chuckled and spread his hands, palms up. 
“I cannot cite that which does
not exist.”

“Excuse
me?”

“There
is no such law.”

Juliette
stared at the lawyer, dumbfounded. 
“There is no law requiring Guillermo to
be married before he ascends the throne?”

“That
is correct.”

Juliette
started babbling,
“Then
what about all-  I mean, why am I- I mean, what’s the point-”

Se
ñor Ordaz held
up his hand and she fell silent.  “Let me explain,” he began.  “You have to
remember that, where the royal family is concerned, there is little difference
between historical tradition and actual law.  The monarchy treat many
traditions as law when, in fact, they are merely customs, passed down
generation after generation, until they have solidified into a ritual whose
meaning has been lost.  This so-called law concerning marriage before
coronation is one of those rituals.”

“Are
you telling me that he doesn’t have to be married before he becomes king?”

“On
the contrary,” the lawyer said, “if he were to ask me for my expert legal
opinion, I would most certainly recommend that he keeps the tradition alive and
marry before his coronation.”

Juliette
frowned.

“Perhaps
it would help if I explain the source of this particular custom,” Señor Ordaz
offered.  “This marriage requirement dates back to medieval times when
marriages were little more than alliances — treaties, if you will.  As you are
no doubt aware, San Morrando was founded in the 13th century as an independent
microstate.  Being so small, we have never had much of an army, per se.  We
instead rely on either France to our north or Spain to our south to provide for
our defense.  In fact, there was a brief period in the 17th and 18th centuries
where England was our main benefactor.

“But
back to my main point: from ancient times, San Morrando needed the protection
of a strong nation to survive.  The best way to insure that protection was for
the king to marry a princess from one of the protector nations, thus forming an
alliance with that nation’s monarchy.  By marrying a foreign princess
before
assuming the
throne, the prince guaranteed that his reign was viewed as legitimate by our
allies.  However, if France, Spain, and England all declined to send a princess
to San Morrando, that was a signal that the prince was viewed as unfit — and,
sadly, unfit candidates were frequently banished or executed.  So, securing a
strategic marriage before coronation became of tantamount importance to any
potential candidate to the throne.
”

Juliette
protested,
“But
surely none of that matters now that we are a constitutional monarchy?”

“As
I indicated before, this is a gray area.  For someone from the monarchy,
breaking with tradition
feels like
breaking a law.  One of the primary
duties of being a monarch is maintaining the rituals of the nation.  Especially
now, when being king is mostly a symbolic office.  If a monarch were to defy
one of those rituals, well, it has to be handled with the utmost delicacy.  You
have to carefully guard against any sort of ripple effect.  The scandal can be managed,
of course, just as any scandal can be managed.
”

“This
is insane,” Juliette protested.  “I’ve never heard something so ridiculous in
my entire life.”

Se
ñor Ordaz
chuckled.  “Such is the world we live in.  Ninety percent of my job is
navigating these waters.”

Juliette
exhaled deeply and frowned. 
“All right.  Let me just ask you straight out.  If
Guillermo were not married before the date of his coronation and you had to 
argue his case before a constitutional board of inquiry, could you win the
case?  Could you insure that Guillermo would become king even if he were still
single?”

Se
ñor Ordaz
furrowed his brow for a moment, then nodded.  “Yes.”

“You’re
sure?” Juliette pressed.

The
lawyer bristled with annoyance. 
“Young lady, please.  When I say, ‘yes,’
I mean, yes.  This is a relatively straightforward case.  In fact, I can’t
imagine who would even raise an objection should he still be single on
coronation day — no one wants to see a disruption in the royal line.  You have
nothing to worry about.  The law is clearly on our side.”

Juliette
collapsed back into her chair; she felt as if every bit of strength had
suddenly drained from her body. 
“That’s a relief,” she breathed.  She
smiled weakly and said, “Thank you.”

“Of
course,” the lawyer nodded.  “Is there anything else?”

Juliette
shook her head,
“No,”
and left.

She
returned to her room, flopped onto her bed, and fell fast asleep.

*  *  *

“Miss? 
Hello?  Miss Juliette?  Are you in here?”

Juliette
groaned into her pillow and squinted at the figure standing in the doorway.

“Emilia?”
Juliette guessed.

“Alicia,
miss,” the head maid said, entering the room.  “Emilia is getting ready to run
some errands for me.”

“What
time is it?” Juliette asked, still half-asleep.

“It’s
almost 2:30.  When you didn’t come down for your afternoon lessons, I came up
to investigate.”

Juliette
’s eyes
widened.  “I must have been more wiped out than I thought…”

“Would
you like your dinner served in here this evening?”

“Yes. 
No.  Wait- where’s the prince?”

“I
believe the prince is in his study.”

Juliette
sat up on the bed, the strands of her long dark hair hanging over her face. 
“I have to speak
with him,” she mumbled.

“You
really should eat something, miss.  Emilia mentioned that you barely touched
your breakfast.  And now you’ve slept through lunch…”

Juliette
nodded. 
“Okay,
yes, fine.  Bring me… a sandwich and some coffee, please, Alicia.”

“Very
good, miss.”

“Strong
coffee, Alicia.”

“Yes,
miss.”

Juliette
ran her hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face.  She grabbed a hair
tie from her nightstand and redid her ponytail. 

Now
comes the hard part: convincing that man.  How on earth am I going to do that?

The
Palais d
’Or
Royal Gardens were located to the east of the castle.  Modest by European
standards, these gardens were still quite lush and ornate — easily the most
impressive gardens in San Morrando.

Juliette
had passed the Royal Gardens several times as she drove in and out of the
castle grounds but this was her first chance to actually wander through them. 
The experience was Zen-like, peaceful, serene.  She savored the tranquility as
she meandered down a grassy path lined with perfectly square, foot-high hedges
on either side.

To
her left were a line of fruit trees, artfully trimmed into round globes, the
occasional songbird chirping musically as she passed.  To her right lay patches
of brightly colored flowers; a group of deep red-orange; another group of
brilliant blue.  The gardeners had varied shape, size, and height to create a
pleasing effect.

At
the end of the path, the rear of the garden was lined with a row of hedges of
alternating heights cut into trapezoidal shapes.  Peering over the shorter
hedges, Juliette could see the cold, blue waters of the Rivi
ère Bleu as it
wound behind the castle, sparkling in the sunlight.

She
spotted Guillermo finally, near the very edge of the garden, standing next to a
row of yellow lilies.  Her heart almost skipped a beat as she laid eyes on him:
brown leather boots, well-fitting blue jeans, and a flannel work shirt rolled
up to mid-forearm.  He smiled and waved to her, his hair windblown and a bit
wild.

Careful
girl.  Keep it cool and professional!

“This
is a pleasant surprise,” Guillermo said as she approached.

“Oh? 
How so?”

“I
usually have to track you down.  It’s nice being pursued for a change.”

“Ha,”
Juliette said.  “You seem to be reading more into this than there is, your
majesty.”

Guillermo
laughed heartily. 
“So,
is this your first time here?”

“Actually,
yes it is.  It’s quite lovely.”

“Here,
let me give you the royal tour.”

Guillermo
led her down the garden path, pointing out various features.  He explained to
Juliette that the entire garden was only two acres even though it felt much
larger.  The grounds were maintained by two full time gardeners with up to a
dozen more who rotated in on a seasonal basis.

When
they reached the far corner of the garden, Guillermo grabbed Juliette
’s hand
excitedly.  “Come.  I want to show you my favorite spot.”  He pulled her
through a narrow opening in the hedge and down a path towards the river.  At
the bottom of the hill, a three foot wide strip of manicured grass ran parallel
to the water.  The royal gardens were at the top of the hill to her right; in
front of her, Palais d’Or rose majestically in the distance.

“I
used to love to play here when I was a kid,” Guillermo said.  “My cousins and I
would come down here in our swim trunks and run around like idiots.  We used to
dare each other to see how long we could stay in the freezing water.  I swear,
one time, my cousin Gerardo stayed in so long, his lips turned blue,”  he
chuckled. 

Juliette
smiled. 
“It’s
so beautiful here.  I can’t believe how clear the water is.”

They
began slowly strolling along the bank. 
“People don’t realize how cold the river
is this close to the mountains.  It’s really just barely melted ice.” 

They
walked along in silence a while, enjoying the view. 
“So, what did
you want to talk about?” Guillermo asked.

Juliette
hesitated. 
“I
had a long talk with your sister last night.”

“Yes,
she mentioned it.  You made a good impression on her; she really likes you.”

Juliette
smiled. 
“I
like her, too.  She handled the aristocrats at that party like a professional.”

“She’s
amazing, isn’t she?”

Juliette
chose her words carefully. 
“She’s a great little sister and a wonderful
princess.”

“She’s
going to make a great queen,” Guillermo declared proudly.

Juliette
grimaced. 
“No,
Guillermo, she’s not.”

“What?”

Juliette
continued, 
“I’m
sorry, but she’s not.  She hasn’t got what it takes to be a great queen — at
least, not yet.  She’s just too young.”

“She’ll
grow into it.”

Juliette
took a deep centering breath, and exhaled. 
“The country doesn’t need Sofia.”  She
paused.  “The country needs you.”

“Me?”
Guillermo chuckled.  “Oh, come on.  There’s no comparison.  You said it
yourself: she handles the aristocracy like a professional.”

“The
aristocracy is not the country,” Juliette said.  “Not even close.  There are
people who need you — desperate people, who need the royal charities to
function again.  People without political power.  People without food or a roof
over their heads.  That’s who needs you.”

“Sofia
can-”

“Sofia
can’t!” Juliette insisted.  “She’s
20 years old
, Guillermo. 
She
’s
a
child
.
”

“How
dare you dismiss my sister like that!” Guillermo growled.  “You don’t know what
she’s capable of.”

“Can
you honestly stand there and tell me that Sofia can repair the royal
charities?  Can you?”

Guillermo
said nothing.

Juliette
pressed on,
“I
adore your sister.  She’s a wonderful person.  But it’s going to take a skilled
individual to fix those charities, the kind of man who can be gentle with
children, who can get tough with the warlords in Parliament, who can charm the
wealthy aristocrats, and who can command respect from the people.  That man is
you
, Guillermo.
”

“Then
I’ll just have to get the royal charities in order during the year that I’m
here — so when I leave them to Sofia, they will be working smoothly,” Guillermo
countered with that smug smile of his.

Juliette
exploded,
“That’s
bullshit.  You know damned good and well that once you leave, things are just
going to revert back to the way they were.  No one’s going to do anything if
they know that they’re not going to be held accountable.  The vultures will
descend and things will go back to they way they’ve been for the last 20
years.  Nothing will get done, the sick will die, and the hungry will starve.”

Guillermo
remained stubborn. 
“I’ll
just have to do such a good job that no one will backslide.”

“Would
you listen to yourself?” Juliette said.  “Why are you so hellbent on shoving
this off onto Sofia?”

Guillermo
frowned angrily,
“Believe
it or not, my work in North Africa is important.”

“Of
course it is.  All I’m saying is that any doctor can go to Africa.  Only
you
can cure what
’s wrong with
San Morrando.”

Guillermo
considered this in silence; then, he stood up straight as if he had just had a
profound idea and focused his eyes on Juliette.

“Oh
ho,” Guillermo wagged his finger at Juliette.  “You’re good.  You’re very
good.  I see what this is about.  Have you gotten accustomed to the lifestyle? 
Don’t want to give it up after the year is over?  Ha!”  He slapped his hands
together.  “What a fool I’ve been!  I should have known.  You’re trying to trap
me.”

“What? 
Are you crazy?”

“Oh,
sure, sure,” he laughed humorlessly, coming to an abrupt halt and facing
Juliette head on.  “You like the clothes and the maids and the attention.  It’s
so obvious now.”

“No,
Guillermo, that’s not true!  Even if I weren’t here, I’d want you to remain
king.”

“Greed. 
I should have known better!  All women are the same-”

“No,
we’re not.  Why won’t you listen to me?”

I
don
’t
want to stay at all!  I want
you
to stay, not
me!

“I’ve
heard enough!” Guillermo snapped.  “The deal is off!  I never should have
agreed to it in the first place.  I want you out of my castle!”

Tears
welled up in Juliette
’s
eyes.  “You… you… selfish jackass!”  She spun around and ran away sobbing.

I
hate that man.  I absolutely hate him!

Sofia
trudged towards the castle, wiping away the sweat from her face with the towel
draped around her neck.  The pants of her riding outfit were caked with dirt;
her black boots almost completely hidden under dried mud.  She was tired but
satisfied, the kind of satisfaction you can only get from riding an eager horse
around a fast track.  It was days like today when she didn
’t mind being a
princess so much.

When
she glanced at the castle, she paused.

Is
that Juliette running inside?  Is she crying?

Sofia
sped up her pace, somewhat concerned.

What
has that bonehead Memo done now?

As
if on cue, Guillermo appeared from around the corner, scowling as he stomped
into the castle.

Oh
God.  What now?

Since
she was covered in mud, Sofia veered towards the side entrance; she didn
’t want to track
dirt through the foyer and all over the carpets.  Slipping out of her boots,
she headed straight for the women’s locker room and hopped in the shower.  She
dressed quickly in simple everyday clothing, jeans and a t-shirt, the kind of
thing she would wear around her college dorm.

As
soon as she stepped out of the locker room and into the hallway, she could hear
the familiar buzz that accompanied a big event at Palais d
’Or: something
had definitely happened.

Two
teenage waitstaff that Sofia didn
’t recognize walked past.  “So is it
off?” the first girl asked.

“The
wedding?  It must be, right?” the second girl replied.

“Ohhhhh,
that’s too bad.  It was such a fairy tale.”

“I
know.  And she was so pretty, too.” 

The
two girls turned the corner.  Before Sofia could even take two steps to follow,
one of Juliette
’s
personal maids rounded the corner heading in the opposite direction.  “Emilia?”
Sofia called out to her.

“Oh! 
Yes, miss,” Emilia bowed quickly.

“What’s
going on?  Has anything happened with Juliette?”

“I’ve
only just come back from running errands, miss, so I’m afraid I don’t know
much.  It appears there’s been some sort of argument.  I’m sorry — I really
must go,” Emilia bowed again and practically sprinted away before Sofia could
ask another question.

Sofia
began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Brother,
what have you done?

Juliette
sat on the edge of her bed, weeping and blowing her nose.

Stupid,
stupid, stupid!

It
was all over now.  Everything was ruined.

What
was I thinking?!  If I hadn
’t tried to save the country, if I’d
just grabbed the necklace when I had the chance!  Now… I’ve got nothing.

She
sobbed when she thought of it.

All
of this trouble and nothing to show for it.  How could I let the orphanage
down?!

She
shook her head and pounded her fist into her leg.

Nothing
to do now but wait, I suppose.

She
stood, sniffling, and pulled her backpack out of the drawer.  It seemed odd
that in a room filled with luxuries, the only clothes that were truly hers were
her workout clothes — the clothes that Fran
çois had brought over on her very first
day at the castle — and the simple powder blue sun dress and white tennis shoes
that she wore to prepare the ballroom for the Royal Ball.  Barely a week had
passed since then but so much had happened, it felt like a year. 

In
the blink of an eye, it
’s all gone.

She
changed into the sun dress and packed the rest.

As
she was zipping up her backpack, finally, it came: the dreaded knock on the
door.  No doubt it was Armand and two of the royal guardsmen, ready to escort
her out of the castle for good. 

“Just
a minute!” she called out, then headed to the bathroom to splash water on her
face.  She patted dry, then looked at herself in the mirror.  “My makeup may be
gone, but I’ll be damned if I let them see me cry,” she whispered.

All
right.  Let
’s
do this.

“Coming!”
she yelled.  She headed towards the door, ready to meet her fate.