Royal S.O.B. (A Bad Boy Romance) (27 page)

Addie
agreed – Kenrick needed to be blessed for this. Even if it was ultimately just
to go neck-to-neck with her, or to garner more fame and goodwill, his
commitment to the cause had to be commended.

A small token of
encouragement would not be out of place
, thought Addie.

She
took out the royal stationery.

Kenrick
woke up to some historical news.

His
coronation was announced – it was going to happen the following Sunday.

Henry,
his first assistant, brought him the official circular just before breakfast.
Kenrick looked at the rolled alabaster sheet tied with a red ribbon. It had the
royal insignia on it.

Though
it had been rumored for a while, he never thought it would happen so soon. It
was hastened, no doubt, by the ill health of Kenrick's father, the king.
Perhaps there was no strength in him anymore to attend to the many duties of
the titular ruler, though there was an elected government in place to ensure
day-to-day governance of the country and take care of its foreign policy.

With
all the trepidation of a man about to wed, he pulled the tip of the ribbon. The
rolled sheet opened up, still curving at the ends.
Kenrick straightened it and read it patiently. It was a long Letters Patent
that invoked all the covenants since the time of the Magna Carta, and was
purported to be under the Seal of God – since all kings were considered
representatives of the Almighty.

He
set the order aside and sat thinking. In spite of himself, he sighed.

Instinctively,
he thought of Addie. It had been more than two months since they had met – in
fact, ever since that eventful session in the Royal Gallery. The mere thought
of it filled him with a weird kind of sickness.

What
beastly behavior was that, from him? He had thrown her asunder like a banana
peel. By any yardstick, this was not the way to treat her, who was a royal like
him and also his stepsister. He felt ashamed yet again, nodding his head in
disgust.

He
wanted her bad, but he could not bring himself to accost her after that
disaster. How would she be reacting to his work, Kenrick wondered. It was true
that he had begun his charity to – among other things – please her and win her
over. But now it had outgrown his narrow view for it, and acquired a life of
its own. It had its own vision, and it had matured beyond his wildest
imagination.

He
opened the drawer and drew forth the note Addie had sent him, after the news
broke out that he was constructing a home for the destitute.

Dear Prince Kenrick,

Many congratulations on
your wonderful initiative of building a home for the homeless.

This is a landmark step
– hopefully the first of many to come from you.

Kind regards,

Princess Adelaide

There
was no bitterness in that letter. No malice whatsoever. It was as if the
disaster between them had never happened. She was a specialist in that
department, anyway – to pretend as if things never transpired. She always let
bygones be bygones. Another great quality in her, he surmised.

Kenrick
had not replied to this note, more out of embarrassment than anything else. But
the window was open for him: He could send her a reply and attempt to renew
their relationship. It was a possibility. But he had to hurry up. The later
that reply went, the more awkward it would appear.

But
what to write? How to respond?

He
had no clue.

*****

Addie
was pleasantly surprised to receive a note from Kenrick. Her own message had
gone a week earlier, and no reply had come thus. Maybe this was it.

Dear Addie,

I'm skipping the royal
salutations – it sounded odd, and I've wasted enough stationery rewriting that
bit.

I write to thank you
for your wishes, but above and beyond that, I thank you for having shown me the
way – quite unwittingly, perhaps.

I've been inspired by
your conduct and your approach towards the less fortunate. Your charity was the
last straw – it was a warning to me that I better do something purposeful with
my life, or else.

Today I'm glad that I
heeded to that pressure, and that I followed in your footsteps. It was a
blessing that came my tortured way.

If I had not, it would
have definitely ended in my destruction.

My submission is: If
you bear me no malice for the unfortunate events that have occurred between us,
I would love to meet you and renew our friendship once more.

In gratitude, and in
hope,

Kenrick

She
sat there in silence for well over fifteen minutes. Then she went back and read
it once again. And again.

The
sea change in the man was apparent in every word on that page. Addie knew that
he would have taken great care to craft that message, and every word resonated
with the positivity of his recent transformation.

She
knew that not one word in that letter was fake. She was convinced of its
sincerity; she could almost hear the heart that was beating behind it.

Addie
smiled to herself.

*****

It
was a beautiful sunny morning.

There
were clusters of clouds, northbound, racing as if in a hurry. Birds were flying
in formation, but unlike the clouds, they were in no haste whatsoever. A
butterfly, which came up floating from the greenery below, flitted around. A
gentle breeze was blowing, caressing the two people seated on the terrace.

Kenrick
had invited Addie for breakfast. And she had accepted the invitation. There
they were, having breakfast on the terrace of the prince's chambers – in truth,
having less of breakfast and more of conversation.
 

The
two of them were like long-lost friends, happily chattering away, laughing
intermittently, giving each other high-fives; asking, answering, and having a
bite in between all of this.

In
the meantime, Addie had grown to realize that there was so much more to Kenrick
than mind-blowing orgasms. Maybe he
was
the one for her...
 
maybe the Almighty
had ordained it that way.

And
Kenrick, too, understood that the two of them had several common interests, and
could indulge in a lot more than earth-shattering sex.

Addie
now saw Kenrick as not just a fat wallet – which he was, till recently, along
with his fat cock. She was now certain that he also had a heart of gold.

And
Kenrick could finally comprehend the positive influence Addie had on him. If
she could inspire him so much from a distance, what kind of spell would she
cast up close?

And
he was going to be king soon… That changed all equations for them.

From
Prince Kenrick to King Kenrick was a huge distance. There could be no more
clandestine meetings, not even open rendezvous like this one. His world would
soon be ruled by covenants, appointments, Letters Patent – and international
politics. Kenrick would be this figurehead whose life was run by others in the
palace, people in the national government, and higher-ups in governments of
world countries. Privacy would be a forgotten word.

"Great,
Kenrick," said Addie, by way of farewell.

"Thank
you for having me over. I really had a good time."

"Me
too, Addie," Kenrick replied.

"I
only wish breakfasts were longer, without interruptions like brunches or
lunches."

Addie
laughed. This was surely not the Kenrick of the old; when did they ever have a
conversation like this, a civilized exchange of communication? He was only ever
sex, sex, sex. The old Kenrick was merely that, a sex machine. But this one?

This
Kenrick had grown, both in stature and as a man. This Kenrick was a worthy
royal personage, on whose shoulders could rest huge responsibilities. This
Kenrick was someone Addie was proud of, a real macho personality, and would
truly make a good leader.

My country is in safe
hands
,
said Addie to herself.

*****

The
coronation was just three days away.

Guests
had started arriving from all over the country: Dukes and duchesses, earls and
countesses, gentlemen and ladies, royals by birth, royals by relation, the
works.

Preparations
were in full swing at the palace. The media was getting ready for this historic
event. And there was a general surge of anticipation, a wave of excitement,
among the common folk. They were about to get a new king, after all, and if the
current disposition of the heir apparent was anything to go by, they were bound
to celebrate long after the coronation was over.

Kenrick
was in a state of panic. Not because he was going to be crowned as the king in
less than a week, but because he had not met Addie again yet. And he wanted to
meet her at least once more as just Kenrick – not as the king.

And
he had things to discuss. Or it would be too late.

There
was no time for notes, so he decided to just give her a call.

"Kenrick!
What a surprise!" Addie's excitement was palpable.

"Hi
Addie, can I talk?"

Rather
unusual of Kenrick, but she now came to terms with it.

"Yes,
please go ahead."

*****

The
next morning, amidst all the hullabaloo, they were having breakfast again, on
the same sun-drenched, windswept terrace at Kenrick's manor.

It
was identical to the morning a few days ago, except that the animated conversations
were missing. Both Addie and Kenrick were subdued; in fact, they were not
talking much. Nor were they eating much, and it seemed both were lost in their
own little worlds.

Both
of them knew that this would be their last meeting in peace. Perhaps that
explained the silence.

"There's
lots I need to tell you, Addie," said Kenrick, at long last.

He
was aware of time ticking, the seconds slipping away. After breakfast, he had a
string of appointments, meetings with secretaries to government, followed by
dinner with the prime minister, all in preparation of him becoming the king.

"And
there's lots I need to tell you, too, Kenrick," said Addie, looking up at
him.

"Okay,
ladies first," replied Kenrick, glint in his eye.

"No,
king-in-waiting first," retorted Addie.

"Okay,"
conceded Kenrick, thinking of the time they were losing in banter.

He
did not – could not – say anything for some time.

"Well?"
came from Addie.
Kenrick let out a deep breath.

"Okay,
here goes." It seemed he was steeling his resolve to say this.

Kenrick
got down on one knee, much to Addie's awe, and took her gently by the hand.

"Adelaide
Isabella Royce, will you be my queen?"

A
flock of pigeons came and landed on the terrace, at a little distance from
where they were sitting. The sun shone, the wind blew. Seconds ticked by.

Addie
was flummoxed. She knew he had a thing for her, but that it was full-blown
love, she was unaware of. And a request of this kind, coming from Kenrick, was
the last thing she expected.

"Well,
it won't be easy," she said at long last, gathering her wits about her.

"You'll
again have to go on your knees in front of everyone and propose to me formally
– in the coronation hall, right after you are crowned king, so that I can be
assured you are being genuine."

Kenrick
laughed and laughed. This wicked sense of humor, at a time of seriousness like
this – he liked it very much.