Royally Relinquished: A Modern Day Fairy Tale

by Hayley Faiman

“How’s that?” I ask in confusion.

  “No media coverage at all. No reporters or cameras following her around. Just her and Hugh, going straight to the terminal hall and visiting every single terminally ill child in the hospital. This was taken after somebody from the hospital alerted the paps.”

  “I thought mum had set up media coverage?” I ask in confusion.

  “Cait cancelled it, almost immediately after they arrived. Helena said she didn’t want to take a bunch of people into the hospital with her. It’s genius and genuine all at the same time.”

  “So, they love her?” I ask, my lips quirking in my own smile.

  “Indeed. I would even venture to guess that as time goes by, they’ll adore her completely.”

  Sarah and I continue our meeting, and once she’s gone, I pick up the gossip rag and look at the picture. My Riona looks absolutely lovely, and every bit the princess. Hugh is at her back, doing his job to precision.

  But it’s Riona I’m entranced with. Her hair is straight, not the way I prefer it, like when we met, but it’s all a part she plays now, so I know she must wear it this way. Her dress is classic, demure, yet because of her figure, it is also naturally sexy.

  I miss her.

  I miss everything about her, but she’s doing wonderful things right now.

  Important things.

  She’s letting her heart lead her, doing what’s expected of her but in a nonconventional way, in her own way. That’s what the people love about it.

  Hell, that’s what I love about her. She’s completely and totally genuine. She’s never been entranced by my title, not even after she found out who I was. She’s always just been Riona and treated me as though I’ve always just been Henny.

  My precious girl is magnificent, and I can’t wait to see her again.

  I’M EXHAUSTED. HUGH AND I have been on the road now for three weeks. We’ve visited all of the children’s hospitals on our list, and now we’ve begun visiting women’s shelter safe houses.

  The entire trip has been humbling and eye opening all at the same time. I didn’t have the best life growing up, or the best mother, but I’ve lived a privileged childhood and life in comparison to some.

  “You look pale,” Hugh announces as we’re leaving the safe house we visited for the day.

  “I’m tired,” I admit on a sigh.

  Hugh doesn’t say anything else, he just continues to walk beside me until we’re at the car. He drives us to a store and tells me to stay inside, that he needs to pick something up.

  I could care less as long as I’m able to just sit here and close my eyes for a few moments. I think that being away, traveling and then the emotional toll of each visit I make, it’s causing my body to wear down a bit.

  Once Hugh is back in the car, we make our way to the hotel. He parks and throws a paper bag on my lap. I open it and promptly close it, my eyes shooting over to his in question.

  “Take it,” he grunts.

  “Why on earth did you buy this?” I ask in a shrill shriek.

  “Just take it. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong,” he shrugs.

  I slide out of the car and stomp my way toward the hotel’s lobby and then to my room, slamming the door behind me. I don’t know why I’m so irrationally angry that Hugh bought me this at the store, but I am.

  I fish my phone out of my purse, something that Henrik slipped into my suitcase before I left. Something he has yet to call me on. I try not to think about that as I scroll through the few names I have listed, then I find what I want.

  “You better have a good damn reason for calling my ass at this hour,” I hear her grumble into the phone.

  “Oh, no, I forgot about the time difference,” I gasp.

  “Cait?” she mutters. I can hear rustling, and I’m sure she’s sitting up in bed. “What’s wrong?”

  “Hugh bought me a pregnancy test,” I whisper, afraid to say the words out loud.

  “Your security bought you a pregnancy test? Isn’t that a little personal, Cait?” she laughs. “Does he know your cycle, too?”

  “Shut up,” I snap as she giggles in the background.

  “I’m sorry, I really am, do you think you are?” she whispers, all joking aside.

  “I don’t know.”

  “How long has it been?”

  “I haven’t had my period in a while. I just thought that it was stress,” I admit, feeling stupid.

  “Take the test, you crazy bitch,” she orders.

  “Will you wait with me for the results? I can’t do it alone,” I murmur.

  She agrees and I put the phone down as I run to the bathroom to take the test. Then I hurry back to the phone.

  “Have you heard from my mother?” I ask, trying to distract myself from looking at that test.

  “Not again. I think she’s gone, or who knows. I keep searching the gossip sites to see if she’s trying to claim crazy shit, but there’s been nothing as of yet,” she explains.

  I take a deep breath. I’m unable to talk about anything else, the results of this test consuming me.

  “What am I going to do if it’s positive?” I panic.

  “Our babies would be so close in age. I’m making James move to England. That’s it. It’s decided,” she announces.

  “Madison,” I hiss. “I can’t have a baby. I’m not even sure what is going to happen with Henrik and me.”

  “You’re going to go back and live happily ever after. He fucked up. He didn’t sleep around and he didn’t kiss her. He was an asshole, but he fixed his shit really fast. Don’t be crazy. You’re so in love with him, it’s ridiculous,” she says.

  “Says the woman whose husband has never fucked up,” I snort.

  “He’s fucked up,” she mutters.

  I don’t bother asking her when, I know she’s about to tell me. When she does, she leaves me completely and totally shocked.

  She tells me about the time in their lives when she was studying for the bar exam; she was totally neurotic and stressed, a complete basket case. I remember the time well.

  James would stay away from the apartment they lived in for as long as possible after work because she would complain every time he made any noise at all. He had taken up going to a bar after work and having a few beers with co-workers.

  Then she tells me about this waitress that had become interested in him. Nothing happened, but James started questioning his devotion to Madison, started wondering if they were really meant to be. He came to Madison as soon as he started having second thoughts.

  “So what did you do and why do I not know any of this?” I ask.

  “I told him if he wanted some nasty bar slut, then he could have her. I also apologized for being crazy. I was under a lot of pressure, and I had put everything on the backburner in my life,” she murmurs. “I was embarrassed, that’s why I never told you.”

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing. He stopped going to the bar after work, and I stopped screaming at him over every little thing. Eventually, we worked everything out and it was fine, but it took me a long time to be able to feel as though I could trust him again,” she admits.

  “That’s where I’m at right now. The trust part,” I murmur.

  “Well, I follow the tabloids religiously, and I’ve only seen what a saint you are lately, nothing about Henrik,” Madison announces.

  “He hasn’t called,” I mutter.

  “You said you needed space and time. Men are literal to a default. It’s obnoxious.”

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen between us, and now that being pregnant is a possibility. I really don’t know what’s going to happen,” I admit.

  “Look at the test,” Madison encourages.

  I pick it up and look at it.

  The word Pregnant is right there on the screen.

  I mutter it to Madison and she screams in my ear, almost causing me to drop the phone.

  Pregnant.

  It doesn’t seem real. This can’t be reality.
<
br />   “Madison,” I whisper.

  “Be happy, you’re an adult. You’re married, to a prince, I might add. This is not a bad thing,” she explains.

  “I’m married, but it’s rocky,” I point out, even though I shouldn’t have to.

  “Yeah, well, it won’t be. Next week, when you’re back, I bet it’ll be perfect. He’s probably scared shitless to call you, in all honesty.”

  “Probably,” I admit, thinking about the way I left.

  He didn’t want me to go, and I think about how he was afraid I wouldn’t want him when I returned. He probably is scared; he’s probably worried that our relationship is over.

  “What’s your next step?” she asks.

  “After I return?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Tell him, I guess,” I sigh.

  “First, tell him that you only want him, and that you missed him,” she suggests. I nod as though she can see me, agreeing with her words. “Then tell him that he popped a biscuit in your oven.”

  I laugh at her words and thank her for being there for my drama, even though she was halfway asleep.

  “Any time you need me, Cait, I’m here. Anytime at all,” she murmurs. I can tell she’s getting sappy.

  “I love you,” I whisper.

  “I love you, too.”

  We end the call and I just hold the test in my hand, staring at the word—Pregnant.

  Children aren’t something I have ever thought about. Just like marriage wasn’t anything I thought about until Henrik came along.

  Now, though—now there’s Henrik, and I want to give him children. I want him to have everything. He really is giving up so very much for me. This trip has shown me just how much the titles mean to the people.

  Titles that I thought were kind of silly, they’re not.

  The titles, the positions, and the lineage of the family, they stand for something; they can also be encouraging to people. This family, they’re not just celebrities or political figures, but they’re a legacy, an entity.

  I press my hand to my stomach as a wave of sadness washes over me. This baby will not be part of the legacy that Henrik was born into, because of me. I now understand exactly why he wasn’t sure he wanted to relinquish his title for his future heirs.

  I wonder if perhaps this pregnancy won’t be such a joyous thing for him? Will he be reminded of the fact that this child will not be a Lord or Lady, or whatever it would have been?

  Then, when Bee and Philip have a child, will it just rub salt in his wound all over again? It makes me sad to think about this child not being treated the same as his cousins.

  I can’t think about it anymore. I decide to go to bed.

  In just five short days, I will be back on a plane and headed toward Henrik. I hope that he will take what I’ve just discovered in stride, that he’ll be happy and that we’re going to make it. I can do anything on my own, but I can’t deny that having Henrik at my side is what I want.

  I hang up the phone with Hugh. My daily update on Riona is complete. I haven’t called her once since she’s been gone. I’m trying to give her the space and time that she requested of me. But that doesn’t mean that I’ve not been kept briefed of her whereabouts and safety.

  Hugh says that she’s tired but good. She’s been in good spirits and has truly enjoyed her time away, visiting with people in the hospitals and safe houses that have been on her itinerary. I just hope that when she returns, she’ll still want me—want us.

  My office door opens and I look up, surprised to see my father, accompanied by my grandfather, waltzing through as though they own the place. It’s ridiculous how they behave some days. I lean back in my office chair as I watch them each take a seat in front of my desk.

  “How may I help you gentlemen?”

  “Have you seen the publicity on her?” my grandfather asks as his eyes cut to me.

  “Sarah has kept me briefed, yes,” I say, nodding my head, wondering what on earth they’re doing here.

  “They love her,” my father mutters in surprise.

  “Who?” I ask, knowing good and damn well who loves Riona. Everybody loves her.

  “The entire country, and America as well,” my grandfather grunts.

  I sit in silence, looking at them and wondering why they’re in such piss poor moods. They should be happy that the people love Caitriona. She should be less embarrassing to them now.

  It should please them that she’s not the trash they originally thought her to be. Unfortunately, they look anything but pleased right now.

  “Perhaps we could get her some proper etiquette training, get her out in the public eye a bit more?” my father murmurs, easing into the real reason they’re here.

  “We can truly play up this rags to riches bit, give her training, and then she can continue her work. It will be favorable for all of us,” my grandfather grunts.

  “Want to know what I think?” I ask.

  I’m about to be brutally blunt, and if they want to know, they’re going to hear everything I have to say about the subject. This is my wife, and they’ve made a big deal about my chosen partner, to the point where they wanted to strip my titles. I gave them up, and now they’re here and they’ve realized, maybe, that they were wrong.

  “I think that Caitriona doesn’t need any etiquette training. I think that the world likes her as is, which is also the way I prefer her. I don’t want a poised to perfection, ice cold wife. I want my sweet, funny, and kind Riona.

  “She’s behaved lovely while on this trip, not one embarrassing or unsavory thing has happened. She didn’t want cameras following her around because this wasn’t a publicity stunt, this was simply her wanting to be a good person and help people in any way she could. I think you’ve both realized what arseholes you were to her, and now you’re wanting to try and save face. I also think that I don’t give a flying fuck, either. I don’t want my title back. You can keep it.”

  I stand and walk past them, over to the door, and I open it, standing as I wait for them to leave my office.

  “You’re being ridiculous, Henrik. Don’t cut your nose off to spite your face,” my grandfather says, raising his voice.

  “I’m not, grandfather. I simply don’t want all of the conditions placed on me or my family that the crown and titles demand. I’ve a taste of a more normal life, and I enjoy the serenity that it offers. I won’t ever be out of the spotlight completely, but I have to be honest, it’s nice not having to do and be perfect at everything. I enjoy my work for the crown along with my regular job, and I like that visiting with my family is just visiting with my family and not some diplomatic pomp bullshit. So, I’m sticking with my statement, with my relinquishment,” I say, standing firm.

  The weight that has been lifted from my shoulders since I relinquished my titles has been tremendous, and I honestly have no desire to have it added back on.

  “You’re not thinking. What about your children?” my father asks.

  “I can’t make decisions for unconceived children. You made those for me as part of your statement weeks ago.”

  “I’m amending it. The people love her; let’s not continue this in haste. Your wife could be a princess or a duchess, and your children lords and ladies. Don’t take this from them just because you’re stubborn,” my grandfather says.

  “I’m not taking anything from anyone. Obviously, title or no title, Caitriona can continue with her passions. It’s just formalities at this point, and I’ve made my decision, with my wife at my side. We made the decision together. I’m standing firm in that.”

  My grandfather huffs out a puff of air as he stands and walks past me. He’s irritated, but it will pass. He’s my grandfather and no title changes that. I know that he loves me, and in time, he’ll also love Riona as well.

  My father begins to follow, but stops right in front of me, placing his hand on my shoulder with a squeeze. His green eyes look up and into mine, and it’s as though I’m looking in the mirror. They are the exact same s
hade.

  “I am proud of you, son. No matter the politics, the seemingly poor decisions you made, which perhaps weren’t so poor after all, I’m proud. You’re a man who knows what he wants and knows his convictions. Even if you’re not making a decision I would necessarily make, I’m proud of you,” he says before he releases my shoulder and then follows my grandfather out of my office building.

  I close my door behind them and forego walking back to my desk but instead over to the sofa that is against the wall. I sit down and bury my face in my hands, wondering—hoping that I just made the right decision.

  The decisions I’ve made in the past few months have altered and impacted my life greatly. I’ve not only myself to think about, but Riona as well, and our future, plus our children, whenever we decide to have them.

  It’s not just me anymore. It’s so much more than just myself.

  “ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME your results for a reason?” Hugh asks as we board the plane to head for home.

  It’s been a week since I’ve taken the pregnancy test he shoved at me. It’s been a week since I found out that I am, indeed, pregnant.

  Henrik and I are going to have a child, and it scares the hell out of me. It scares me to the point where I don’t want to say it aloud because then it will be in fact, a truth.

  “I don’t want to think about it,” I mutter as I sit down and fasten my seatbelt.

  “You do realize that in a few weeks, it won’t matter. It will be common knowledge,” he chuckles.

  Hugh and I have developed a friendship during this month together. I’ve learned things about his past and shared aspects of mine as well. He probably knows me, my past, and my personality better than Henrik does. He’s kept me sane, and helped me learn about the monarchy, history, rules and traditions that I didn’t quite understand.

  “I have to tell Henrik as soon as we get back,” I mutter, looking out the window as our plane begins to move.

  “You’re not going to put it off, are you?” he asks, quirking his brow and his lips all at the same time. It’s frustratingly annoying.

  “No,” I lie.

  I’m going to put it off as long as possible, though I don’t know how that’s going to happen. My boobs are already tender and fuller than they were even last week.