“You think Gerald did something to her.” Gabriel guessed.
“I think someone hurt her, yes. I just don’t know who.”
Alex sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, fisting it at the back of his head before letting go. “Let her in.”
“Are you sure, my son?”
Alex nodded. “Let her enter Valleria. Let her see Gerald – with our security accompanying her and in the room with her – and let her visit the cemetery, too. She doesn’t come to the wedding, to the palace, or anywhere near the Gara Hotel where Rebecca’s staying tonight. She visits them, and then she leaves Valleria before the day is out.”
“I’ll set it up.”
“Thanks. Sarah mentioned that some of the cousins are still in contact with her. It couldn’t hurt to ask them about her, or see if they’ll talk to her.”
“Will do.”
“Any news about Arianna?” Gabriel asked. “We haven’t been able to reach them this morning.”
“She had some more tests this morning, so that might be why,” Marcello said. “She’s still on bedrest. Ethan’s going crazy with all of us bugging him, but otherwise good. She’s still in the hospital. If everything goes well today and tomorrow, she might head home.”
Alex took a sip of his coffee. “Thank God for that.”
Marcello stood. “I’ll get in touch with Zinnia, let her know. I’ll keep you updated. She’ll probably come in today once we give her the all clear, so I’ll need to let the prison know. She said she wanted to visit the cemetery first.”
“Do you think she knew about Lafayette?” Alex asked, referring to Gerald’s illegitimate son. “I think if she’s visiting his grave, it’s a good bet she did.”
“I think you’re right. Whether or not she knew about his interest in Valleria’s crown – or Gerald’s interest in it for that matter – I don’t know. I’ll have a better sense about her once the agents pick her up and report back to me.”
“How many agents are you sending?”
“I’ll send Edward and let him pick some backup.”
“Don’t we need him to oversee wedding security?”
“I can do without him until tomorrow.” Marcello paused on his way out the door. “It’s going to be hard, Cat not living so close anymore.”
“Don’t I know it?” Alex muttered. He was glad his younger twin had found someone who adored her, but he didn’t like her living so far away. Although, he supposed, distance was relative. Chames, where Edward’s home was located, was only an hour from Valentia, but it was still too far away for him.
He was losing his sister, in a way, in just a day. After the wedding, she’d move to Chames permanently. “We’ll still see her.”
“It won’t be the same.”
Alex shook his head. “No, it won’t. You know, all of you drove me crazy growing up, but now that you’re starting to scatter away, I realize I miss the crazy.”
“Then I should probably warn you.”
Alex braced. “About what?”
“Grace and I are taking some time off after the wedding. She needs to go back to England for a while, and I’m going with her.”
“How long?”
“A few months. I’m only a flight away if anything happens, or if I need to come in for Council business. Of course, we won’t leave until Papa and Arianna are out of the hospital and on the mend.”
Alex nodded; it wasn’t unexpected. “You need to start grooming a replacement.”
“I’ll just be teleworking for a while, and on vacation for the rest of it.”
“Still. It’s best if you have a backup. And a backup for that backup. People we can trust.”
Marcello leaned against the doorjamb. “A couple of our cousins might do the job.”
“Really? Our cousins? Who we’re related to? Those cousins?”
Marcello grinned. “Who else? I know they’re a little crazy–”
“Understatement of the year.”
“–but a few of them are members of the Vallerian Armed Forces. Max and Eugenie. They’ve had training in security and intelligence. I’m not saying they should take over for me tomorrow, but I can work on training them, letting them work their way up to the job.”
“All right. Send me their backgrounds, and we can discuss after the wedding.”
“I keep meaning to ask and I keep forgetting. I’m assuming we need to cancel the honeymoon security?”
The cup in Alex’s hand clanged as he put it hastily down on its saucer. “Holy hell. I keep forgetting to cancel the honeymoon. I suppose it’s too late to do it now. We’ll just have to eat the money.” It was a fuck of a lot of money, too, and he’d paid for it from his own funds; Alex would never force Valleria to pay for his honeymoon.
Alex pulled out his phone, messaging Tavin right then before he forgot again.
Bye-bye honeymoon.
“Tavin and Corrado can work wonders,” Marcello said. “They’ll get it done, and I’ll cancel the honeymoon security. Do you know when you might reschedule it?”
“No. I don’t want to commit to anything until both Papa and Arianna have recovered. Speaking of, I’d better get going.”
“Let me know when you finally decide. If I’m still in England, I’ll come back and help cover for you while you’re gone.”
“Thanks, Marcello.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you at the Council meeting.” Marcello gave him a teasing grin. “Oh, and don’t forget to see your bride. You’ve got to sleep apart tonight, remember.”
Alex scowled. “Did you need to remind me?”
Marcello tilted his head to the side, as if considering the question. “Yes,” he said simply and walked out.
Alex had a brief meeting with Tavin and Corrado before the Council meeting. However, neither of them were able to discern what the Council was trying to pull.
He’d have to go into this blind.
After the usual ceremony at the start of the Council meeting, Alex didn’t wait any time to get down to business.
“Minister Moneta, you have the first item on the agenda today.”
Byron cleared his throat. “Yes, Your Majesty. An ancient law has been uncovered. With the assistance of Minister Hegarty,” Byron pointed to the Zed Hegarty, the Minister of Justice, “we have realized that any marriage made tomorrow would be considered invalid.”
A haze of red filled Alex’s eyes. Only years of self-restraint kept him locked in his seat, rather than across the room beating the shit out Byron and Zed. “Explain,” he said, his voice clipped, the anger evident.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Well, the law, which predates the 1702 Act concerning royal marriages, is at play here. It states that a sitting monarch must be present at the heir’s wedding, lest it be considered invalid. By the definition stated in the older law, King Gabriel is considered the sitting monarch.”
“So you are suggesting that my father, who is currently in a hospital bed, must attend the ceremony or else my marriage won’t be legal?”
“If only it were that easy, Your Majesty.”
“You consider that ‘easy’, do you?”
“Your Majesty, if I may?” Zed asked as he stood up. Alex nodded his approval for Zed to speak. “The law was discovered quite by accident. It seems the 1702 Act does include a provision to defer to the old law for anything not explicitly stated in the newer law. This falls under that purview. The older Marriage of Royal Heirs Act of 1281 includes the provision for the sitting monarch to attend.
“However, the rules governing you as acting-king were not present at 1281, so there seems to be a discrepancy. Under the 1281 law, King Gabriel is considered the sitting monarch, and by the 1702 law, as acting-king and heir, you are considered the sitting monarch. There are separate provisions in each law concerning who must attend the marriage. So, there is no way for you to be in compliance of one law, without being out of compliance of the other law.
“Your Majesty, essentially, you cannot get married.”
Chapter Eleven
Sharp, hot fury slithered through Alex’s blood, and nothing could assuage him. God help him.
Alex’s phone rang. Because it could be the hospital – and, with a quick glance at the screen, he saw it was his father’s doctor – he called a quick recess and left the room.
His words were clipped, and remaining civil took all of his self-control. “Yes, Dr. Wilson? Yes. That’s good news. Excellent. We’ll be by later tonight. Thank you.”
“Is Papa okay?” Nate asked.
“Yes, he’s coming home tonight.”
“Great. Now, what the fucking hell was that bullshit? Fucking goddamn prick assholes.”
“You said it,” Marcello added, his own quiet fury pouring from him in waves.
Corrado and Tavin came running up, Alex speaking to them before they’d halted in front of them. “I want the two of you on top of this. Have legal analyze the law and see if what they’re saying is bullshit or truth.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Tavin said, his fingers flying over his phone.
“Both of have been trained in the discreet signals Royal Protection agents use, is that correct?”
They nodded, and Marcello confirmed.
“Good. I’m going use that system to signal you when to leak this to the press.”
Corrado’s mouth fell open. “Your Majesty, are you sure? Council meetings are confidential–”
“But my wedding is not. That is a widely anticipated, publicized event that affects the people of our nation, as well as the world over.
“I will not stand for this.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Corrado agreed.
“Good. Here’s what we’ll do.” And Alex outlined his plan.
A few minutes later, they returned to the Council chambers.
“I call this meeting to order once again. I apologize, but my father’s physician was on the phone. Thankfully, everything is still well. Now, to continue with the business at hand.
“Minister Hegarty, let me understand if I have this right. You’re telling me that I cannot marry the love of my life,” that got a ripple of uncomfortable movements around the room, “tomorrow,” more fidgeting, “because of an ancient law that you mysteriously discovered, soon after my father was rushed to the hospital?” Now, the other ministers in the room were shifting away from Zed and Byron. Alex sent a discreet signal to Tavin, who said a few words to Corrado, then rushed from the room.
Alex’s easy demeanor belied the frustration he felt inside. “Then let’s solve this right now. Either you pass a measure now to reconcile these two laws, allowing for a sitting monarch, particularly one in ill-health, to skip the ceremony, or I’ll let you tell the citizens and the press why you’re cancelling an occasion that people the world over are looking forward to. Is it your plan to make Valleria a laughingstock in the world’s eye?”
Zed laughed a little too hard. “Plan, Your Majesty? I’ve no plan. I’m merely reporting the law as it stands, which is my duty.”
“You are correct that the duty of the Minister of Justice is to uphold the laws. However, it is also the duty of your position to right any laws that are unjust. Are you unwilling to do that?” Alex sent another signal to Marcello, who discreetly pulled out his phone and began tapping away.
“Your Majesty, I feel–”
“Yes or no, Minister? Are you interested in upholding the tenets of your position? How about you, Minister Moneta?”
“Of course, Your Majesty–” Byron began.
“Yes or no?” Alex thundered, losing any sense of political calm he’d had. “Yes or no, Minister Hegarty?”
“No!” Zed shouted. “I’ll never agree to anything that sends you walking down that aisle towards a turn at king.”
The entire room stilled, tension thick and muddy, the haze of anger and disgust clouding everything around them. Nate put a hand on Alex’s knee under the table, a gesture warning him to regain calm.
Byron spoke first, his expression one of shock. “Your Majesty, I assure you, I do not feel that way, not one bit. When Minister Hegarty approached me about these issues, I had to inform you, Sir, but I had no intention of stopping the wedding.”
The haze cleared, but only slightly. No one had taken their eyes off of Zed. Alex wondered if this scene was also a plan, a sort of ‘Byron good-cop, Zed bad-cop’ routine meant to throw him off.
Alex discretely signaled to Corrado, who hastily left the room.
It was time for Alex to test his powers as king.
“I appreciate your honesty, Minister Hegarty. Being able to admit that you conspired against the crown is certainly not in your best interests, but honesty will lead you on the path to righteousness.”
Zed took a step back. “What do you mean by that? There’s no conspiracy. I just don’t believe you should be our leader.”
“Am I or am I not leading our country under the title of ‘King’? Yes or no?”
“Well–”
“Yes. Or. No?”
Zed cleared his throat. “That would be yes.”
“And did you, or did you not, in front of all these witnesses, admit you were conspiring to remove me from my rightful place on the throne?”
“It’s not your rightful place! A family should not lead our country. An elected official should.”
“Indeed? Well, by that same token, your position, and the position of every person on the Council, should also be chosen democratically. Perhaps we’ll start with that.”
A different kind of tension filled the air, this time laced with fear. No Council member, except perhaps Marcello and Nate, would survive an election.
Zed’s eyes were wide, his nostrils flaring. “You cannot fire us. Unless we choose otherwise, Council terms are for life.”
“So is the term for a king.”
Silence. No one could argue with that point.
“To clarify, however, Council terms are at the pleasure of the ruling monarch, whomever that may be. Though it is typically a lifelong appointment, it can just as easily be cut short if a Minister does not live up to their duty and the oath of their office.”
Alex stood, forcing everyone in the room to stand as well. From his height, the height of the king’s chair, he loomed over them all, even over Nate at his side.
In that moment, no one in the room was more imposing than him. “Minister Hegarty, you are under arrest for conspiracy against the crown.”
Marcello took over and pulled Zed easily from the crowd.
“You can’t do this! You can’t fire me!”
“As the king appointed you, the king can remove you. You were hired with a great deal of support from your fellow Ministers. It will be interesting to see which of them still continue that support.”
The subtle warning was not lost on the room. Zed Hegarty had just been outed as an anti-monarchist who had conspired against the crown.
If anyone remaining felt the same, they’d keep their mouths shut.
At least for now.
Alex took a seat again; everyone else soon followed. “Now, about this law. Minister Moneta.”
Byron jerked in his seat. “Y-Yes, Your Majesty?”
“What needs to be done to reconcile the two laws?”
“Well, I’m not sure of the legalities, Your Majesty. However, the easiest way may be to pass a new law, removing any reference to the older ones.”
“Why don’t we just void he old laws? Both of them? That is also under the purview of this Council, is it not?”
“Well, yes, Your Majesty, that is certainly another option. However, to preserve some semblance of tradition, perhaps–”
Alex’d had enough. “I have the utmost respect for tradition. I have bowed to tradition time and time again. I was kept from marrying the woman I love for a year because of the Marriage of Royal Heirs Act of 1702, which required me to notify the Council of my impending marriage, and to wait one full year before proceeding with the ceremony. Did you hear me complain about any o
f that, even once? No, you did not. Not even when the Council refused to sign the final approval documents just days before my wedding.
“I assure you, I am more than aware of the role of tradition in our lives. However, do you not feel that some traditions, no matter how well meaning they may once have been, serve no place in modern times?”
Byron took a small sip of water from his glass, his hand shaking ever so slightly, but Alex saw it. “Your Majesty, I can see your point, of course. However–”
“Five hours. I will be married tomorrow, so you have five hours to set this to rights. I will not have Valleria laughed at on the world’s stage because our Royal Council refuses to see sense. I will not have Valleria’s reputation irreparably damaged. That is just one of my duties as king, and I will see it done.
“We will meet again in two hours. By then, I expect some measure of cooperation from all of you to draft a law either vetoing these pre-existing laws – and any others that may be coincidentally discovered – or draft a new law to replace the previous two. We will all remain in this room until this is accomplished. Anyone who does not support this endeavor, should consider themselves no longer on the Royal Council, and I’ll expect your formal resignations by the time we reconvene.”
Alex stood, once again causing the Council to scramble from their seats. A small part of Alex relished in the thought of controlling them, simply by rising from his chair. If only it were that simple to make them see sense. “Since my day is no longer my own, I am adjourning this session of the Council. Any new or old business to be discussed will be done so after the wedding. We are adjourned.”
Alex strode from the room, anger and frustration fueling the way, Nate following close behind. He caught sight of Tavin and Corrado in the hall. “Is it done?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Tavin said. “The appropriate leaks went to the media. The public outcry is decidedly in your favor, and the royal family’s favor.”
Alex nodded. Normally, he wouldn’t have revealed such intimate details about a Council meeting’s proceedings, but this was clearly a unique situation. “Good. You both heard the end? I’ll need you both here today.”
Royally Ever After (Royals of Valleria #7) Page 13
