“I love it, too. I love it dearly. But some days… Can I tell you something? Promise you won’t say anything?”
“I promise.”
“I loved my brother but he wasn’t a very good king.”
“You mean King Arturo the Second?” Juliette asked.
Sofia nodded. “Yeah. He was all about the status quo. So was my grandfather, at least towards the end of his life. We haven’t had a good king in, like, years. The income inequality in San Morrando is really shameful. And no one’s even doing anything about it.
“When I become queen, I’m going to do something.”
“Oh? What?”
“I’m going to raise awareness,” Sofia chirped enthusiastically. “I’m going to make as many speeches as I can.
“Oh, I heard what you said at dinner about ‘symbols’ and all that — and I get that you’re, you know, frustrated with the aristocracy — but I grew up in this world. I know that there are plenty of aristocrats who want to donate, who love San Morrando just as much as you and I do. I’m going to focus my speeches on giving to charities — starting with my coronation address.” Sofia finished, very pleased with herself, looking like a proud puppy that had just performed a trick, waiting for her congratulatory pat on the head.
“But how is giving speeches any different from what Olivia was suggesting?”
“Oh, Olivia is all talk,” Sofia scowled. “If she were queen, she wouldn’t give a single speech — you know that. She’d be off in Barbados with her lover. Whereas I am going to follow through.”
“Yes, but I don’t think San Morrando needs more words; we need more actions.”
“But words lead to actions, Juliette. Besides, what else can I do?” Sofia entreated Juliette with her clear, innocent, big blue eyes.
Juliette swallowed her arguments and smiled.
She’s only 20. Give her a break.
“Sofia,” Juliette took the princess’s hands in hers, “I know you are going to be an awesome queen.”
“Thanks,” Sofia immediately brightened. “And I know that you are going to be a great princess.” She squeezed Juliette’s hands.
Oh dear. Can I get back to you on that?
Sofia stood and gathered up the empty ice cream container and spoons. “This was fun. I haven’t had this much fun inside the castle in… well, forever.”
“I had fun, too. In my line of work, I don’t get the chance to just relax that often.”
“Your line of work? I thought you owned a flower shop?”
Juliette panicked and began stammering, “Yes, well, you see, as a small business owner-”
Sofia rolled her eyes, “Oh, brother. Even that’s a hoax?”
“Well, no, not a hoax, exactly. I mean, I do own it-”
Sofia raised a hand. “Just stop. For both our sakes.” The two giggled like schoolgirls, then Sofia continued. “Really. Just who are you?”
Juliette smiled sweetly. “Would you like me to answer that?”
Sofia feigned a look of horror. “I don’t think I want to know.”
“Good, ‘cause I wasn’t going to tell you anyway.”
Both of them burst out laughing.
“Oh brother!” Sofia paused with her hand on the doorknob and gazed at Juliette one more time. “Still, something tells me…”
“I’m sorry?”
Sofia shook her head. “No, it’s nothing. Good night, Miss Juliette.”
“Good night, princess.”
Guillermo shoved open the door to the King’s Study and stormed inside. Armand followed and closed the door behind him.
“Can you believe that guy?” Guillermo asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.
“The baron, sir?”
Guillermo nodded. “He actually tried to use the situation in Africa to guilt me into giving the throne to him. The throne, Armand.” Armand helped the prince out of his white uniform jacket and hung it neatly on the rack. “And then, he tried to drag Juliette into it. That bastard.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, at least now we know what he wants.” Guillermo chucked. “All he wants is the crown, that’s all. The nerve of that guy. Whoever heard of a baron suddenly becoming king?”
“How would you like to proceed, sir?”
“With the baron? Forget him. He’s a pompous ass. His idea is so far-fetched, there’s no way anyone will take it seriously.”
“Very good, sir.”
Guillermo unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his shirt sleeves to the elbows.
“Will you be heading to bed, sir?”
“No, I have that meeting in the morning and I want to prepare. Can you get the records we discussed earlier?”
Armand hesitated as if he wanted to object, but then relaxed and said, “Very good, sir.”
Juliette sat all alone on the Persian rug in the Solicitor General’s office and wept. She adored Sofia and she knew that the princess meant well, but, in her heart, Juliette also knew that when Sofia became queen, nothing would change. There would be noble speeches and garish ceremonies and lavish picnics and opulent ribbon cuttings and yet, somehow, none of the money would ever make it to the poor; the orphanage would never have a new roof.
She wept because this, finally, was the end. Whatever doubts or hesitations she might have had were gone now. Good intentions were scattered everywhere; the castle was littered with them. Nothing had changed because she had been here, nothing would change. Palais d’Or had been like this for 800 years; it would be like this for 800 more.
Well, no sense hanging around any longer. Time to grab the necklace and go.
She dried her eyes, blew her nose. She stood just inside the door, took a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face. As she opened the door and stepped into the hall, she nearly ran into Armand, carrying an armful of papers.
“Oh!”
“Sorry!”
“Are you all right, miss?”
“Yes, I was just startled.”
Armand relaxed and smiled. “Very good, miss. Have a good night.”
“Yes, you, too. Good night.”
As Armand walked away, Juliette was suddenly overcome with an urgent emotion. “Armand, wait a moment,” she called after him.
“Yes, miss?”
“Armand, I-”
Careful, girl! You can’t say “good-bye!”
“- I just want to tell you how much your kindness has meant to me,” she blurted out.
Armand narrowed his gaze. “Yes, miss?”
“And Alicia and Emilia, too. They’ve been so helpful-” Juliette paused as her eyes came to rest on the paperwork that Armand was carrying. “Excuse me, but are those from the children’s hospital picnic?”
“Yes, miss. The prince has a meeting with the director first thing in the morning.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, miss.” Armand sighed, “He already had a full day planned for tomorrow but he was quite insistent that I set up a meeting immediately. Apparently, you said something to him about the way the picnic was being conducted?”
Juliette was floored. “He remembered that?”
“Oh, yes, miss. Your words carry a great deal of weight with the prince. As soon as he returned from the picnic, he asked me for the charity’s records.”
“I had no idea…” Juliette trailed off.
He actually listened to me?
“I’m sorry, miss, I must get these to the prince.”
“Oh… yes… of course,” Juliette nodded.
Armand took three quick steps down the hall, then paused. “Oh, miss? Have you ever seen the moon reflected off the chandelier in the foyer? It’s quite beautiful. In fact, there’s a full moon tonight. You should see it.” Armand began walking briskly away, then said over his shoulder. “And take your time. There’s no rush.”
Puzzled, Juliette meandered down the hallway following several steps behind Armand. At the point where one would normally turn right to enter the foyer, Armand instead turned left int
o the King’s Study.
“Ah, you’re back. Did you have any trouble finding them?”
Juliette froze when she heard Guillermo’s voice.
“No, sir, but I did run into Miss Juliette in the hallway.”
“Oh? How is she doing?”
“She seemed quite well.”
“Good. I’m glad. I’ll have to apologize to her in the morning. I never imagined that the baron would bring his daughter along. Olivia can be so difficult sometimes.”
Juliette tiptoed forward.
Is it my imagination or is Armand intentionally leaving the door open a crack so that I can hear?
Juliette heard the sound of shuffling papers. Guillermo snapped, “This is what the steering committee sent for our audit? This is useless! These are nothing more than promotional pamphlets.”
More papers rustling. “Armand, I’ve looked over all of the records for this charity and I can’t find answers to even the most basic questions. And they’ve been collecting donations for that hospital for eleven years. Where’s the money going to? Salaries? A bank account? How long before they start building? Do they even have a plot of land chosen for the site? No one seems to know.” Guillermo’s voice was filled with a mixture of anguish, outrage, and frustration.
“Yes, sir,” Armand responded.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if this was the only charity like this but there are dozens more.” Guillermo sighed. “Who am I kidding? The royal charities are a disaster. They’ve been neglected for years. No, for decades. I can’t fix this overnight.”
“Sir, if I may, it has been a most tiring day-” Abruptly, Armand pushed the door shut leaving Juliette standing alone in the hallway in silence.
My God. Guillermo gets it. He actually gets it!
Juliette spun on her heels and sprinted up the stairs, the wheels in her head spinning out a plan.
If this works, I might leave here with more than just a necklace!
Chapter 12
Juliette paced back and forth in her bedroom.
The royal charities — including the orphanages — need some serious reform. Sofia is a dear but she would be overwhelmed with the task. She’s clever and smart; there is always the chance that she could grow into the role — but how long would that take? 10 years? 20?
The charities can’t wait that long.
Guillermo understands the problems and he has the skills to fix them. But he doesn’t want to become king because of his “broken heart.” He’s just pushing the job onto Sofia so he can run away to Africa.
It sounds so weird saying that. Guillermo with a broken heart?
And besides, it’s not like Sofia even wants the job in the first place. She was up crying all night about it. So we wouldn’t be taking anything away from Sofia; we would be freeing her-
Juliette stopped in her tracks.
Wait — ‘we?’ Where did that come from? “We would be freeing her?” When did I get pulled into this?
Juliette resumed pacing.
Calm down, calm down. Guillermo just needs to be convinced to stay on as king. Armand said it himself: Guillermo listens to me. There are 6 days before the wedding. That’s still plenty of time to convince him before I have to escape.
Juliette nodded her head, her decision made: before she left the castle, she would force Guillermo to see how much the country needed him to be the king.
* * *
Juliette sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for air.
She ran a shaky hand through her sweaty hair. The alarm clock to her left read 4:11 AM in bright red numbers.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
She pounded the bed with her fist, then flipped the covers to the side. Sliding her feet into her slippers, she cracked the window and stood there, letting the cool night breeze waft over her sweaty neck and forehead.
How could I be so dumb?
She shook her head, took a deep cleansing breath, and forced herself to relax, pushing the negative self-recriminations from her mind.
Calm down. Calm down. Find your center.
After a few minutes, she took one final deep breath, exhaled, and opened her eyes, feeling refreshed. She closed the window and began pacing the room.
The problem was obvious. She was more certain than ever that Guillermo needed to become king — and remain the king well past one year. However, if she kept her promise to her uncle — if she left before the wedding — how would Guillermo become king if he had no wife?
The entire reason for her being in the castle was because he needed a wife to ascend the throne. If she left before the wedding, who would he marry? Olivia? Juliette’s blood boiled at the thought.
That woman? Guillermo’s wife? Over my dead body!
Juliette frowned, pulled on her robe, and headed to the kitchen for a cup of chamomile tea.
That’s when she discovered it, quite by accident: the gem room’s secret. As she walked past the gem room on her way to the kitchen, she noticed that the door was completely unguarded!
Smoke break? Bathroom break?
She continued on to the kitchen, located a cup and saucer, and heated some water in the microwave. She retrieved a tea bag from a tin next to the spice rack and placed it into the cup. As the tea was steeping, she crept down the hall and poked her head around the corner: still no guard.
Well, how about that?
She returned to the kitchen and stood at the window; gazing at the stars and sipping her tea.
I could grab the necklace right now and be home before dawn.
The thought filled her with sadness; to come this close to making a fundamental change to the kingdom, only to be turned away at the last second; it felt like failure.
If only there were some way that Guillermo could become king without having to marry…
As she took a sip of tea, an idea sparked in her mind.
Hey! I’ve been taking Guillermo’s word for this marriage requirement all along. What if there were some other way that he could become king, some way where he didn’t need a wife? I mean, Sofia is supposed to take the crown in a year and nobody’s said that she needs a husband. So why does Guillermo need a wife? Just exactly what does that law say?
Energized, Juliette set down her tea cup and headed back to her room. She glanced at her watch as she approached the gem room: 5:29 AM.
And still no guards.
She tried the knob; the door opened. There was no one inside. She put one foot into the room then stopped herself.
Wait! Think! If you grab the necklace now, you have to leave immediately. Once they discover the necklace is missing, they’ll know it was you!
She stepped back and closed the door.
But if I don’t grab it now, will I get another chance? Wait a minute. Come to think of it, I never checked the gem room after midnight… Of course! They must knock off sometime after midnight once the castle has been locked up. All of the entrances are locked; there’s no way to escape the castle once it’s locked up tight. Well, no way for a normal person to escape. Now, a girl who grew up in the circus with a pair of night vision goggles hidden in a backpack upstairs? That’s a different story!
She grinned as she climbed the stairs.
Okay, new plan: we get a look at that law, find a loophole, convince the prince, grab the necklace, then get out of here!
Juliette paced the room, waiting for the clock to reach 6:30 AM.
She had showered and dressed; jeans, tennis shoes, and a white sleeveless blouse, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
She had given up on sleep almost as soon as she tried; her mind racing with all of the possibilities.
I have got to find that loophole as soon as possible!
The moment that the clock ticked over to 6:30, she tugged on the bell pull next to the door and waited.
At 6:31, she heard a knock. “Come in.”
Emilia entered the room, out of breath, her hat sitting slightly crooked on her head. “You rang, miss?”
“Yes, E
milia, I need to learn more about the coronation law. Do you know where I might look?”
Emilia seemed puzzled for a moment, then said, “Well, there is a big collection of law books in the library, miss. Would you like me to write a request for the librarian?”
“We have a librarian?” Juliette asked.
“Yes, miss. Mrs. Conde. I believe she arrives at 9 AM today, if I’m not mistaken.”
Juliette impatiently shook her head. “That’s too late. I need the information now. When does the library open?”
“I don’t believe the library is ever locked, miss.”
“Thank you, Emilia. Please bring my breakfast to the library, then.”
“Yes, miss.”
When Emilia entered the library at 7:20 AM, she found Miss Juliette reading a book. Two more thick books were stacked next to her right elbow.
“Oh, hello, Emilia,” Miss Juliette looked up and smiled. “Put the tray over there for me please?”
“Yes, miss.” As Emilia set the food on a nearby desk, she glanced at the spines of the two books: “The Royal Laws” and “The History of the Monarchy of San Morrando.” She made a mental note of them.
“I checked with Miss Alicia,” Emilia said. “Mrs. Conde, the librarian, will be in by 9 AM today.”
“Thank you, Emilia,” Miss Juliette replied. “You’ve been a big help.”
“Yes, miss. Do you need anything else?”
“Not right now,” Miss Juliette returned to her reading.
“Thank you, miss.” Emilia left the room and leisurely wandered back towards the kitchen. She liked Miss Juliette; she was unlike any other royal she had ever served. She felt guilty every time that she was forced to give a report on Miss Juliette’s activities to Lady Olivia. But Lady Olivia had left her no choice; her father was old and proud; if he lost the job at Baron Amsel’s mansion, it would crush him. And with her mother gone…
She sighed. If these silly royals wanted to spy on each other and gossip about each other, so be it. Her father was her blood and that was that. Besides, it wasn’t as if Miss Juliette ever did anything worth gossiping about. On the contrary, Miss Juliette was always very kind and respectful to her and the rest of the staff. She doubted that anything she might say to Lady Olivia would ever get Miss Juliette into any kind of trouble.
Princess Thief: Stealing Your Heart Page 11
