Page 110 of Royally Matched

“Sofia, Marco. Thank you both so much for joining us,” Father says, and I think I detect a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Darling, your hair looks so pretty that way. You really should wear it like that more often,” Mummy says lightly.

“I agree with you, Your Majesty,” Marco says as he bows to both my parents.

Father suggests we take a seat, and I sink gingerly into one of the chairs with Marco by my side, nervous about what this is all about.

“What’s going on? Why did you want to see us in the middle of Alex and Maddie’s wedding?” I ask, my pulse rising with trepidation as thoughts bounce off the walls of my mind. They know about Marco and me. They’re angry that I’m not going to marry Enzo. They’re going to giveme a stern talking to about the whole way this thing has played out.

“I have something I want you both to see.” Father gestures at Jason, who places a familiar looking box on the coffee table between us.

“Is that…?” My mouth drops open.

“We found that box,” Marco says.

“That’s right. I believe you found it in a secret passageway under the throne room at the palace in Villadorata,” Father replies.

I pull my eyebrows together. “How did you know?”

Both my parents smile.

“I think you’ll find we know a lot of things, my darling,” Mummy says, oh-so mysteriously.

“But I had the box in my rooms. And its contents,” I reply, my mind jumping to the conclusion that my parents had had my room searched and they found the box with the scroll. I dart a look at Marco, but he looks equally confused.

“Open it,” Father instructs.

“I’m sorry?” I question.

“Open the box. It’s a simple enough instruction,” he replies.

Utterly confused, I lean forward and pop the lid of the box open. Just as when Marco and I discovered it under the throne room, there sits the scroll.

“What do you see?” Father asks.

“I see a scroll of paper,” I reply. “What’s this all about?”

“Pick it up and sniff it for me, will you?” he asks, and I almost laugh out loud at how preposterous this whole thing is.

“I beg your pardon, Father?” I glance at Marco and see he too is confused.

“Sniff it,” he instructs, his face alight in amusement.

“You want me to sniff the scroll?” I ask once more, suddenly wondering at Father’s sanity.

“I do! Go on. Sniff it,” he repeats.

I glance at Mummy.

“Do as your father says, darling,” she encourages.

“All right.” Carefully, I lift the scroll out of the box and hold it to my nose. I take a sniff.

“Well? What does it smell of?” Father asks.

“It smells of… I know this is strange, but it smells like stale coffee.”

I offer the scroll to Marco and he sniffs it, too. “She's right. It's like stale coffee.”