Page 12 of A Royal Obligation

“I am more than capable of conversing for an evening.”

“If you say so. But please promise me that you will retire early if you start feeling fatigued.”

“I’ll be fine. Go enjoy your time in town.” His father dismissed him, walking back the way he had come from.

Barrett let out an exasperated sigh at his father’s stubbornness. He tried to push his worries about his father’s health from his mind as he exited the palace. Per usual protocol, he slid into the back seat of the black Mercedes sedan his driver, George, had pulled around for him. His personal bodyguard, Jackson, sat in the front seat surveying the perimeter even while they were still on the palace property.

He peered out the tinted windows as they drove through the countryside into the nearby town of Brookside. He mentally began preparing what he would say to Charlotte when she arrived.Would we actually be a good fit? Does she embody the qualities on my list? Is Charlotte someone I can get along with for the rest of my life?

Barrett’s thoughts were interrupted by George letting him know they had arrived in town.

“The school is right up the road. Would you like for me to drop you off there?”

“No, that’s all right. I could go for a nice walk. I’ll meet you back here in about an hour.” Barrett stretched his legs as he got out of the car. He put on his sunglasses and pulled the hood of his jacket up over his baseball hat. He waved goodbye to his driver and started his trek toward Brookside Primary School with Jackson trailing behind him.

Barrett inhaled the sweet scent of fresh-baked goods as he walked past Brookside Bakery. He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets, and his shoulders relaxed as he took a deep breath. He always felt at ease when he walked down the quaint streets of downtown Brookside. Many well-kept and thriving businesses lined the streets. Aside from the bakery, there was a coffee shop and bookstore combo that always had a group of girls sitting in front of it sipping on their lattes together. There were some unique, family-owned restaurants that made food that rivaled the palace’s. Other shops consisted of things like a small craft store, a fitness center, and a boutique.

He moved to walk on the cobblestone streets as a group of women speed-walking together while pushing strollers passed him on the sidewalk. Within a few minutes, he arrived at the school.

“You can wait out here,” Barrett said to his bodyguard.

“But—” Jackson started.

“I will be safe inside a children’s primary school. I won’t be long.” He gave him a look that said he wouldn’t budge.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Jackson turned his back so that he was facing the street.

Barrett’s hand met the warm metal handle of the door and he pulled it open, removing his sunglasses as he entered. He walked to the front office and waved to the receptionist who looked like she might faint at the sight of him. She gladly welcomed him in.

He saw Principal McCallum surrounded by a group of children in the lobby. She was sitting on the floor with them reading a book animatedly with a different voice for each character. She looked up as he walked by, and he gave her a knowing wave before heading down one of the main hallways. He had an understanding with Principal McCallum that he could come walk around whenever he would like, so long as he didn’t disrupt any classes.

It was people like her that inspired Barrett to want to do more in the community. To give back to the people. Barrett imagined the royal family would be busy with updating many of the schools in the kingdom for the next few years, and Charlotte would be a great person to have by his side to oversee those.Why, then, does my stomach always feel like it is filled with lead at the thought of marrying?

He shook his head and focused on the task at hand. His gaze traveled over the rooms, floors, and walls of the school. As he surveyed the colorful bulletin boards and children’s artwork hung on the walls, he noticed things under the surface. Cracks in the flooring. Peeling paint. Was that mold on the ceiling? These things would make anyone disgusted by the condition of the school, but Barrett was eager to get to work on fixing it up to make it the best space possible for these children.

The classrooms weren’t terrible, but the flooring could still use an update or a deep cleaning at the very least. The technology needed updating, too. They still had those old overhead projectors with the transparent plastic films you could draw on, clean, and reuse.

He and Liam had a slew of tutors growing up that had used the same outdated technology, which greatly aged the classroom technology that Brookside Primary School was still utilizing. Seeing one of those projectors made him reminisce on his school-age years and how he had always wished he got to have a normal school experience.Maybe I would be able to talk to a woman if I had more classmates than my brother growing up.Although he couldn’t change the past, Barrett could create the school he had always wanted for these kids.

He made note of a few other things that needed work. The cafeteria area where the food was served desperately needed updating and each classroom needed more cubby spaces for students to store their things.

After he had walked through most of the school, he glanced at his watch and realized he was supposed to be meeting George back at the car soon. He put his sunglasses on as he rushed toward the back doors and exited the building.

As he rounded a corner outside the school, Barrett ran directly into a woman almost a foot shorter than him. He reached out and grabbed her elbows to steady her. Electricity zipped through his hands and up his arms and all the way down to his toes when his hands touched her skin.

She let out a scream and ripped her arms from his grip. She threw her purse at him and then cowered while yelling, “Take it! Just please don’t hurt me!”

Confusion covered Barrett’s features as he looked down at the purse in his hands. “What?” he asked and then looked down at his outfit, realizing how he might come across. “I wasn’t trying to steal from you. I’m not going to hurt you.” He gingerly held out her purse and the woman snatched it back.

“Oh, thank heavens. That would be an awful first day in a new country.”

As she looked down at her purse, he took in her features. She was a beautiful, fiery, little thing. She couldn’t be more than a few inches over five feet tall and had a very petite frame. She had adorable black bangs that settled over her eyebrows, and her hair was curled and up in a ponytail on the top of her head. She was dressed casually, like a tourist, but still looked like she meant business.

“May I ask what you’re doing in Wistonia?”

“I’m actually going to be helping out at this school for a while,” she replied.

“That’s wonderful. It’s important to invest in our next generation.”