Page 7 of A Royal Obligation

He deeply inhaled as he approached a section that was populated with a wide variety of flowers. His mother had been so proud of the flowers they grew. She had often spent her free time out in the gardens helping the palace gardeners weed, water the flowers, or replace the soil. They weren’t the most proper or dignified tasks for a queen to complete, but it was an argument she had always won with his dad. Barrett had spent enough time out there with her to learn the names of all the flowers in the garden and which ones bloomed in what seasons.

He looked at the flowerbeds in front of him and immediately recognized the calla lilies, hydrangeas, and zinnias that had bloomed that month. His gaze moved to the greenhouse where forget-me-nots grew year-round. His mother had always given a forget-me-not to his father whenever he had to travel to meet with diplomats or royals from other countries so that he would have something to remember her by.

That memory brought him back to the present moment and the fact that he didn’t have as much time left with his father as he had anticipated.

“I thought I would find you out here. You always walk in the gardens when you’re trying to process something.” Liam strolled over to him. “Can you believe what Father said?” he scoffed.

“It’s wild, right? I can’t help but blame myself. What if I had been more adamant about him getting tested a while ago? Do you think it would have made a difference?”

“You can’t blame yourself. We both know that he’s set in his ways. He likely wouldn’t have gotten further testing or treatment no matter when he found out.” Liam shook his head as he kicked a rock off their path.

“I don’t want to think about losing another parent. We lost Mom so long ago, but the sting of her loss is still here. There’s so many things I wish she could be here for. To meet her future grandchildren. My coronation.” Barrett stopped walking and his eyes fell to his feet. “It’s hard enough that she’s not here for all these momentous occasions. But the thought of Dad being gone too is unthinkable.”

Liam threw an arm over his shoulder. “It also means you have to get married. Like yesterday.”

Barrett shrugged his arm off and let out an exasperated sigh. “Youhadto bring that up again.”

“Let me know if you need any help in the female department.” Liam winked and then his face sobered. “We’ll get through this together. We’ve done it before, and we can do it again. In the meantime, we’ll do our best to persuade Dad to get more testing done.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Barrett clapped Liam’s shoulder. “The convincing Dad part. Not asking you for female help.”

Liam laughed as he walked back toward the palace. He plucked a flower from the garden and lifted it in the air as if it were a cup of champagne. Barrett could still hear his laughter ringing in the air, even after he could no longer see him.

Once Liam was gone, Barrett let out the emotions he had been suppressing. Tears pricked the back of his eyes, and he took a deep breath to steady himself. His plan with Liam to convince his father to pursue treatment might work and could give them more time with their father and, in turn, more time before he had to marry.

But he needed to do something to appease his father in the meantime while they tried to get him to pursue further testing and treatment.He continued to stroll the grounds as he thought through different ideas. He had to show his dad that he was putting in the work and trying to find a suitable wife. But he also needed to come up with something that wouldn’t take him away from his other duties.

A bright smile covered his face when an idea formulated in his mind. As a part of his plan to better the education system in Wistonia, he had teamed up with the principal at Brookside Primary School. He would be leading a project to renovate the school to make it a more safe, engaging space for children to learn.

I can invite Lady Charlotte of Findorra to come for an extended stay.

He could use assistance with the school renovations, and since she had opened a children’s center in Findorra, she would be the perfect person to help. They could go on some dates and group outings while she was here so that he could get to know her better. His father obviously already found her to be an acceptable candidate since he had tried to have her join them for dinner yesterday.

After a glance at his watch, he knew it was almost time for his weekly standing meeting with King Henry and Liam. He walked back into the palace with a newfound sense of calmness. Tomorrow, he would have the palace secretary call the Albury Estate to extend the invitation to Lady Charlotte. He gulped. Now he had to figure out how to interact with a woman without sounding like a bumbling idiot.

And I refuse to ask Liam for help.

Barrett sat on a couch with his father and brother in the men’s sitting room, all of their eyes intently watching the show on the massive television in front of them. If anyone ever saw what the grown men watched together, all three of them would likely die of embarrassment. Yet every week they could always be found in the same place at the same time, maintaining their family tradition.

“Welcome to the premiere of this season ofThe Perfect Match.” The host, Giovanni Geraldo, professed with enthusiasm. “We have a sensational group of contestants for our lead to pursue. There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the identity of our leading man, and I am honored to announce this season’s bachelor is none other than the adored Reese Allen.” He paused for the audience to clap. “As always, buckle in and get ready for the drama to unfold.”

“I can’t believe the bachelorette last season didn’t pick Reese. He totally should have won,” Barrett said.

“Oh please, he is overly sweet and completely boring,” Liam retorted, though his eyes remained glued on the show.

“He’s a good guy who deserves love.”

“Will you two hush? I can’t hear what they’re saying.” King Henry shushed them. “The show has barely begun and you’re already bickering.” He muttered under his breath as he grabbed the remote control and turned the volume up a few notches.

Both brothers quieted as their full attention fell back on the show.

As the girls started to be introduced, Barrett thought of the list he made of the qualities he wanted in his future wife. He got the idea to make the list from the show in the first place. One of the women on an early season had carried around a list that explained her ideal partner, and she checked qualities off that list throughout the season as she got to know the lead.

As a lover of lists and plans, Barrett had made a list of his own for whenever he would begin the search for his wife. He had read it so many times that he ran through it from memory.

A woman of royal standing. Poised. Hard-working. Proper. Admired. Easy-going. Well-spoken. Generous. Easy to converse with.

He knew he would find a woman who embodied all of these attributes. And one day he would marry her and make her queen. Maybe Lady Charlotte would end up being the person that would help him fulfill his duty.