Page 35 of Ascending

“What about?”

“How to be a proper Princess. I was a little kid; I wanted to run and play, but we had certain rules about that. I was told to be careful more times than I can remember. Martin had it worse than all of us, though.”

“Because he was next in line?”

“And the oldest. My father did the best he could, I’m sure, but he put a lot of pressure on Martin and Alexander. Victoria and I didn’t have nearly as much to do or worry about. On top of that, they were the two boys. They’re required, as are all boys when they reach eighteen, to join the military for two years. Victoria and I were able to go straight to university without risking our lives.”

“Was your dad strict because he was just being a dad or because he was King?”

“A little of both,” Elizabeth replied honestly. “I think, had the circumstances been different, he would have been a stern father. It was just in his character. But circumstances weren’t different, and he was a King raised by a King who then fathered a future King. He raised us how he thought he had to in order to prepare us to fulfill our duties to the country.”

Elizabeth plated the food she’d prepared, turned off the stove, pulled sparkling water out of the refrigerator, and sat everything down on the table.

“Now, we eat, and no more interview questions until we’re done. Agreed?” she asked Palmer.

“Deal,” Palmer said with a smile.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, which felt oddly comforting to Elizabeth. At the dinner the previous night, she’d had to remember to start the conversation with the man on her right first. Then, when the second course arrived, she struck one up with the woman on her left. Neither person had said anything to her until she’d opened the conversation. It was an old and tired custom that she wanted to get rid of as soon as possible. Now, she was sitting silently with Palmer, and she didn’t feel like shehadto talk to her. She did, however,wantto talk to her.

“What was life like growing up in Pennsylvania?” she asked.

“Worlds away from growing up here in a palace, I suspect,” Palmer replied.

“How did your parents meet?”

“Blind date. A friend they shared set them up when they were in their mid-twenties.”

“Blind date? That’s kind of terrifying, isn’t it?”

“Imagine being the guy that would show up to a blind date withyou,” Palmer teased. “He’d have to bow and walk backward if he had to make a trip to the bathroom at dinner.”

Elizabeth smiled but didn’t laugh at the joke. “It obviously went well for them: they’re still together, and they have two children,” she said instead.

Palmer laughed lightly and said, “Actually, their first date had been a disaster. My mom said she found my dad annoying. My dad said my mom came off as stuck-up.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. And that would have been the end of it, but they were at that same friend’s Fourth of July party in Philadelphia, which is kind of a big deal there, and started talking. At the end of the night, they exchanged numbers, and they’ve been together ever since.”

“That’s sweet,” Elizabeth replied.

“It is. They still seem happy together even though it’s been thirty-one years and things haven’t always been easy.”

“Your sister?” Elizabeth guessed.

“That too, but my dad’s a teacher; my mom owns a small restaurant. Neither of those jobs brings in much money. I had to get a scholarship to NYU because we couldn’t afford it otherwise, and when my sister showed up, she needed a lot of help. Her medical expenses and school add up, but they’ve stuck together through it all. It’s a lot to handle, and I help when I can, but I don’t exactly make a lot of money myself, and I live in an expensive city, so it’s not as much help as I wish I could provide.”

“But you love what you do? You love the city?” Elizabeth asked as she ate.

“I love what I do. Ilikethe city enough. It’s where I need to be right now, but if I found something else in journalism that I had to move for, I’d consider it, too. New York is an intense city. That’s one of the reasons I needed a vacation to a place like St. Rais.”

“Oneof the reasons?” Elizabeth asked, taking her final bite.

“Yeah, well, my girlfriend and I weren’t doing so well, either. That was probably my main motivation for getting away.”

Elizabeth took a long drink from her water before asking, “Is this the ex you were talking about before?”

“She isnow, yeah. That was actually her texting me earlier. I asked her to drop my stuff off at my place and take whatever she’d left there before she dropped off the key. She was just letting me know she’d done it, so I guess that’s it.” Palmer took a sip of her own water and added, “Can I ask you something?”