Page 67 of Expecting Royal Twins!
She had barely spoken ten words to Niko since the incident on the lake. He’d slept in another room last night. He’d skipped breakfast this morning. She hadn’t seen him until an hour ago when they left the castle for the village.
An icy silence filled the limousine during the drive. Izzy didn’t know what to say to Niko. If she had ever had a disagreement with a guy she dated, she just never went out with him again. Fighting seemed like such a waste of time and energy. But that meant she’d never learned how to deal with conflict.
“Ready?” Niko asked as they took their seats in a horse drawn carriage decorated with fresh, colorful wildflowers.
The space on the bench seat between her and Niko felt as wide as the infield at the Indy 500. She forced a smile for the villagers’ benefit. “No, but I think it’s too late for them to cancel the parade. Unless Emil is right about a rainstorm.”
“The people would be disappointed,” Niko said flatly.
Villagers lined the narrow street, waving every imaginable size of Vernonian flags. “It reminds me of the Fourth of July parades back home except there isn’t any red, white and blue.”
“Each of the colors in the Vernonian flag has meaning. The light blue represents the sky, that our country may be as tranquil as the heavens above. The white stands for purity of heart and action. The yellow crest is the color of the sun, as it faithfully raises each day we pledge our loyalty to remain faithful to one another.”
“That’s beautiful,” she said. “I don’t know whether the story behind the colors of the U.S. flag is fact or fiction.”
“If this was the Fourth of July, you would be eating hot dogs and hamburgers.”
“Yeah, but the grilled spiced meat with onions cooking in that booth over there smell pretty good.” She motioned to her designer skirt, cropped jacket, hat, gloves and high heels. “Though I would never be dressed like this. I’d have on jeans or shorts and a T-shirt.”
“People came to see a princess today.”
A Sachestian princess. The future queen. Anxiety fluttered. “I know.”
She didn’t want to disappoint them which was why she’d worn the clothing the maid had put out this morning. But even though she wore fancy clothing and answered to Her Royal Highness or ma’am, she was still the same Izzy inside. Nothing would change that.
Not a new wardrobe.
Not princess lessons.
Not a prince for a husband.
If only Niko understood that and could accept her as she was. Then their marriage might stand a chance. As it was…
Izzy adjusted her white gloves and focused on the people. The friendly smiles and waves from the villagers lessened her apprehension.
Ahead of their carriage, a pickup truck pulled a float carrying folk dancers dressed in traditional costumes. Music played by the marching band behind them filled the air. The boom of the bass drum matched the beat of her heart, a combination of the anxiety over the parade and her marriage.
She waved and smiled, as did Niko. But once again, his smile didn’t reach his eyes. He remained silent, as did she. The villagers didn’t seem to notice the strain between them. For that, Izzy was thankful.
The carriage came to a sudden stop. The driver set the brake. The two horses whinnied and pawed at the ground.
She noticed the float in front of them had stopped, too.
A local official rushed up to the carriage.
“What is happening?” Niko asked.
“The truck pulling the dancers’ float has broken down, Your Royal Highness. We are summoning a mechanic.”
Finally, Izzy thought, a chance to be useful. She hopped out of the carriage without any assistance from the security.
Niko followed her off. He stood next to her on the street. “What are you doing?”
She straightened her skirt. “They need a mechanic.”
“You are a princess.”
“Why can’t I be both?” Izzy kept her voice low and a smile on her face. Jules would be so proud.
“It’s inappropriate,” Niko said, under his breath. “Unacceptable.”
She removed her white gloves. “The parade must go on.”
“Don’t do this, Isabel. The people—”
“I am more like these people than you.”
