Chapter Four

As much as Vincent would've loved to have started to get to know Orion before the wedding, he appreciated Orion probably did him a favor by not being available. "It all adds to the mystery of the day," he said to Morgan, his grin showing his teeth.

Originally he'd sent Morgan to Orion's suite with the delightful gifts he'd spent a pleasant afternoon selecting, along with an invitation to join him for a late supper. Vincent got a handwritten note in reply.

Dear Crown Prince Vincent,

Thank you for your kind attentions and various gifts. While I am sure the invitation to have supper with you would lead to a purely delightful evening in your company, unfortunately, I must regretfully decline.

There are numerous matters I must attend to before we are to be wed. I am sure, as a responsible crown prince with commitments of your own, you will understand.

I remain committed to joining you at our wedding service on Tuesday at eleven bells.

Your affianced,

Orion

"He thinks I'm a responsible prince." Vincent had stabbed the elegantly written prose with glee. "He did write this himself, didn't he? This is Orion's handwriting?"

"I watched him pen the reply myself, sir." Morgan's lips twitched.

"And the gifts? Did he say anything about the gifts?" Vincent loved giving gifts to people he was fond of. They always seemed so happy, and he was often showered with affection when he went on a shopping spree.

"He did appear to be very busy, but he did put the gifts on a table in his sitting room and assured me he would attend to them shortly."

"Hmm. That's disappointing he didn't open them right then and there, but still. Maybe he was overwhelmed by my generosity. And busy?" Vincent slapped his head, lightly of course, because he didn't want to leave a mark on his perfect features. "How silly of me to be inconsiderate. He is bound to feel he needs to enhance his appearance in every way possible to take up his position as my consort. What was he doing? Getting his hair done? His nails? Or was the tailor with him? That would be an appointment I would enjoy sitting in on."

"He was working at his desk, sir." Morgan shifted from one foot to the other and then asked, "Do you have any idea what Prince Orion does every day? Have you inquired about his daily activities at all?"

Vincent snorted. "I did ask his father what sort of hobbies Orion enjoyed. I was hoping if I knew a few of his interests in advance then that would help us move through the ‘getting to know you' side of things a bit faster. But I'm sure you noticed King Oscar wasn't very forthcoming about that sort of thing. I did wonder if he even cares what his sons do all day."

"Which would be an astute and accurate observation on your part," Morgan agreed.

"True, but when you think about it, Orion is probably going to be doing the same thing every other prince we know will be doing. I imagine he's an excellent dancer, and he likely rides a horse like a dream. It's logical to assume he spends a lot of time with friends, socializing like we do. Oh, wouldn't it be fun if he played cards? I'm sure he must do as his father seems to do little else. I wonder if he plays a musical instrument. That could be fun, too." Glancing up at Morgan's expression, Vincent frowned. "Why do I think you already know what my intended does all day?"

"Perhaps because you know your mother pays me a minor fortune to look out for you, and it's only natural when I informed our queen that you had decided to win your intended in a card game that she wanted to know who you'd decided to commit yourself to."

"You did mention that Orion is a prince, didn't you? It's not like I won some random person in a card game in a pirate bar. The wager with King Oscar was more like a friendly negotiation that simply occurred while we were playing cards." While Vincent loved his mother dearly and the feeling was mutual, he sometimes wondered if Morgan was strictly fair with the information that got passed on back to the Faast royal family.

"I informed Queen Julia that your intended was a male of royal blood. The male side of things did surprise her given your propensity for enjoying the company of both genders. She wondered how you planned to have children."

"I do not want children." Vincent shuddered. "I'll admit, I haven't had a lot to do with them, but the ones I have seen – ugh. They remind me of those wooden puppets with the horrible faces."

"Do you mean marionettes, sir?"

"Yes. That's the word. Scary things they are. They only move when they're being tugged on by strings. Although, the ones that move with magical or mechanical methods are worse. You think they're just a doll sitting on a shelf somewhere and then bam, they move for no reason. And they all have spooky faces. Nope. Those children I met were just the same. They just stare at you with their big eyes, and they barely move, and even when their parents are prodding them, they don't talk to you or anything. That's just scary."

"You are expected to name an heir at some point," Morgan said. "It's part of being a crown prince."

"I think the Crown Princes of Balenborn, Westland, and Gunkermal, not to mention King Mintyn of Marinkaw will all disagree with you. They set the precedent I was happy to follow. Besides. I have four sisters. I'm sure one of them will have children eventually and that's my heir problem solved." Vincent shook his finger at his longtime friend. "You've distracted me with this talk about children. What do you know about Orion's daily activities? Is it something juicy?"

"Not unless you consider working for a living a juicy activity, sir." Morgan shook his head. "By all accounts, the reason Prince Orion was unable to dine with you, or indeed spend any time at all with you before the wedding, was because he'd been instructed to wind up his extensive business affairs before he started traveling with you."

"Working? The poor man was working for a living? See." Vincent pointed his finger at Morgan. "It is just as well I came along when I did and saw the potential in him. If anyone has a chance of showing Orion how to have a good time, it's me."

"We'll just hope that's how Prince Orion views his situation, too, shall we sir?"

"You just wait and see. No one knows more about having fun in life than me."