Chapter 9

Flora

Several text notifications in a row wake me in the middle of the night.

I sit up in bed and grab my phone.

Callum: Dad’s okay, but he fell again.

Poor Mr. Black. And poor Callum, being so far away and unable to leave.

It’s been about a year since Callum’s father started having fainting spells and was diagnosed with cardiac issues, so I’ve more or less stopped panicking when receiving texts at an odd hour.

Me: Is it his heart?

Callum: Yeah. Thinking about asking to leave the infantry. To come home, so we can handle him together.

Me: Oh gods, is it that bad?

Callum: That’s the thing, you never know with that man.

Me: Oh believe me, I know. He threw a fit when I demanded that Rolf and Julia hire extra hands for the summer to help with the animals.

Callum: If he had grandchildren he might take his health more seriously.

I nearly drop my phone.

Me: Are you serious?

Callum: As a heart attack.

Me: Don’t joke about heart attacks. I’m only 21; I can’t start having babies yet.

Callum: Someday, though, right?

Me: How can you talk about all that at a time like this?

Callum: Because the sooner we tell everyone we’re in love, the sooner we can start our lives together. We can all be one family, and we can all look out for Dad together.

Me: Am I not doing a good enough job?

Callum: You’re doing a wonderful job. But you’re also a working royal. Your mother has you booked from dawn to dusk. Your charities and your duties come first.

This reminds me that I have an early morning visit to the city center, where I’ll be serving breakfast to teens who’ve aged out of the foster care system. My parents were not thrilled with my favored charity, but it’s ultimately my choice. The queen cannot deny the impact these visits have had on the Haart family’s overall popularity in the press.

Ergo, I need to get to sleep if I don’t want the bags under my eyes to be tomorrow’s conversation on Instagram.

Me: One day, Callum. We will figure it all out. Now is not the right time to tell everyone.

Callum: It’s so hard not to tell Sigurd. We see each other every day.

Me: You see him every day whether you’re in the military together, or here at the palace.

Callum: I love you so much, and I want you to be free.

I clutch my heart and will the tears away.

One day. One day, we will both be free to love each other out in the open.