Royal Pain

by Raelyn Drake

  “Fair enough,” his mom responded. “You should probably get ready, then. The party is about to start.” And with that she left him alone again.

  Reluctantly, Noah got dressed and made his way down to the garden. Large canopy tents had been set up on the lawn near the museum to cover the long tables where the meal would be served. Guests arrived in chauffeured cars and were formerly announced by his grandmother’s butler. Noah soon lost track of all the people coming in. Other than the occasional distant Valmont relative, he didn’t recognize any of the names anyway.

  So there he was, milling around with the Evonian nobility and trying his best to avoid his grandmother.

  Beth found him by the drinks table talking to the waiter. “Noah! I’m glad you’re still here. I was afraid you’d left already.”

  “Nah,” Noah said. “My plane doesn’t leave until this evening.” The waiter handed him two glasses of lemonade.

  Beth looked at the drinks and arched one eyebrow knowingly. “If you’re looking for Tori, I think I saw her go into the hedge maze.”

  “Thank you, Beth—for everything,” Noah said.

  Beth blushed. “Of course, what are friends for?”

  Noah smiled appreciatively.

  “Oh, and just so you know,” Beth said, “not all members of the Evonian nobility have the same old-fashioned notions as your grandmother. Sure, some of us are very snooty, but some are the nicest people you’ll ever meet. My parents and I live in an apartment in Alaborn, not some giant mansion like Rotherham Hall. I mean, yes, it is a very nice apartment, but we don’t have servants, or butlers, or five-course luncheons daily.”

  Another noble called her name, and Beth flashed Noah a quick smile before hurrying off. “Just something for you to think about. Take care!”

  “You too!” Noah called after her. Then he headed to the hedge maze to find Tori.

  He had already explored the maze earlier that month. The walls were tall and dense, bathing the pathway in cool shadows and blocking out much of the noise beyond. But it wasn’t particularly difficult to figure out—it was meant to be a quiet and private place to walk, not as a brainteaser.

  Noah found Tori at the center of the maze, sitting on a stone bench near a fountain. She smiled when she saw him, but her eyes looked slightly puffy, as though she’d been crying recently.

  “Are you really going back to America?” she asked him.

  Noah sat down heavily on the bench next to her and handed her one of the lemonades. “My flight leaves this evening. But I wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.” He hoped that didn’t sound too dramatic or sappy.

  Tori sipped her drink in silence for a moment. “Did you mean all those things you said to Lady Octavia about Evonia?”

  “How did you—?”

  “Beth and I followed you so we could eavesdrop on your conversation,” she mumbled, then shot him a look that was somewhere between a guilty grimace and a mischievous grin.

  Noah chuckled weakly. “I don’t know, honestly. I’m so fed up with my grandmother and the types of games she’s playing for the sake of tradition . . . but I really think I might be falling in love—” he glanced at Tori, who was staring at him, eyes sparkling, and he cleared his throat nervously—“in love with, er, Evonia.”

  The corner of Tori’s mouth twitched into a smile. “With Evonia?” she echoed.

  “Uh, yeah, you know, its culture, its cuisine . . . its people . . .”

  They leaned toward each other and kissed, and for a moment Noah was aware of nothing but being there with her.

  Tori’s phone buzzed. They broke apart and Tori reached into her purse.

  “It’s Beth,” she said. “Apparently Lady Octavia wants your mom to make a formal welcome speech before we sit down to eat. She’s gathering everybody now.”

  Her phone buzzed again. Tori snorted. “Beth also wants to know if we should mix up all of the place cards on the tables while everyone’s distracted.”

  “I’m honestly kind of tempted,” Noah said, snorting back at her.

  11

  By the time Noah and Tori slipped out of the hedge maze, a crowd had gathered in front of a podium set up on the steps of the museum. Noah’s dad stood off to the side as his mom prepared to make her speech. Noah and Tori joined the back of the crowd as quietly as they could.

  “Welcome, everyone. First, I would like to thank all of you for the warm welcome my family and I have received on our return to Evonia, as well as your support and guidance as I try to fill the hole left by the tragically unexpected death of my father, Lord Claude Valmont. I hope to be worthy of his title.”

  “A toast to Lady Cassandra Valmont, Duchess of Rotherham!” someone in the crowd called. The assembled nobles raised their glasses.

  Noah’s mom smiled warmly. “But this garden party isn’t about me. It’s about the grand opening of the Rotherham Museum of Ancient Evonian Artifacts. It was my father’s dream that his private collection of Evonian artifacts would one day be open to all Evonian citizens. Because of that, I’m pleased to announce that the museum will have free admission for all visitors. Any charitable donations you choose to make today, as well as any time you visit the museum, will go toward funding children’s history programs in Evonian public schools.”

  There was scattered applause and a general murmur of approval from the audience.

  “None of this would have been possible without the help of three amazing teens who donated most of their summer vacation to get the museum ready for the opening. Lady Annabeth Sharpe, Tori Fontaine, and my son, Noah Fuller-Valmont.”

  Noah smiled. He liked the way his mom had managed to combine the last name he had inherited with the last name he had grown up with.

  “Noah, would you like to say a few words to share your unique perspective on this project?”

  Noah’s smile faded, and the gratitude he had felt a moment before was replaced by a sense of panic. No one had warned him about this. Eyes wide, he shook his head at his mom, mouthing the word “no,” but she either didn’t see him or pretended not to.

  The crowd began to applaud, and Tori gave his hand a squeeze. “Go ahead,” she said. “You’ll be great.”

  Encouraged by Tori’s smile, Noah staggered up to the podium in a daze. He had never thought of himself as being prone to stage fright. But there was a big difference between presenting a report in front of a class of high schoolers and making up a speech on the spot, in front of the type of people who attended high-society garden parties.

  He cleared his throat nervously before stepping up to the microphone.

  “It may be hard to believe,” he started, “but just six weeks ago, I barely knew anything about Evonia, let alone about ancient Evonian civilizations. I talked with my grandparents on the phone, but I realize now that we missed a lot of chances to talk about the things that really mattered. I wish I could’ve gotten to know my grandfather better before his death. But I found out this summer that working closely with his collection has been the next best thing. You can really get a feel for someone by looking at what they’re passionate about. My grandfather’s passion ended up being the same as my passion—archaeology. The Rotherham collection is my grandfather’s legacy, and his most valuable contribution to this country. By preserving Evonia’s past, we’re helping to protect Evonia’s future.”

  Noah paused, feeling like he was rambling and wondering if he was expected to make a longer speech. Luckily, someone in the crowd shouted, “To Evonia’s past and Evonia’s future!” and Noah took the opportunity to give the podium back to his mom.

  His mom smiled and whispered, “You were wonderful.” She went to the microphone to announce that the luncheon would be served in fifteen minutes, while Noah ducked into the museum.

  Noah was grateful to find the building empty. He needed some time alone to think about everything that had happened that day. He wandered into one of the rooms and found himself in front of the display case with the tiny clay horse. Did he real
ly want to go home and abandon his grandfather’s legacy? Abandon Tori?

  A quiet cough behind him made him jump. He hadn’t heard his grandmother come in.

  Noah opened his mouth to speak, but his grandmother held up a hand to cut him off.

  “Just listen, please. I am aware that one of my faults is my inability to admit when I am wrong. I cannot excuse personal character flaws just because I am royalty. So I have come to apologize.”

  Noah was shocked, but he didn’t dare say anything yet.

  “I made some rash decisions when your mother told me that you weren’t sure that you wanted to accept your inheritance as the heir to the Rotherham title,” his grandmother continued. “When Cassandra met your father, she loved him so much that she was willing to move to America with him, thousands of miles away from her homeland and family. And I loved Claude so much that I didn’t want his life’s work to be lost . . .” she trailed off as her voice caught in her throat.

  Noah’s grandmother took a deep breath before continuing. “In any case, I was hoping that if you were able to find the same sort of love here in Evonia, it would convince you to stay. I favored Annabeth—or, I guess, Beth—because of her noble family, but I see now that I misjudged the situation. I am clearly still getting to know my own grandson. Victoria is a lovely girl, and there’s no excuse for how rude I’ve been to her. Her parents’ friendship meant the world to Claude, and I know he would have been pleased to see you growing close to their daughter. When I heard your speech just now, I realized that you are so much like your grandfather. And I would be honored if you chose to carry on his legacy for the good of Evonia.”

  Noah couldn’t think of how to respond to this sudden outpouring of emotion. “Grandmother, I—”

  “What I am trying to say is that I hope you’ll forgive me and consider staying in Evonia, at least for the rest of the summer. There’s no need to make any concrete plans about your future, but I have enjoyed having you around, and I don’t want to lose you again. I know that Tori and Beth would miss you terribly as well . . . wouldn’t you, ladies?” his grandmother stared pointedly at the door.

  Noah heard a gasp from the hallway, followed by a stifled giggle. Tori poked her head around the corner, smiling sheepishly. Beth flounced into the room, giving Tori no choice but to follow her.

  “We really would miss you, Noah,” Beth said.

  Tori nodded enthusiastically.

  Noah’s grandmother smiled. “I must go and make sure that my seating chart is being followed, or there shall be chaos at the luncheon.” She winked at them and glided out of the room, effortlessly elegant as always.

  Tori and Beth looked at him expectantly.

  “Well?” Tori asked.

  Noah grinned. “I’ve heard some very convincing arguments, and I’m starting to think that it might be better if I stayed in Evonia for the rest of the summer.”

  Beth gave a whoop and flung her arms around him. He caught Tori’s eye. She smiled, and suddenly all he could think of was their kiss.

  Noah held up his hands, laughing, as Beth stepped back. “Now, just for the record, I haven’t made any final decision on whether I really want to move here forever or commit to being the future Duke of Rotherham.”

  “It’s your choice,” Tori said. “We don’t mind either way, as long as we can still be friends.”

  “Yeah,” Beth said, “we don’t care if you’re plain old Noah Fuller or Lord Noah Fuller-Valmont von Fancypants.”

  “I’m going to finish up my senior year of high school in America, but after that, I’m not sure. I’m still thinking about my future plans—maybe college.”

  “You know,” Tori said, “Alaborn University has a great archaeology program. My parents sometimes guest-teach classes there.”

  The thought of studying Evonian archaeology sounded more appealing than any royal title. Noah’s head suddenly buzzed with ideas of how he could expand and improve his grandfather’s collection.

  “Do you think you’ll come visit next summer?” Beth asked. “Oh, please say you will!”

  Noah laughed. “I don’t see why not.”

  Beth squealed. “Perfect! I’ll make a list of all the activities we can do. It will be difficult to fit everything in. We’ll have to get a head start this summer. In fact, I already have an idea of what we can do tomorrow,” she called over her shoulder as she headed for the door.

  Tori rolled her eyes affectionately.

  “It sounds like our schedule is already pretty booked,” Noah said.

  “I think we have time for one more thing,” Tori said, and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

  Noah grinned. He grabbed Tori’s hand as they followed Beth out into the garden.

  Raelyn Drake loves to visit museums. She also enjoys fancy parties, but uses the wrong fork more often than not. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband and rescue corgi mix, Sheriff.