In The Name of Love
22: Chosen

Even with his life on the line, Prince Adalberto could not have said which suitor he expected Princess Wilhelmina to pick after deliberating with her family. He was reasonably sure that it would be one of his brothers, and equally certain that she could not possibly, under any circumstances, choose him. There has to be some mistake, he tells himself over and over again, even as the princess’s soft, pale hand pulls him to accompany her and her family to a private dining area.

He falls in step beside her, behind her parents and siblings. “You’re sure?” he asks again. “Lisandro—”

“Is very nice, and I still hope to play duets with him someday,” she interrupts. She’s so calm, so poised, so controlled, he marvels. Valeriya wore her heart on her sleeve, but this princess is more guarded. “But between you and me—please don’t say anything that might make this harder for him—I think you’re the…wiser choice, as a life partner.”

“She goes by Minna, by the way,” Princess Josefina—Fifi, she said when they danced earlier—tells Adalberto over her shoulder.

“Oh. Um. Thank you,” he replies. He doesn’t know how to act around Fifi, or around any of them, really, now that Princess Wilhelmina—Minna—has made her decision. He wasn’t expecting to be in this position. He certainly didn’t prepare to have supper with the Aethyrozian Royal Family tonight, all but engaged to King Ansgar’s eldest daughter.

“Relax,” the king invites, waving a hand at the table in front of them. “I think Wilhelmina has chosen well. Have a seat.”

Adalberto dips his head to the king in reply; smiling is still beyond his capabilities. He sits next to Minna, wishing it could be just the two of them, that they could talk about what she’s decided without an audience.

“Are you all right, Adalberto?” Queen Ingrid inquires, catching him off-guard. He hadn’t expected her to speak; he cannot recall her doing so more than once in the past three days.

“Yes, I believe so, thank you. I just didn’t expect to…be…here,” he answers. I could have said that better.

“Do you want to be?” Minna asks. Her eyes are vibrant green, and their intensity makes his breath catch in his throat.

“I will not refuse you. I have every reason to believe that you will be a good life partner and a good Queen. I’m just…surprised that you like me.”

“You shouldn’t be,” Emrik interjects from across the table. “You’re way nicer than a lot of the others.”

“I replace you admirable in almost every aspect,” Minna tells him. His younger self might have flushed at the compliment; instead his heart aches less for a moment. “And the ability to rule a kingdom well is far more important than the ability to play an instrument.”

“Certainly, of the two, playing an instrument is easier to learn, as well,” King Ansgar adds. He claps for the servants to bring them their first course. “But that isn’t what I wish to discuss with you, Adalberto. How is Syazonia’s relationship with Barhesta, at present? Your father, King Celestino, has been rather vague on the matter in our correspondence.”

“If he has been vague, I doubt he sees it as my place to tell you what he will not,” Adalberto replies, all at once calm and diplomatic. Practical matters set him at ease; they are far easier to handle than emotional ones.

“We are, in theory, establishing an alliance between our two countries, cemented by your marriage to my daughter Wilhelmina. I want to know exactly what we are getting ourselves into. This is not unreasonable.”

Adalberto hesitates a moment. He doesn’t want to betray his father’s confidence, but he was given explicit instructions, before leaving Zosya, to do whatever he could to see to it that an alliance between Syazonia and Aethyrozia was assured by the end of the Quest for Favor. Surely he’ll understand that I found it necessary, in the moment, that he might achieve his greater goal….

“The situation at the border is tense. The noblemen in charge of our regions bordering Barhesta have requested military reinforcements, in case of an uprising. But I believe my father is planning to travel to that region soon, once my brothers and I return, to meet with the leaders of those who are currently dissatisfied and try to replace a mutually agreeable solution.”

“While he is traveling, who rules in his stead?”

“It is my understanding that I will be handling many of the matters of state in his absence. Although ultimately that is his decision, not mine.”

“Of course, of course. Do you have your own dwelling in Syazonia, apart from the royal seat at Zosya?”

“Yes. My father has gifted me the duchy of Nysia, which has its own castle. Not quite a palace, but beautiful and comfortable, and the duchy has a sizable income.”

“Do you spend much time there?” the Queen inquires.

“I used to. Before….” A lump rises in his throat and he focuses intently on the plate in front of him. “I’ve been at court, in Zosya, since…since Mirtor.” Since I lost her. His despair has been easier to bear with distractions, even distractions as insufferable as his brothers can be.

Minna’s hand gently touches his under the table. Fifi, Queen Ingrid, and even Emrik look on Adalberto with pity.

“Do you have a good Chief Steward there in your stead?” King Ansgar inquires. His gruff voice is grounding.

“Yes. Gaspar is…beyond competent. I left him with instructions that all the furnishings should be replaced. The Nysia castle should be essentially new, whenever I return.”

“Will you be comfortable doing so?” Minna asks in a concerned whisper. “I don’t want to rush you. I can only imagine how hard it’s been, how hard it still is.”

“I do not want to start our life together living in a suite in the same corridor as my brothers. Which is the alternative.”

“That would benefit no one,” Fifi agrees. Minna shoots her a look, and Fifi shrugs as if to say ‘What? It’s true.’ She’s not wrong, Adalberto agrees without speaking. It’s funny how different they are, while being so close. The differences between my brothers and I cause only strife.

“Do you like it there? Is it as charming as the place you described while we were dancing?” Minna asks.

“They are one and the same.” Something in him softens, looking at Minna. She doesn’t seem bothered at all that he’s loved and lost before meeting her. She’s concerned about him and his well-being. Maybe, in time, we really could replace happiness together. Unfamiliar emotions swell within him. He never dared to hope so much, when his father insisted that he come here and compete with his brothers.

“So you have your own castle? Is the hunting good?” Emrik demands through a mouthful of potatoes. Fifi elbows him in the ribs. The corners of Adalberto’s mouth twitch up for a moment.

“Yes, especially in autumn. Perhaps you can come to visit for part of the season, if your parents allow it. I’m sure…Minna would appreciate the visit.”

Beside him, Minna blushes and smiles at his use of her nickname.

“Fifi has to come, too, to stay with Minna while we hunt!”

“We can discuss it in the autumn,” King Ansgar tells his son, sending Adalberto a look that he’s not sure how to interpret, but he would guess means that the king is somewhat opposed to his children traveling to Syazonia for frivolous purposes. Perhaps he can be persuaded. He didn’t miss Minna’s hopeful smile when Emrik demanded Fifi come visit. She deserves to be happy. Whether or not I can be.