They walked out of the king’s chambers and down the winding staircase to the main hall. Within minutes, they were greeted by the royal guard, who reported that they already had a car waiting for him outside. They would be following in the black SUV that brought him there.
Gabriel didn’t argue. Instead they walked out into the courtyard. A cherry-red Peugeot convertible was parked there. “Whose car is this?” he asked as an attendant opened the door for Serafia to get in.
“It is Señor Ernesto’s car, Your Majesty.”
“What will he drive while I have it?”
“One of the royal fleet.” The attendant pointed to an area with several vehicles parked there. “He is happy to let you borrow it. The address of the beach compound is already entered in the system, Your Majesty.”
Gabriel took the keys, slipped out of his suit coat and got in beside her. He waited until the guard had assembled in the SUV behind them; then he started the car and they headed toward the gates.
Once they slipped beyond the fortress walls, Serafia noticed Gabriel’s posture relax. It was as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. She couldn’t help feeling the same way. Ernesto had been right: the view was amazing. Once they escaped Del Sol and started climbing up the mountain, everything changed. The winding coastal road showcased wide vistas with bright blue skies, turquoise waters and ships along the shoreline.
With the sun warming her skin and the ocean air whipping the strands of her hair around her face, she felt herself relax for the first time since she’d left Barcelona. Although the Atlantic islands were different from her Mediterranean hacienda, it felt as if she were back there, the place where she felt the most at home, and safe.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“Yes.” They’d had croissants and juice on the plane, but it was past lunchtime now and she was starving.
Gabriel nodded. A mile up the road, he slowed and pulled off at a small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant overlooking the sea. A moment later, the royal guard pulled up beside them and lowered a window.
“Is there a problem, Your Majesty?” the one with the slicked-back brown hair who was driving the SUV asked.
“I’m hungry. Have you two had lunch?”
The two guards looked at each other in confusion and the driver turned back to him. “No, we haven’t.”
“Is this place any good?” he asked.
“I have eaten here many times, but in my opinion, it isn’t fit for the king.”
Gabriel looked at her and smiled widely. “Perfect. I’m starving. Let’s all grab something to eat.”
The two of them waited outside with the younger blond guard as the other went inside to make sure the restaurant was secure. It wasn’t big enough to house much more than a tiny kitchen and a few tables on the veranda.
When they got the all-clear, a small, slow-moving old woman greeted them as they came in and gave them their choice of tables outside. As Gabriel had insisted they eat as well, the guards took a table near the door to watch anyone coming in or out, allowing him and Serafia privacy while they dined.
The menu was limited, but the royal guard with the dark hair named Jorge recommended the caldereta de langosta. It was a seasonal lobster stew with tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers, served with thin slices of bread.
They all ordered the caldereta and Serafia was not disappointed. Normally she gave great care and thought into every bite she put in her mouth, but the stew was too amazing to worry about it. The lobster was soft and buttery in texture, while spicy in flavor thanks to the peppers. The bread soaked up the broth perfectly and helped carry the large pieces of lobster to her mouth without her wearing most of it on her pale taupe suit.
“This is wonderful,” she said, when she was more than halfway finished with her stew. “Thank you for stopping.”
“I was getting cranky,” Gabriel said. He glanced over the railing at the sparking blue sea below them. “If I can be cranky looking at a view like this, I’ve got to be hungry.”
“I would’ve thought the incident this morning had more to do with it than hunger.”
“This morning was nothing and my father wanted to make it into something. I have enough to worry about without him making you uncomfortable. You’ve gone out of your way to help me through this. You’ve tolerated my bad moods and my childish behavior. I think I will be a better king for what you’ve done, so I should be thanking you, not criticizing you.”
Serafia was stunned by his thoughtful words. He seemed to be almost a different person since they’d arrived in Alma. Or at least since the moment he’d stood up to his father. He had seemed to grow taller in that moment, physically stronger even, as he sat in the vehicle. Perhaps he truly was gaining the confidence he needed to rule Alma.