She stepped out behind me, forming up at my side as I slung my rifle over my shoulder.
The day was beautiful. The sky was a perfect, clear blue, with only a few wisps of clouds around the peaks of the mountains before us. The air was warm but not oppressive, a light breeze kicking up now and then that carried on it the fresh scents of the forest. I was already starting to dig this place.
“So,” I said. “This is a pretty dramatic change in attitude.”
Victoria nodded. “Yeah. I know.”
“While I appreciate it, part of doing my job well involves reacting to new information, trying to figure out what to make of it. So, Princess, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask what the motivation behind your attitude adjustment might be.”
She pursed her lips, nodding her head as if she agreed with me completely.
“You’re right, it is sudden. And…I can’t say, exactly. All I know is that I woke up this morning with my mother in mind, thinking about what she’d make of the way I was treating you guys. There was no doubt in my mind that she would be ashamed of my behavior. So, I decided to change my attitude. I hope it’s not too late.”
“I don’t think it’s too late. You’ve been a tad difficult, yes, but the boys and I have been through a hell of a lot worse. Now, I’m not asking you to make breakfast for us every morning, but I am asking you to realize that we’re only here to protect you, not to make your life difficult. That being said, I don’t see why we can’t just let bygones be bygones.”
She smiled. “Thank you for that. And thank you for putting up with me.”
“Thanks for making the effort to change. We’re all stubborn as they come, so we know better than most people how hard it is to backtrack once you realize that you’re wrong. Takes character to do something like that.”
She blushed, her fair skin turning as red as the wildflowers on the sloping green before us.
“I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
“All the same, plenty of people go through their whole lives being total assholes and never once having even a second of self-reflection. Don’t sell yourself short, Princess.”
She smiled, the red staying on her cheeks. There was something about her in those moments that was irresistible and made me want to kiss her right then and there. I pushed those sentiments aside knowing they were totally inappropriate.
“Thank you. It’s just that when you’ve had an upbringing like mine, you tend to get a little prickly when it comes to people telling you what to do. Though I should be used to it.” She sighed with frustration after she said the words. “Sorry, I did it again.”
“Did what again?”
“Overshared. I did it inside with the rest of the guys, and now I’m doing it with you. No need for me to dump all of my personal matters on you. I’m sure you and your men have enough to worry about as it is.”
I shrugged. “You want to get it off your chest, feel free. Hell, might even be good for you to get it out there and let us know where you’re coming from.”
She rubbed her right upper arm with her left hand, her lips pursed in indecision. “You don’t want to hear about any of that.”
I smirked. “Try me.”
A few seconds passed, and I could sense she was trying to figure out where to begin.
“I lost my mother when I was very young—five years old, to be precise. She died of cancer.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
She nodded. “Yes. Thank you. Well, when she passed, my father and brother responded by deciding that they would do anything and everything they could to make sure nothing bad could ever happen to me.”
“Understandable.”
“Maybe. But there’s a line when it comes to matters like that and they’ve long crossed it. They treat me like I’m a breakable little doll, helpless and can’t be trusted to look after herself. It was all rooted in love, I understand, but all the same, it’s intolerable. They seldom allow me to leave the palace except under heavy guard. I was even schooled in the palace, although I completed online college courses at an American university. Though I don’t really understand what the point of me going to college was—it’s not like they’ll ever let me leave the palace and use my education.”
I said nothing for a bit, letting her words sink in.
“That’s tough—I get it. Well, I don’tgetit. Not like I’ve got some vast experience being a princess that I can use to empathize.”
She chuckled, the smile across her face blooming like a sunrise.
“I don’t think you’d quite be able to pull off the royal gowns with that figure of yours,” she teased.