After Kaylie had stormed away from the prince, she was pretty proud of herself for only taking two wrong turns before finding her way back to the drawing room. When she’d found it empty, she’d decided to take a seat by the fire and start coming up with her plan B.
She knew she had been immature to stomp off in a huff, but something about the prince just kept getting under her skin. She hated to admit how much it hurt that he thought she was sneaking around, undercover, doing some kind of negative story about his family. She was upset with herself for believing that even for a second he was starting to warm up to her. He was still as icy as the weather outside and, just like the weather, there was nothing she could do about it.
“So, now what do I do?” she muttered to herself as she stared into the fireplace and watched the flickering flames. Restless, she got up and walked over to the window. The snow had stopped and for the first time, she got a clear view of the lake without all the whirling snow getting in her way. Mesmerized, she leaned closer to the glass to take it all in. “Wow,” Kaylie said softly. It was so picturesque it looked like something on a postcard.
All along the lake, there were snow-covered trees decorated with white twinkle lights and bright red round ornaments. As she looked closer, she saw Blixen run out to the end of a wooden dock on the lake. The dock was also festively decorated with white lights and Christmas wreaths that had big red bows.
Kaylie laughed when Blixen started barking and saw the princess join him, followed by the queen. They all looked like one big happy family. She was still watching them when the queen saw her looking out the window and waved. Kaylie waved back. “Your Royal Highness, we need to have a little chat,” she said out loud and was surprised when someone answered her back.
“A chat about what?” Elsa asked as she entered the room.
Kaylie spun around and was partly relieved and partly disappointed that it was Elsa and not the prince.
“Is Alexander giving you a hard time?” Elsa asked with a knowing look.
Kaylie laughed. “That would be an understatement. He has made it very clear he doesn’t want me here.”
Elsa joined her by the window. “Don’t take it personally.”
Kaylie raised an eyebrow and looked confused. “Well, it feels pretty personal.”
“And I assure you he doesn’t hate you,” Elsa continued. “What he doesn’t like are reporters and the media, and he has good reasons.” When Elsa walked over by the fire and sat down on the settee, Kaylie joined her, taking the chair across from her.
“I’m listening,” Kaylie said.
“When the prince’s father died, the media wasn’t very kind,” Elsa said with a sigh. “They tore the prince to pieces, questioning the kind of king he would be, saying he wasn’t fit to be king.”
Kaylie winced. “They actually said that?”
Elsa nodded. “And a lot worse, unfortunately. They called him a playboy prince who cared more about his social life than his royal duties and his family. They didn’t let up, and everything they reported were lies or twisted half-truths. They were relentless. It was horrible. The queen had just lost her husband, the love of her life, and now the media was attacking her only child. The prince wasn’t worried about himself as much as he was worried about how all the negative press was upsetting his mother, making an impossible time even more heartbreaking.”
“So, what did he do?” Kaylie asked.
“He left to try and protect her,” Elsa said. Her voice was filled with sadness. “He was at a university in England, but when the media wouldn’t stop hounding him, he took a year off and disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” Kaylie asked. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly that,” Elsa said. “He got on a plane and after trying to go several places in Europe and still not being able to completely shake off the paparazzi, he finally found his escape.”
“Where?” Kaylie asked.
“Africa,” Elsa answered. “He made sure the paparazzi thought he was in South America and then he quietly traveled to a small village in Southeastern Africa, in Malawi, and volunteered at a local orphanage where no one knew who he was.”
Kaylie listened, fascinated. “He just randomly went to Malawi?”
“Oh no,” Elsa said. “The prince never does anything randomly. His father had gone to Malawi to volunteer when he was the prince’s age. It’s one of the poorest African countries, and it had a great impact on Prince Randolph, so he always told his son that one day they would travel to Malawi together and volunteer and help the Malawi people.”
“But they never had a chance to do that,” Kaylie said quietly, thinking about the trips she never got to take with her grandma.
Elsa shook her head with regret in her eyes. “No, they didn’t. So, Prince Alexander went as a way to honor his father’s memory.”
“How long was he gone?” Kaylie asked.
“More than a year,” Elsa replied.
“But wasn’t that hard on the queen, having him so far away for so long?” Kaylie asked.
Elsa nodded. “It was, but she wanted what was best for him. She could see how all the negative press was destroying him and she wanted him to have a break, away from all of this, away from the pressure that someday he would be king.”
“She’s very wise,” Kaylie said.
“And very loving,” Elsa added. “She would do anything for her family. I remember the queen told me this would be her son’s one chance to escape this life he was born into and live his own life the way he wanted. The prince loved being in Malawi so much. He always talked about the kindness of the Malawi people and of course, that’s where he met Sophia, his wife.”
“He met her in Africa?” Kaylie asked, surprised.
Elsa nodded. “He did. Sophia was volunteering as a teacher at the same orphanage where he was helping to build a new school. It was meant to be. Sophia was taking a gap year from Harvard and after the year was up, when Sophia went back to Massachusetts to finish college, the prince went, too, and finished his studies at Harvard.”
Kaylie’s eyes grew huge. “The prince lived in America?”
“He did,” Elsa said. “And he flew under the radar for a long time. Everyone simply knew him as the guy who volunteered in Malawi with Sophia. He would always tell me these amazing stories about his time at Harvard. He had such a great time exploring Cambridge and Boston.
“And that’s where he met Chef Jake,” Kaylie said, putting two and two together.
“That’s right,” Elsa said. “And they’ve been best friends ever since. But after he and Sophia graduated, he knew it was time to come home. When he brought Sophia back to Tolvania, everyone fell in love with her just like he did. She was this positive force, full of laughter, and light. She always made people feel good. People loved being around her. I know I did.”
“She sounds amazing,” Kaylie said.
“She was. She brought out the best in everyone, especially the prince. She even somehow managed to win over the paparazzi.”
Kaylie looked skeptical. “How?”
“By being so nice,” Elsa said. “They really did have a perfect love story, so there was no dirt to dig up anymore on the prince’s dating habits. So, the paparazzi got bored and moved on to torture someone else and finally left our family alone. But then Sophia passed away and they came back with a vengeance.”
“Oh, no,” Kaylie said covering her mouth with her hand. She felt sick. “What happened?”
Elsa looked upset as she stood up and walked closer to the fire. For a moment she only stared into the flames, not saying anything.
Watching her, Kaylie could feel her pain. “It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about this.”
Elsa turned to face Kaylie. “I’d like to share what happened with you so you have a better understanding of the prince.”
Kaylie nodded and waited for Elsa to continue.
Elsa took a deep breath before continuing. “After Sophia passed away, the paparazzi came after Prince Alexander again, hard. A lot of the reporters were still angry that the prince had disappeared and ditched them so they started reporting all these stories about how he had been unfaithful to Sophia and had a mistress and didn’t care about his daughter, Princess Anna…”
Kaylie jumped up. “But none of it was true!” Even though she barely knew the prince, she felt like he’d never do something like this.
“No, of course none of it was true,” Elsa agreed. “The prince would never have done something like that to Sophia or Anna. Sophia was the love of his life. Everyone knew that, including the paparazzi, but a great love story doesn’t sell newspapers and magazines, a scandal does. They made the whole thing up and the story made headlines and went viral. Different reporters would put their nasty, hateful twist on the story, until it just kept getting bigger and uglier and even more hurtful.”
Kaylie joined Elsa by the fire. “I’m so sorry. I can’t even imagine the pain this caused for all of you.”
Elsa nodded. “It was unforgivable, especially because now he had Anna. The reporters even got a picture of her crying and made up stories about how depressed she was. It was a nightmare.”
Kaylie felt sick to her stomach. “What did the prince do?”
“He worked with the queen and a new special law was passed banning paparazzi from Tolvania.”
“Did it work?” Kaylie asked.
“Only as long as he stayed here in Tolvania, where he was protected,” Elsa said. “He always loved to travel but he had to stop. He knew anytime he left Tolvania, the paparazzi reporters were standing by, wanting to sink their teeth into him.”
“So, he’s trapped,” Kaylie said, feeling a rush of sympathy for the prince and princess.
“In a sense, yes,” Elsa said. “But please keep this between us. He doesn’t share this with anyone, but I thought you should know so you could understand a little better what you’re up against. It doesn’t excuse him from being rude to you, but hopefully this will offer a little insight. You’re media. You’re everything he has run from his entire life.”
“It all makes sense now,” Kaylie said, shaking her head, as Elsa’s story sank in.
“Even now the prince is still constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for another reporter to stab him in the back with some scandalous untrue story,” Elsa continued.
“And then I showed up on his doorstep,” Kaylie added. “I’m surprised he didn’t chase me off with a sword and dagger.”
Elsa laughed a little. “If he had one, he might have.”
“But what I don’t understand is, why am I here then?” Kaylie asked. “I am a reporter. Everything this family hates. What was the queen thinking? Why would she…”
But Kaylie’s sentence was cut off when the queen entered along with the princess and Blixen.
“I will be happy to tell you exactly what I was thinking a little later,” the queen said as she motioned to the princess who was playing with Blixen. “Kaylie, you’re finished with your tour already? I find that hard to believe. Where is my son?”
Kaylie looked to Elsa for help but luckily the princess walked over.
“Did you see the Christmas Room?” the princess asked.
Kaylie quickly nodded. “I did. It was amazing.”
An older woman wearing black pants and a pretty blue sweater entered the room. She had the kind of warm smile and demeanor that made you feel at ease immediately.
“Ms. Meyers, please come and meet our guest, Miss Kaylie Karlyle,” the queen invited.
“She’s from New York City,” the princess chimed in.
Ms. Meyers joined them. “That’s a wonderful city. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Karlyle.”
“Kaylie, please,” Kaylie said with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“Ms. Meyers has been part of our family since Anna was born,” the queen said. “We don’t know what we would do without her.”
“I feel the same,” Ms. Meyers said. “And now I believe it’s time for your art lessons, princess. Did you find some inspiration on your walk with your grandmother?”
“I did,” the princess answered, excited. “The Christmas trees down by the lake. I want to paint those.”
Ms. Meyers held out her hand to the princess. “That sounds like an excellent idea. Shall we get started?”
“Yes,” the princess said, eagerly taking Ms. Meyers’s hand.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Kaylie,” Ms. Meyers said.
“You as well,” Kaylie responded.
“I’ll stop by and see what you’re creating a little later,” the queen said to the princess.
“Thank you, Grandmother,” the princess said as she walked away with Ms. Meyers, with Blixen following close on her heels. They were going out the door when Anna turned around and looked at Kaylie.
Surprised, Kaylie waved. She was even more surprised when Anna shyly waved back. Kaylie was still smiling when they disappeared out the door and then she saw the queen watching her.
“My granddaughter has taken a liking to you,” the queen said.
Kaylie, surprised, turned back to the queen. “Really? You think so?”
The queen had a satisfied look on her face as she nodded. “Yes, I do. She doesn’t usually warm up to people very fast. She’s very cautious.”
“Like her father,” Kaylie said. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
The queen nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, like her father.” The queen gave her and Elsa a shrewd look. “Is there something I need to know about today’s tour that obviously isn’t finished?”
Kaylie had no clue what to say, so she said nothing. She tried not to flinch when the queen studied her closely.
“So, where is my son?” the queen asked.
Elsa came to the rescue. “He went to get the next part of the tour ready for Kaylie, so I’ve been keeping her company telling her about some of the Christmas events we have coming up.”
The queen’s eyebrow arched. “I see. So, Kaylie, what event are you most looking forward to?”
Oh crap, Kaylie thought as she looked over at Elsa, and then threw out the first thing that came to her mind. “The gingerbread house event, that one sounds really cool.”
“The gingerbread event?” the queen asked, giving Kaylie a questioning look. “What event, exactly, is that?”
The prince entered the room with a smile. “I told Kaylie about how we make gingerbread cookies and hand them out in the village and how people take pictures with the gingerbread house,” the prince said.
“Yes, that event,” Kaylie jumped in, giving the prince a grateful look.
“That’s not one of our events,” the queen said. “It’s something we do, but not an event.”
“It’s my fault,” Kaylie jumped in. “You have so many things you’re doing, I’m getting it all mixed up.” Kaylie jumped when her cell phone all of a sudden started beeping with alerts. She quickly grabbed it out of her pocket. Her eyes lit up. “It’s working!” she exclaimed. “My cell phone is finally getting a good signal.”
“They must have fixed the cell tower,” the queen said.
Kaylie’s eyes grew huge as she scrolled through more than a dozen text messages. There were several from Rachel and her former boss, Bob. One of the texts from Rachel said 911. That was their code for ‘call me ASAP, it’s something important.’ She held up her phone. “I really should return some of these messages. It’s my boss, or I should say, my former boss, and friend. I don’t want them to worry about me. I’m supposed to check in.”
The queen nodded. “Of course. Please go call your friends and then you can meet my son and granddaughter back here at three to go get the upside-down Christmas tree.”
Kaylie and the prince exchanged an awkward glance.
“I really don’t need to go,” Kaylie jumped in. “This sounds more like a father-daughter thing to me.”
The queen frowned. “But you told Anna you were going. You don’t want to disappoint her. It’s all she has been talking about this morning, going with both of you to get her first upside-down Christmas tree.”
“There you have it,” the prince said. “That’s settled.” He locked eyes with her as if daring her not to agree.
“If you’re sure,” Kaylie said, her voice cracking.
“I’m sure,” the prince said.
Kaylie felt a shiver go down her spine. She knew she was the last person the prince wanted to spend time with, but she forced herself to keep smiling. She was stuck. If she didn’t go now, she’d be the bad guy, and she didn’t want to disappoint the princess or the queen. She could deal with the prickly prince for a few hours. She’d certainly dealt with other difficult people in her career.
She gave the prince her sweetest smile. “Okay, great, then I’d love to come.” Two can play at this game, she thought, and felt some small satisfaction when she saw his jaw clench.
“Then we will see you soon,” the prince said.
“It’s a plan,” she said as she started to walk out of the room. When she felt the prince’s eyes drilling into her back, she had to force herself not to run. When she got to the door, she glanced over her shoulder and saw she’d been right.
The prince was watching her like a guard dog getting ready to pounce.