Prince Edward's secret garden wasn't just secret in name. It was truly a private garden open only to Edward and anyone he sought fit to invite in. Hidden behind high walls of hedges near the west corner of the castle was the garden's entrance protected by a curtain of ivy. The secret garden was a vast collection of the most beautiful flowers imaginable. The first time Gwen had been invited inside Edward had taken her on a detailed tour and pointed out every flower or piece of foliage by name. She regretted that she couldn't remember all their names now, but at least she could identify the small patch of bushes proudly growing delicate pink roses. This variety of blush colored petals was the rose often associated with the Levaincois family.
Within minutes a table filled with treats and a warm kettle of tea had been set in the garden. Gwendolyn, Roberto and Edward sat together, the host pouring the tea. Once again Louis and Alberto stood separate from the group. They were chatting quietly but their attention, at least part of it, never strayed from their Princes.
"Alright, now that we're settled properly," Edward set the sugar bowl he'd been holding down on the table and smiled. "I'm ashamed to admit that you've seen through our ruse Miss Gwendolyn. There is a party that we wish to invite you to." Gwendolyn smirked. She enjoyed being right and both Edward and Roberto knew this about her. She held her teacup in her hand and waited for Edward to continue.
"I'm throwing a small gala here at Charles Palace." He explained. "All the usual guests will be there. Prince Robert of course, and the others from the union. Prince Glen, Prince Keith, Prince Josh, Prince Wilfred and representatives from Noble Michael will be invited as well. But I've also decided to include nobles from outside of the union on the guest list."
Gwendolyn was surprised to hear this. The union that Edward spoke of was based on a peace and trade treaty for six kingdoms who shared borders one way or another as well as a seventh kingdom, Noble Michael, in the center which bordered all six of the other kingdoms simultaneously. Because of this treaty the seven unified kingdoms were able to operate with little to no involvement from other countries around the world. It wasn't as if they weren't allowed to visit or interact with other kingdoms, it was just very rare.
"I thought this might interest you as you yourself are not from a union kingdom." Edward smiled. The possibility that she may be the only person Edward knew who wasn't from a union kingdom had crossed her mind before, but Gwen hadn't thought about it since she'd first became friends with the princes. "You would be doing me a great favor if you were to attend the party as a cultural liaison."
"Me?" Gwen put her tea down carefully. The last thing she wanted was to spill her tea or worse break one of Edward's teacups. "I mean I'm honored, Prince Edward, but I'm not sure I'm qualified to…"
"Don't be silly Gwen!" Roberto insisted. "You were able to get all of us to understand each other. If it weren't for you, we'd never know about Josh's love for rice balls or, well, anything about Wilfred. Your good with people."
"All I've ever done is listen and be supportive." Gwen countered. "It was easy enough to become good friends with the two of you, but some of the others took time. It definitely wouldn't have happened at a single gala."
"Perhaps I should explain further." Edward suggested. "The intended purpose of this gala is to invite other kingdoms to see how things are done here. Monarchies are few and far these days. It would be nice to get to know some of the royals we're not as closely associated with."
"Are you looking for allies?" Gwen asked. "More kingdoms to join the union."
"Potentially." Edward nodded before taking another sip from his tea.
"We're interested in one country in particular, Cordonia. They're a pretty big kingdom and they're financially stable." Roberto told her.
"How do the other princes feel about this?" Gwen wanted to know.
"They're reluctant to relinquish any power." Edward confessed. "But they understand that the extra capital could help us all."
"Forgive me if this is a rude question but what exactly makes Cordonia so rich?" Gwen realized her tea was beginning to get cold. She picked up her teacup again and sipped from it for the first time. Instead of the usual sweet floral taste of Edwards signature rose petal tea, it was a spicy herbal flavor.
"Apples." Roberto explained watching her confused expression. "That's what's in the tea."
"Yes, Cordonia's primary export." Edward nodded. "I thought a bit of Cordonian apple tea would be appropriate for our meeting. But it's not just apples that contribute to Cordonia's success. They have several duchys that seem to run almost independently much like your United States. The truth is we don't know much about Cordonia."
"That's where you come in." Roberto chimed. "Ed was telling me all about his plan to invite the Cordonian King to a party and he said he was having trouble researching Cordonia. I told him that your great at research. You spend so much time at your school library and the one at the villa."
"Well, yeah, but doing research for a paper is a little different than doing research for I don't know, political intrigue." Gwen shrugged. She was honored that her friends had thought of her for such an important task, but surely, they had someone more qualified for something like this. Charles in particular was a kingdom that celebrated knowledge. It was one of the reasons she'd chosen to study there in the first place.
"Listen, I wasn't going to say anything until we were on the way back to Altaria but the only way Keithster and Wills agreed to this whole plan was if you came to the party." Roberto confessed.
"Prince Keith, said that he wanted me there?" Gwen raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had a good relationship with all six princes, but Prince Keith was the most abrasive of the group. His kingdom, Liberty, valued freedom most of all and this often left Keith under the impression that he could speak his mind whether his opinion was constructive or not.
"Liberty has been hit with a rather hard recession, as you know." Edward reminded her. "He would gladly accept financial aid from Cordonia but has concerns that this may affect his people's freedoms. Prince Keith trusts you to give a fair assessment of Cordonia King's relationship with his people. In Prince Wilfred's case, Phillip is a very traditions-based Kingdom. He doesn't want to welcome anyone into our union who may jeopardize those traditions."
"You've all really thought about this." Gwen sat back in her seat and looked between her two friends thoughtfully. The princes had managed to persuade her into doing crazy things before, like the time Roberto told an entire room of partygoers that she was his fiancé. This was the first time that they'd actually come to her with a royal responsibility. It was also one of the rare occasions that all six of them seemed to be in agreement about something.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, when's the gala?" Gwen asked.
"A little over a month from now." Roberto told her. "The first day of summer. You should be finished with school by then so it's perfect timing."
"Yeah, perfect." Gwen held back a laugh.
"In the meantime, you'll have unprecedented access to the Royal libraries of all six Kingdoms as well as Noble Michael. Prince Roberto, myself and the others will try to be available to whenever you have questions. I have complete faith that you will perform this task admirably, Miss Gwendolyn."
"I hate to cut the visit short, Ed." Roberto said, rising to his feet, but I'm afraid I'm due back home for a meeting with the King. Gwen, would you like to ride home with me? I can always have Al send a care later if you prefer to stay."
"As much as I enjoy Prince Edward's company, I'm afraid I do have schoolwork and now a great deal of research to get started on." Gwen stood up too. "Until next time Prince Edward."
"It was wonderful having you both hear." Edward assured them with a smile. "Louis will show you out. I'm going to have another cup of tea, but Miss Gwendolyn please don't hesitate to ask for help should you need it and thank you so much for doing this for us."