Someone’s Someone

by Curious Girl

I've always been someone's someone. I will always be known as the sister of. The sister of the wonder child; the sister of the Nobel prize laureate; the sister of Princess Anastasia of Romanov; the sister of the next Queen of England; the sister of the Olympian... and the daughter of Troy and Gabriella Bolton. But I am so much more. I am Josephine Bolton.

40. Chapter 40

Oliver

"As for the cake, I was thinking traditional three tiers in a rather non-traditional way." Gabriella suggests before showing me a photo of a three tiered cake in the form of three big peonies on her iPad. "I haven't told the confectioner which filling but I know the peonies would have to be pink just like her bouquet."

I agree with a nod. We're sitting in the dining room of my wife's parents' home. The whole massive wooden table is covered in papers and open books. We've been talking about everything wedding related for the last hour and honestly, I had no idea how much goes into planning a wedding - and even more when you're planning a secret wedding. It's been raining cats and dogs, so the only sound besides us talking is the rain is clashing against the transom window front in the formal dining room. Troy and I lit the fireplace with the marbled mantelpiece before he went to his study to work. He has no idea we're planning a secret wedding but he trusts me enough to be here alone with his wife. Maybe Gabriella let him in on our plans, I don't know. I'm planning to ask him for her hand after talking to Gabriella about the finale decisions.

I stare at the fire that's crackling before my eyes move up to the white marbled mantelpiece. It's full of framed wedding photos. There's one from every wedding: Gabriella and Troy on French Cay, Ana and Sasha on Maldives, Della and Wlad on Bora Bora, Rory and George in Buckingham Palace and Nate and Charlotte at Windsor Castle. The brides all hold a flower bouquet made of pink peonies - except for Charlotte. To my surprise, Gabriella wore a blue laced wedding dress from Elie Saab. She's the only bride to wear blue. Gabriella told me she has made sure to have a wedding dress. Maybe it's blue as well? My wife could definitely decide to wear something other than the traditional white. She's got the balls for it.

She's got the biggest balls ever.

Looking at these framed photos, getting re-married on French Cay seems like a no-brainer. Bolton women definitely prefer to get hitched on some tropical island. Josephine loves the beaches like me. She really is Brazilian in her heart.

"What kind of filling do you like?"

I shrug, "I don't know. I'm not a chocolate or vanilla fan, so something fruity then."

"Jo loves raspberry and lemon. We'll have to use sponge cake to get the shape of the peonies, so one tier is going to be a lemon sponge cake with raspberry jam. What's your favourite fruit?"

"I like mangos." I definitely don't love bananas anymore after working at that plantage. My whole body ached from carrying the heavy baskets full of green bananas. We always harvested them green because they would ripe on their way to Europe. It was one of the hardest jobs I had ever done. But my body also got extremely ripped from carrying all that weight around.

"Good, we can make one with mango."

"And coconut maybe. Or yogurt. Something fresh."

My mother-in-law nods. "That sounds like a delicious combination. What about the third tier? What should we do with it?"

"Maybe have it with chocolate and strawberries. My brothers like chocolate and I'm sure your three boys enjoy chocolate as well." I suggest. Chocolate was something we only used to eat at Christmas. It was one chocolate bar for all of us... and now I can buy them all the chocolate in the world without having to flinch.

Sometimes, I think I'm dreaming.

"Chocolate with strawberries it is." She says before making a few notes. "Good... I talked to the priest again and asked for a traditional catholic ceremony. You guys are getting wedded by. The same man that wedded Troy and me. Everyone we invited will be there. I've gotten the okay from the kitchen of our hotel for the wedding menu. I've booked us a royal photographer and videographer. The tuxedos of the boys have been cleaned and are now ready. You can pick them up from the guest room next to Troy's study before you leave. The flowers are ordered and will be arranged on the day of. The little band that's going to play are all locals. And the weather should be sunny and hot, so we definitely made the right choice by using beige linen as the materials for the tuxedos."

"Thank you so much for your help."

"No problem." Gabriella shows me a genuine smile.

I don't know what I would do without her.

"This may not be a royal wedding in the traditional way, but let me tell you it's just as important. Because once you've joined the royal family, people will want to see royal photos."

"I'm not doing this because we're going to be royals."

"I know but my point is, this serves you in more than one way."

Suddenly, I remember the wedding photos of Rory and George as well as Nate and Charlotte. The women wore sparkly tiaras. I can't picture my wife wearing one. At least, not for a non-royal event. "Josephine won't wear a tiara, right?"

Gabriella smirks, "No. If His Majesty won't insist than no. She's no tiara person. She was forced to wear one the last time and it felt like chains."

I nod, "Good. Because honestly, I don't think she would be happy about it."

"No, definitely not. But she might have to wear a tiara on state banquets soon."

"Yeah but that's different. It's sort of like uniform in her eyes. If a tiara is part of that uniform than she'll wear it."

Suddenly, Gabriella grabs my hand and squeezes it softly. "You guys will be excellent royals." She says with a smile on her full lips. "And she'll be over the moon. This wedding will blow her away."

"I really hope so because I know if there's one thing my wife doesn't like than it's secrets and surprises. She's not good with change." I think out loud.

"Don't worry too much. This is a good change. A good surprise."

Maybe she's right. Finding out we're pregnant was a little hard for her to digest in the beginning as well but now she's happy.

I shouldn't worry so much.

---

I knock on the door of Troy's study and wait for a few seconds before walking in. Troy Bolton is sitting at his mahogany desk at the other side of the room in a massive office chair that's fit for a King.

Funny, his daughter and me will be the royals in a few weeks.

"Oliver,"

It's the second time he didn't attack me. The second time he didn't insult me. I don't know how long I will have to count before I can stop. I close the door and walk through the room, passing a pretty cool pool table that I can picture him use in his free time and a beautiful old white fireplace.

"What brings you here?"

"I'm here to ask for your daughter's hand." I tell him straight. Talking around the bush has never been my thing. "Gabriella and I have been planning a wedding in the last weeks."

"I'm sorry but I thought you guys were already married."

"We are but I want to wed her again. Especially given the last weeks, I think we could all need something to celebrate. She promised me a wedding according to my taste and I want to do that now."

"And what exactly is your taste?"

"A priest. A wedding dress. A tuxedo. A cake... and vows. A wedding. Not just the signing of some papers."

To my surprise Troy smiles. "You guys are just like my wife and I."

"I don't understand."

"I'm the romantic in the relationship as well."

I can't imagine Gabriella being so distant like her daughter used to be. "So, is that a yes from you?"

"Do you have a ring?"

I pull the ring out of the pocket of my shirt and show it to him.

Troy has a close look at the three stoned ring. The oblong cushion cut sea foam coloured sapphire is embraced by two half moon shaped diamonds. The stones worth 16 carats are sitting on a yellow gold band. Because the stones needed to be elevated, so here wouldn't be a gap between the wedding and the engagement ring, there's a hidden diamond covered halo underneath the stones. It's not something you see from the first glance but in the right angle it's a sparkly surprise. "It's very different than from what I would have expected." Troy says as he holds the ring into the light. The oblong cushion cut sapphire sparkles in all of its glory just like the two half moon shaped diamonds that are embracing the centre jewel. "You know, the last engagement ring for Jo was a big yellow cluster ring. It was so massive that I feared it could've been seen from the space." He says with a chuckle.

I assume he's talking about Edward's ring for her.

"But this... this is quite different. The total opposite. It's delicate and very pretty. Is that a sapphire?"

"Yes. I had it hunted down in Madagascar. It wasn't so easy to get the stone in this exact colour, actually. This shade of green is not easy to find."

He hands me back the ring, "Jo will absolutely adore this ring. The last felt like chains but this feels like... it feels like freedom and happiness."

"I take that as a yes."

"I'm actually quite surprised that you're asking me for her hand."

I shrug, "The last time we signed papers. This time it's going to be the whole thing. Gabriella suggested French Cay and I think it's a very good idea."

Troy nods, "French Cay has always been her sanctuary. She always loved holidaying there. She will love getting married there."

"I hope so as well. I plan to do that in a week, on your guys' wedding anniversary actually since everyone is going to be on French Cay then anyways. Gabriella called everyone she would want to be there and they all cleared their schedules."

"Including all royals?"

I nod, "The King and Queen will be there as well."

"They're clearing their schedule for the wedding?"

"Yes. The King also insisted on having the wedding ring made of Welsh gold or something."

Troy nods, "That's a royal tradition. Rory had her ring made with a twist in the middle, just like George, whereas Charlotte and Nate have plain bands."

"I thought about adding twists to Josephine's as well. Her last ring was platinum with a pavé twist of sapphires. I thought maybe this time it could be two rows of delicate round diamonds twisted around the top of the band. I want it to have the same width as her last, which would be 2.2mm. But I'm not sure about the diamonds." I think out loud.

"The diamonds are a good choice. I think Gabriella owns an old pair of diamond cluster earrings from her grandmother that she doesn't mind getting recycled. That way the diamonds would come from us, the Bolton side of the family and it would serve as something old and new at the same time. It would be a great fusion of both families."

Josephine inherited her ability to think out of the box from her father. Without a doubt. "We're still Boltons, despite the titles."

"Yeah but you're also part of the firm. You're hybrids with one foot in and one foot out. The situation is unique." His navy eyes look at my ring. "Will you update yours as well?"

I look down, "I don't know. It would be a waste of money, wouldn't it?" I think out loud. The platinum is still shiny. "Also what would I do with two wedding bands?"

"Leave that to me. I'll talk to the King about the adjustments to Jo's wedding ring and make sure you get a new one as well."

I look up from the ring. "Why are you so nice?"

"Because you're family and I've come to terms with your very unique relationship. My daughter loves you. She adores you. She hasn't been like this with someone else, not even Edward, the man she wanted to marry. That makes me question if she had any feelings for him at all."

"She told me she projected her feelings for me on to Edward."

Troy leans back in his office chair, "Now that makes a lot of sense." He says before handing me back the ring. "You have my consent. Not that you needed it. Jo will be very happy."

I'm glad. Really glad actually.

"Are you going to do it when we come over for dinner?"

"No, I want to surprise her with the whole thing. The proposal and the wedding in one."

He nods, "Very well. She won't say no on French Cay. But before you give her the wedding she never needed but in my opinion wants, there's something else that needs to be done."

I frown, "What?"

"A night at White's."

"I'm sorry?"

"See it as a late hen do. It's going to be just us Bolton men: Sasha, Wlad, Nate, George and me. We'll do it tonight. I'll arrange everything, all you have to do is show up. See it as a treat."

Josephine

I watch how my husband closes the buttons of his black Oxford shirt. He looks incredibly hot in his all black outfit. We were apart for just a few hours, but when my husband came home I was shocked to see a new haircut. He cut off his chin-long blond hair. His light hair has a side-part with blur and is slightly longer on top. I don't know how but that look makes his green eyes pop even more and give him an irresistible, mysterious vibe.

How the hell did that haircut make my husband even hotter?!

"And my Dad really just called and invited you to White's?"

My husband nods and I watch his six-pack disappear behind the black fabric of his shirt.

"Just like that?"

"Why is it so hard for you to believe?"

"Because it's my Dad! And White's."

"So? I told you we made up. We're in a good place."

I know. But it's still kind of hard to believe. "Okay, just... just promise to tell me how it was afterwards. With all the details."

Oliver nods. "Nate, Sasha, Wlad and George will be there as well. It won't be just me."

"Does that mean Rory and Char will come here with their girls?"

"I don't know." He says with a shrug before running his hands through that sexy blond hair.

"You know, no women has ever been inside White's."

"Really?" He asks me while placing his hands on my waist.

My body awakes at the touch. We haven't had any sex since I got raped. Partly because my injuries were healing but also because I kept getting nightmares about what happened. But these nightmares are a thing of the past, so there's nothing between us and sex.

Except for White's.

"Jo?"

I wince as I hear my sister-in-law's voice ringing through the hallway, master bedroom and into walk-in closet. "Well, I guess I have my answer."

My husband chuckles before kissing me passionately. "I promise as much details as possible."

"Good and maybe you get inspiration for your man-cave."

"I'm not getting a man-cave at our new home."

So that's not what he's building behind our walk-in wardrobe in the master-wing upstairs.

"But nice try." Oliver says with a smirk on his perfect lips.

I lick my lips as his smell fills my nostrils. Being so close to him makes me a little light in my head. My heart is racing in my chest. "Well if I can't get it out of you this way, maybe I should try a more old fashioned approach."

His green eyes darken at my words as he understand me immediately. "I think I should cancel White's then."

"How about you just don't come home drunk or smelling of cigars?"

"I can promise you that."

We walk out of our walk-in wardrobe and into the hallway. Rory and Charlotte are getting out of their shoes. "What are you going here?" I ask them.

"You're getting a royalty 101 from us. Just like Oliver at White's. Only we will do that here with face masks on." Char explains to me.

I frown, "Royalty 101?"

"Yeah."

"I should go. Are Nate and George downstairs?"

"No. We came in different helicopters." Rory explains with a shrug.

"And you seriously allowed nannies to watch your kids?"

"Are you crazy? They're with their grandparents."

"All five of them are with mum?"

"No. Mine are with Carol, Charlotte's are with Mum, Ana and Sasha." Rory explains to me. "Five babies are a little much for everyone."

"Can we order sushi?" Char asks me as Oliver calls the lift.

I can't eat raw fish. "Maybe something Italian instead?"

"Nah, we're going to order sushi, ramen and dim sums!" Rory decides. "Something for everyone."

I nod, "Okay."

The golden doors of the lift open and Oliver steps in. "I'll see you later."

"Don't come home too late." I remind him and watch how his pine green eyes start sparkling in with an emerald green swirl.

"What, you're not going to kiss your husband goodbye?" Char asks me shocked.

"No, because once we start, we won't be able to stop." I tell them with a smirk just as the doors of the lift close.

"I'll order the food, you guys start prepping everything for our spa night." Rory tells Char and me.

"Oh, can you book us some massage therapists?" Char asks her.

"Yeah. Along with mani and pedi?"

"Oh, yes!" Char grins like a Cheshire Cat.

"I'm sorry but what's going on here?" I ask them before they can decide to book a yoga teacher.

"Nothing. We just missed you and we want to have one evening like old times."

"We never hired massage therapists for our nights. We did our mani and pedicures ourselves and laughed at ourselves when we messed up! We wore face masks, ate Chinese food out of the boxes and watched a marathon of Jane the Virgin!" I expose them. "So, what is really going on here? Is this about Oliver going to White's?"

"Well-"

"Yeah." Charlotte interrupts my younger sister. "White's Troy's official welcome to the family ceremony thing. He did that with Sasha and Wlad, with George and... and Rothschild."

I remember the night what I thought was my last night as a bachelorette. Edward called me that night and told me about White's. I don't know why it didn't occur to me earlier, but Charlotte's totally right! "Oh, you're right!"

"Of course I am!"

"You didn't think of it?" Rory asks me.

I shake my head, "No, I was too busy with planning our hopefully smooth transition into the firm."

"You don't worry about Daddy accepting Oliver anymore?"

"Are you kidding me? My rape brought them closer together than ever before! They-"

"Rape? What rape?"

"You got raped?!" Rory asks me with tears in her eyes.

Shit. We agreed to keep that between Mummy, Daddy, Wlad, Sasha, Ana, Della and me - and the King. "Yes. Almost two weeks ago. I'm fine. It happened at the soup kitchen. Wlad found the bastards and took care of it."

"Do you know who it was?"

"Edward." I say with a shrug. "He threatened me on my vernissage but never would I have thought it would come it this."

"Bloody Rothschild?" Charlotte asks me shocked. "I'll bloody kill him!"

"We don't have any proof. It's just my gut feeling. We can't kill Rothschild, not without creating a global crisis."

"Does the King know?" Char asks me.

"Yes. I informed him when I accepted his offer."

"The King has other options. Options, we don't have." My best friend and sister-in-law has murder plots faster than me.

"I didn't tell him I think it's Edward. For now it's a theory but until I haven't found proof I won't turn to the King and use his power for my advantage."

"Wlad didn't find anything that connects the rape to Edward?" Charlotte asks me.

"Not yet."

Suddenly, Rory sobs, grasping our attention. "Y-you got raped?"

I wrap my arms around her. "I'm fine. I got my revenge and I sleep like a baby now."

"I'm going to kill Edward with my own hands!"

I chuckle at Rory's words. "No offence, but you're not even strong enough to pick up two crates of water."

"But I can instruct people to do it!" My little sister insists.

"Rory, trust me on this. I am fine. My injuries have healed. My heart has healed."

"Oliver must've looked hot hitting those rapers." Charlotte says after a moment of silence.

"Charlotte!" Rory breathes out in shock.

"He didn't touch them."

"He didn't?" Rory asks me.

"He can't even kill a mosquito so..." I shrug. "He's not full of darkness like the rest of the Bolton family."

"It must've cost him a lot of strength to not touch them." Charlotte says with a nod. "All the reasons more to have a spa night! Rory, call the people and order the food. Jo and I will prepare the skincare products."

Oliver

Wladimir gets two glasses of scotch from the waiter's tablet and hands me one. "Here."

That would be my third drink. Without Troy. Or Nate. Or George. Or Sasha. "No, I'm good."

"Drink. We're all staying at the Kensington House tonight."

At the Kensington House? So much to coming home tonight. "But the others haven't even arrived yet. I don't feel comfortable drinking without them." I say and look around. Turns out White's the oldest gentlemen club in the London, founded in 1693, and is considered by many to be the most exclusive private club in London. Notable current members include His Majesty The King and his sons as well as the former British Prime Minister Cameron whose father had been the club's chairman, was a member for fifteen years but resigned in 2008, over the club's declining to admit women. It's full of super rich and super famous people that enjoy their time in this club. Some in private rooms, others publicly at the pool table or the dart. There's even a library and a cards room upstairs. The staircase is beautiful with white marbled steps and black wrought railings. The white walls - hence the name White's - are full of monochrome photos framed of famous members. It's so big! The drinks are good and the finger food is as well. Men smoke cigars here, probably one of the last clubs you're allowed to smoke in. The monthly fee is almost 112,000 and the waiting list is endless. You wait up to ten years until you receive your acceptance letter or not, but I got a member by marriage. I married into one of the richest families on this earth and with that I married all these rights that get me memberships in the most exclusive clubs.

But really, this is not so special. I don't get the hype. But maybe you pay for secrecy and privacy. You don't pay for the name but for the privileges.

Whatever happens at White's stays at White's.

"Knowing Troy, he probably got caught up in work. And Nate and George probably decided to get a few drinks at a different spot first. Just so the paparazzi get their shots of them before they sneak into here. It's a waiting game with royals and soon you will find that out yourself."

"I guess so." I empty that glass of amber liquor. The alcohol burns in my throat. I prefer a caipirinha. The original caipirinha is made from cachaça, sugar, lime juice and plenty of ice, although using other fruits is common too, such as strawberry, passionfruit and pineapple. But here, all they use is vodka, lime juice and ice. It's just not the same.

The drinks here aren't Brazilian. They're British. Strong and steady, but flirty and fun.

At times like these I actually do miss my hometown and it's spirits.

The people here are stiff and appear cold - especially the super rich people here in White's. The people have a snobbish British way of talking.

"I'm here! Sorry, I got caught up-" Troy rushes into the club, carrying a big fancy beige bag with silk handles and a tie in the middle.

"With work?" Wladimir interrupts Troy.

"No, I was at the jewellery shop." Troy answers instead.

"You bought something for Ella?"

I've noticed that Wladimir is the only man that calls Gabriella by the nickname Ella.

"No, I bought something for you and the other husbands." Troy smirks before looking at me. "Including you."

"You bought us jewellery?" I ask confused.

"Rings to be exact. Signet rings."

"Wicked!" Wladimir grins.

"What are signet rings?"

"Who's getting a signet ring?" Nate's voice fills my ears before he appears alongside George.

"You are. You all are." Troy says. "Let's take a seat in our room."

I frown, "We're not staying here at the bar?"

"No, we have a private room upstairs." Wladimir explains as his IPhone rings. He has a look at the screen while he continues talking, "With a pool table and a private bar. And there you can get your caipirinha. The men here shouldn't see you drink something that makes look weak. You're a royal, you need to watch your reputation now."

"Everything okay?" Troy asks Wlad.

"Yeah, Sasha's not coming. Valentin's sick."

Josephine

I put another spoonful of fried rice and veggies into my mouth as my eyes are glued on the telly in front of me. Just like Rory and Char, I'm wearing my third face mask, which is a hydrating one after the clearing one and the glycolic peel. We're binge watching Jane The Virgin from the beginning but we're watching the original version, which is the Venezuelan Juana la Virgen. It's slightly different than the American adaptation but definitely as good and funny.

"Hey, aren't you twelve weeks pregnant today?" Char asks me.

"No, eleven weeks and two days."

"When's your appointment with Dr. Ross?"

"In a few weeks."

"Do you want to know the sex?"

"What a question, of course she wants to know!" Char hisses at my little sister.

"Actually, I was thinking we could save it as a surprise."

Rory frowns, "What?"

"Oh, can I throw you a gender reveal party? You know with a cake in blue or pink or.. oh, or a piñata filled with blue or pink confetti! And-"

"No gender reveal party." I interrupt my best friend. "I just don't want to know."

"What about Oliver? I bet he wants to know!" Rory says back. "I was excited to find out about my girls and so was Char!"

"He thinks we're getting a girl because Ana thinks we're getting a girl."

Char claps into her hands, "Then you're getting a girl. This is so exciting! Another girl for the British people! They'll be over the moon."

"This baby won't be more royal than it's parents, which is only by title, not by blood." I set the record straight. "This won't be a princess or lady if it's a girl."

"Do you want a boy?" Rory asks me.

I shrug, "I mean, a boy would be easier. A boy would have it easier simply because he would only be compared to Nate..."

"Hey, Nate achieved a lot in his life!" Char interrupts me. "He won gold at the Olympics. He is a dedicated royal and father... and son and brother!"

"I know. What I meant was this child would be compared to us if it were a girl. The future queen, the Russian princess, the wonder child, the badass woman that's our Mum..."

"And the philanthropist that's her mum." Rory smirks at me. "Whether this baby is a boy or girl, we've got some badass women and men in our family."

"Or his mum." Charlotte says before grabbing my hand.

"I guess boy or girl, it doesn't really matter as long as it's healthy."

"Well, I for my part hope this baby gets Oliver's hair and your eyes." Char squeezes my hand.

"I hope it's going to get his eyes and positivity. He's the most optimistic person I know." I say with a smile on my lips. "And he's kind... Oliver's so bloody kind! I hope our child is going to be just as kind and not as stubborn as me. And direct. God, let's hope he or she won't be as direct as me."

"Jo, I think you've forgotten that your heart is just as big as Oliver's. You are incredibly smart and think outside of the box. Your ability to read people is second to none. You are organised and you know exactly what you want. You know what you're worth and you don't settle for anything less."

"Stop smearing honey around my mouth."

"Well let's hope your child will be better at taking compliments." Char says with a chuckle. "Because your baby has some amazing parents."

"Have you thought about names yet?" Charlotte asks me.

I shake my head, "No. We're at eleven weeks now, no need to get ahead of time."

"Oh, trust me, time is going to fly by and before you know it you're walking out of the hospital with a baby in your arms." Rory reminds me. "I can give you some of my baby name books."

"Thanks." I smile at my little sister.

"When are you thinking of announcing it?" Char asks me.

"I won't announce anything."

"Jo, you'll be the Duchess of Clarence as of January first, which is in almost a month. People will want to see you, hear you talk and engage with them. They're going to notice that baby bump rather quickly."

"If we announce it too soon, than people will start coming up with crazy conspiracy theories. Oliver and I are not planning on going public until March the 9th and by then the bump won't be concealable underneath a coat dress. People will know with or without an announcement."

"But it's a royal thing to do. An announcement, especially of a royal baby, is important."

I sigh, "I guess we have to think about it. Discuss the timing and the wording..."

"What about Mum and Dad?"

"Oliver and mine parents still don't know and I plan to leave it that way." At least until I know he or she is out of the woods. Our child has been through so much already... I just want to keep it as safe as possible - from everyone and everything.

And Oliver calls himself possessive. I'm even more possessive. Or maybe those are the hormones in my body. It's ridiculous to feel and thinks that way, especially when it concerns our families... but that still doesn't change how I feel.

"Well, maybe you can tell them on their wedding anniversary on French Cay. Wouldn't that be a sweet surprise for their 35th?" Charlotte asks me.

Shit, I totally forgot about that. It's in about a week. With everything going on, all the royal decisions, it slipped my mind. "I'm not sure we're going this year."

"What do you mean? It's a Bolton tradition! We spent their wedding anniversary every year on French Cay! It's a family holiday! A weekend that Char and I worked so hard to keep free!" Rory insists. "You and Oliver have to come as well!"

"And you better bring Maria, Caio and Johna with you!" My best friend agrees with my little sister.

I run my hands through my hair, "I'll see what I can do. It's just a little stressful right now."

"All the reasons more to get a weekend off and spend it on our tropical Caribbean island!" Charlotte says to me.

"Speaking of stress, how are things with your grandpa?" I ask her.

"What do you mean?"

"Did he offer you a home at Hampton Court?"

"What?!" Charlotte and Rory ask me shocked.

"At our meeting he sort of let it shine through that he may consider having all young royals at one palace... and it's not Kensington Palace." I tell her. "I think if you asked really politely, you might be able to live next door to Oliver and me."

"You bet your ass I will smear honey around grandpa's mouth!" Char squeals, "Can you imagine how cool it would be if we all lived on the same grounds?"

I can and I like it.

Oliver

Wladimir stops the black Range Rover next to a glass house. The only mirrored glass house in the whole street. It has two stories and is famously known as the Kensington House. Over the past decades, it served as a home for Adaline, Anastasia and Nathanial. It's the Bolton version of a palace.

"That's the Kensington House?" I ask as Wladimir parks the car. I'm sitting in the back with Nate and George next to me. I'm sandwiched between the future King of United Kingdom and the Duke of Windsor, but to me they're just my brothers-in-law. My very drunk brothers.

"Yep. We use it every time we need a break from our wives." Nate slurs the words as Troy and Wladimir get out of the car.

"Which is not very often for those two at the front." George says with a nod. His voice is a little less slurry. I guess after eight bourbons it's close to a miracle but perhaps royals learn how to drink lots and still sound sort of sober.

Troy opens the door and his oldest son almost falls out of her car. We didn't put on the seatbelts because it was so snuggly here in the back.

"Come on, no one needs to see you two drunk."

Nate claps into his hands as he looks at George. "Royal faces on!"

I chuckle but frown as I witness how these two men turn from totally drunk to stone sober within a second. Wow, they're excellent actors!

Nate gets out of the car and I follow. George gets out on the other side of the car. I tilt my head back as I stare at that completely mirrored house. It reflects the rows of white Victorian houses that are so typical for this neighbourhood. I used to walk by this house every day when I walked all the way from Notting Hill to the souvenir shop I used to work at. I also walked by the house on my way home from Luigi's. I took a different road when I walked home from the pub in Covent Garden.

It's crazy that I get to step into this house tonight, let alone spend the night there. Alongside the future King of the United Kingdom, the Duke of Windsor and two Bolton men. I'm now part of the richest family in the world.

And in less than a month I'll be a royal myself. A Duke.

How life goes.

"Oliver!"

I wince as Wladimir calls out my name. The Russian man waves me to come in and I follow his directions. I walk down a short but narrow hallway and get out of my shoes. I place them tidily next to the other two black leather shoes that stand in line, unlike two pairs of suede shoes that look like they've been thrown there.

"I'm taking the left bedroom on the second floor!" Nate calls out.

"Right bedroom!" George says before walking up the freestanding glass staircase. "See you tomorrow morning!"

"Goodnight!" Wladimir says.

"Don't forget to take the aspirin tomorrow morning." Troy reminds his son.

Nate waves with his hands as he follows George upstairs. "I'm good, but Oli might need it."

Wlad and Troy look at me.

"I'm good. I can sleep..." I look around and notice the minimal furniture. The kitchen is high-end with glossy finishes, an island and a view over the street, but there's just a round wooden table with red velvet chairs and a big red sofa across a fireplace. There's no telly. A garden is behind the square shaped open living area. It looks like the most abandoned place that's owned by the Bolton family. "I can sleep on the sofa."

"This is a five bedroom house, Oliver. You're going to sleep in one of the guest bedrooms on the first floor."

"Just not the first one on the right. That used to be Della's." Wladimir explains.

I nod, "Do you have lots of memories here?" I ask him.

"That's my cue to go the bed. See you tomorrow morning." Troy says before walking past us. "Oh and don't you dare have a look inside that jewellery shopping bag. You'll get it tomorrow morning." He warns us before walking up the staircase. "When we're all sober but hung over."

My eyes stare at red bag that's standing on the kitchen island. "How do you think the rings look like?"

"Like Troy's version of a friendship bracelet." Wladimir answers with a shrug.

"Do you think it's engraved or something?"

"Probably." Wladimir walks over to the kitchen and opens the fridge that's hidden behind a white glossy cabinet. The whole kitchen is white and has black marbled countertops. "Water?" He holds up a chilled bottle.

I nod and he throws it into my direction. I catch it and open it before taking a sip. "How long have you and Della lived here?"

"We never lived here together." Wladimir explains.

"No?"

"No. She moved in here when she was sixteen. Lived here in secret for two years whenever she felt too tired to go home to Troy and Gabriella. She payed the bills for the water and electricity herself and told her parents that her shifts took longer." Wladimir shakes his head with a boyish smirk on his lips.

I must look the same whenever I talk about my wife.

"She's always been the creative one. I used to watch her from my silver pickup truck. Right across the street. Night after night." Wladimir takes a sip of his water. "And she used to cook for me right here in the kitchen before bringing the delicious meals to my truck."

"It must've been hard to love her from a distance."

Wladimir shrugs, "I didn't know I loved her until she kissed me."

"She kissed you?"

My brother-in-law nods, "I hadn't have crossed that line otherwise. Troy is my best friend and she is his daughter. His firstborn."

"Is that why you hid your relationship for so long?"

"There were so many more layers to this decision. It wasn't just for Troy or Gabriella... or my father for that matter. We had a lot to consider. There was us in the core but there was so much more around us. Our families, our friends, our jobs, our reputations... the media. It was hard but also beautiful in it's own way." Wladimir shrugs. "I'm glad the hide and seek game is over now, though. Having a family with her is all I ever wanted."

"Do you want more kids?"

Wlad chuckles, "Oh yes! But we have a deal: first Alzheimer's then more children. We did it the last time and God rewarded us with twins, so who knows what we're going to get this time?"

"You weren't together when she was searching for a cure for Parkinson's?"

Wlad shakes his head. "No. We broke up once she got serious about the research for it."

"It must've been tough."

"It's the price you pay for loving a Bolton woman." Wlad explains to me. "And you will find it out as well. Sasha paid by having to wait to become a Dad because Ana needed to build the Bolton Academy first. I had to wait because of Parkinson's and now Alzheimer's. I assume you will have to wait for some reason as well."

Actually, I don't but I can't tell him that. "Maybe our year long break was enough."

"Perhaps it's more about God's timing than our sense of timing. I know Jo very well. I was surprised when I found out she was seeing Edward. Shocked when they got engaged because I know Jo and Edward wasn't like the other men she had been with before, which was you. They are from the same world and Jo doesn't care about being in the same financial level. But I gave Rothschild the benefit of a doubt and he looked like a good man on the outside."

"And the inside?"

"Is what happened in the soup kitchen. He's a psychopath. But I couldn't see that because his documents are better protected than the King's jewels. I couldn't get to him, or inside his computer. And I still can't. It's why he is so utterly dangerous."

"You knew about Josephine and I?"

"It's my job to know. Ralph reports to me. But that doesn't mean I interfere in her life. It was her choice to break up with you, reconcile with Rothschild, take that proposal, stood him up at the altar and fly all the way to Brazil to find you. Jo was afraid of love and therefore you. In my opinion, she never loved Rothschild, she just convinced herself she was safer with him than you, until it all came crashing down of course. She ran from you, hoping she could forget you when she's in that psychopath's arms. But love doesn't forget. It always finds a way of reminding you."

"We dreamed the same dream until we met again." I confess.

"See? Just what I said. Love always finds a way. It's why I couldn't be without my wife. I love her with all my heart and we had to jump through a lot of hoops to get where we are now. But I wouldn't have want it any other way." Suddenly Wlad starts laughing. "Della taught me how to make crepes here. I burned a whole batch because I was so nervous and she had left me alone. It was... I was a horrible cook the first few months of our relationship."

I smile at him. I can't imagine a teenager Della and her bodyguard here in this house. "Did Della choose the furniture?"

"Oh, no that's Nate's doing. When Della used to live here we just had this kitchen, a plastic mini table with two chairs and a sofa. She had a bed upstairs and a full bathroom but not much more."

"Nate used to live here for how long?"

"About a year. That's how long it took him to man up and kiss Charlotte. He chose a very interesting date, though. Rory's wedding day. He kissed her in one of the drawing rooms at Buckingham Palace." Wlad smirks. "You know, he may look like Troy but he's nothing like him. He's more like Ana."

"Yeah, I already noticed that." I admit with a nod. "But he's definitely as protective over his little sister as Troy is over her."

Wlad frowns. "So something did slip my hands?"

I shrug, "Nate threatened me just before his wedding. He wanted to buy me out."

"He did? Well, maybe he's got more from Troy than I thought." Wlad smirks.

"Definitely. The Bolton genes are evident."

Wlad laughs, "Oh yeah. Just wait until you have kids! Trust me, you only know your boundaries once you've tried to put down two of the most stubborn Boltons on earth. Or tried to convince them that knowing the periodic system by heart is not required to know on the first day of school."

"Your kids are smart?"

"Just look at their mum. There was no way those two girls wouldn't turn out to be utterly smart."

"How do you deal with three super women in the household?"

"Oh, you know in the last years it hasn't really been three, more like... more like only me."

I frown.

"The girls are attending Le Rosey, so they're gone for most of the year. And Della's been commuting between Geneva and London because of her Alzheimer's research."

"But isn't that over now?"

"Almost and I'm really thankful for that. Trust me, it's not nice waking up in an empty bed and hoping to see your wife at least for dinner. There were days when we didn't see each other at all. Sometimes it was a whole weekend that she spent in Geneva at the lab. That's when I booked us a hotel room just so we could sleep in the same bed again." Wladimir gulps, "Anyways, we should get some sleep."

"Go ahead. I want to call Josephine."

Wlad nods, "Good night, Oliver."

"Good night." I watch Wlad walking upstairs before getting out my iPhone and calling my wife.

"You're not coming home anytime soon." Her voice fills my ears after the first ring.

"No, actually we're all sleeping over at the Kensington House."

"The Kensington House?" She asks me confused.

"Yeah. It's very pretty..." I say as I look around. It feels like I'm being watched because everything around me is made of glass. But it's all mirrored on the other side, so really no one can see inside here.

I can hear her yawn on the other end of the line. "Well, your Mum's going to teach us how to do the pastel de queijos tomorrow. So make sure to be home by twelve." She reminds me. "And everything went okay with my Dad?"

"Yeah, we've had a great time. Sasha couldn't come because Valentin is sick but the rest was there. The others already went to bed but I wanted to call you before going to bed."

My wife chuckles, "Well, George and Nate are on the phone with their wives right now so I'm guessing my Dad and definitely Wlad are doing the same right now."

"Have you had fun with Rory and Char?"

"Yeah but we're all quite tired after all the chatting and eating." She yawns again.

"Will you be alright?" I ask her. We haven't slept apart since she got raped and even before that happened we've always shared one bed.

"Yeah." She answers after a moment.

"If you have trouble we can FaceTime until you've fallen asleep." I suggest.

"No, no I'll be... I'll be alright."

She doesn't sound that way. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah... I'm sure." She says before yawning again. "See? I'm already dog tired. I'll probably fall asleep the second we hang up."

I really hope so. "Sweet dreams, Tesoro."

"Sweet dreams, Darling." She says before hanging up.

I guess my nickname is darling now.

Josephine

I watch how the liquid brown gold fills my mug and the smell of freshly brewed coffee fills my nostrils. I've had a rather rough night because I missed my husband so much. Sleeping alone is no longer fun. I used to love having my king sized bed to myself but now I'm sticking to the left side of the bed even though my husband's not next to me. Charlotte and Rory already left because they wanted to pick up their girls before having royal duties to do. Soon, Oliver and I are going to join them.

Suddenly, goosebumps start covering my arms and legs. When I turn around, I stand across my husband. He looks a little sleep deprived as well. His beach blond hair is messy but with the new haircut he looks even hotter than last night and his pine green eyes are a little bloodshot. But he looks breathtaking nonetheless.

At times like these I wonder how I ever found Edward Rothschild attractive. Rothschild is a grey mouse compared to the god-like statue that's my husband.

My heart starts racing in my chest as the heat starts filling my body.

"Good Morning." I greet him with a smirk on my lips.

"That's no way to greet your husband. Come here." He holds out his arms and I rush over to him to embrace and kiss him.

"I missed you." I whisper against his lips.

He kisses me softly. "I missed you more." His breath is hot against my face as he rests his forehead against mine.

He smells like a cigar club that serves lots of bourbon. I sniff, "You stink."

His laughter touches the deepest parts of my heart. "Yes, I didn't shower yet. We just had breakfast, Troy gifted us his form of a friendship bracelet - Wlad's words not mine, but they're quite fitting - and we all went our ways."

"A friendship bracelet?" I ask confused.

Oliver holds up his left hand. There's a signet ring on his left pinkie finger. "Apparently this is a signet ring."

"It is. But it's blanc. It's suppose to have the family's coat of arms or anything else engraved." I say with a frown.

"Wladimir and Troy's have the Bolton family's coat of arms, Sasha has the Romanov coat of arms, Nate and George have their coat of arms engraved. This will get our coat of arms engraved as soon as we've designed it."

I smile, "That's such a nice gift!"

My husband nods, "Guess, I'm now official a Bolton."

I run my fingers through his silky blond hair. "You were the second we met. You are my destiny, my sunshine and universe. I've made mistakes so we had a few bumps in the road, but Oliver..." I lick my lips and inhale deeply, "You and I, we're meant to be. Along with this child."

The smile on his face brightens every miserable day. "Does that mean we can finally tell your parents and my Mama?"

"No, we haven't hit the twelfth week mark yet, besides as long as I'm not showing there's no reason to tell." I lick my lips.

His hands on my hips squeeze me softly. "We'll let them know when you're ready."

Suddenly, tears fill my eyes and my throat tightens. "I just don't want to jinx anything."

He lets go of my hips and wipes the tears away that have started to stream down my face. "It's okay to be afraid."

"I know, it's just... I want to keep it between us... and Ana... and Della... and Wlad... and the royals." I sigh, "I just know that my Mum is going to be over the moon and start all these plannings with Char and Rory. They're going to want to throw me a baby shower and gender reveal party and buy all sorts of stuff that we absolutely won't need."

"We can always celebrate when this baby is born. We could just ask them to not buy anything or throw any party-"

"But that would hurt them. They need celebrations and cakes and buy a horrendous amount of baby clothes." I breathe out.

"Then we're going to wait until you start showing, okay? You can try to hide the bump as long as possible but once it's big enough we have to inform them. We can't ask your sisters and Nate to shut up until you're going in labour. That's not fair."

I nod, "Okay."

"Good. I'm going to take a shower now." He informs me.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth again."

He chuckles, "I love you."

"I have to love you, too if I'm willing to kiss you when you smell that way." I mumble.

Suddenly he lifts me and places me on the kitchen island. I wrap my legs around his hips as I seal my lips over his. Our tongues start dancing a rumba as our hungry mouths can't get enough of one another. Our bodies enjoy what they didn't have last night.

After minutes of passionate kisses, he pulls away first.

"Is kissing me still that bad?" He asks me with a triumphal smile on his lips.

I'm too hot, dizzy and breathless to answer right away.

Oliver runs his hands up my thighs that still squeeze him like an anaconda. My body awakes at the touch. "You're always welcome to join me in the shower." His pine green eyes transition into an emerald green.

There's no way I can say no to him. I lick my lips and suddenly his smell starts filling my nostrils. I can smell his pheromones but also the booze he drank last night - and that alcohol smell is a huge turn-off. "Maybe next time."

Oliver

I get shaken awake by the firm hand of my Mama. "Oliver!"

I open my eyes and frown as I stare at my Mama for a moment. "Mama?"

"I'm here to teach you how to make pastel de queijos but I can't bring it over my heart to wake Jo up." Her brown eyes lower a little as her Brazilian Portuguese words fill my ears.

My wife and I fell asleep on the sofa in the living area after I had a shower and she a filling breakfast. The second we were laying on that sofa together our eyes shut and we fell asleep.

"I'm going to get everything ready. You wake her up." My Mama leaves us alone as she walks into the kitchen.

I look at my wife that's sleeping peacefully in my arms. She's holding on to me like dear life. Like I am her life belt. It feels so good to have her so close to me.

I wish I didn't have to wake her up.

"Tesoro,"

She growls at my voice and snuggles even deeper into my chest. I love her weight on me, even more now that she's carrying our baby. Perhaps I should let her sleep. She needs all the rest she can get. I didn't think she was still worrying so much about our unborn bundle of joy, but when she opened up to me earlier my heart almost broke. All this dress is not good for her or the baby.

I decide to let her sleep. She needs it more than me. My Mama can teach me how to do the pastel de queijo and I can show them to my wife afterwards.

I carefully lift her off of me as I rise from the sofa.

"What are you doing?" She growls as I place her back on the sofa.

"Go back to sleep." I whisper into her ear before covering her with a cashmere blanket.

She rolls over to her side while hugging the blanket. She looks like a sleeping angel. A pregnant sleeping angel. She seems to have forgotten that my Mama was coming today.

I walk by the square shaped walnut wooden dining table and into the open kitchen where my Mama is. "It's just us for now." I tell my Mama, who is getting out the flour from the drawers in the island.

My Mama raises one of her brown eyebrows, "You're cutting her a lot of slack. She wanted to learn, not you."

"We both did." I disagree with her while narrowing my eyes at her. I miss talking in my mother tongue so it's nice to talk to my Mama and brothers in Brazilian Portuguese.

Suddenly, she tilts her to the side, "You look tired as well. Were you guys up all night?"

"Troy threw me a hen do. I didn't sleep here, hence why Josephine didn't sleep."

My Mama's brown eyes notice the ring on my left pinkie finger. "What's that? Is that from Troy?"

"Yes. It's called a signet ring. My coat of arms will be engraved once I designed it."

"Couldn't he have just gotten you a watch?"

I shrug, "I like it. It's an old aristocratic tradition."

"Oh, so it's for your royal life then."

"No. He gifted the other husbands a signet ring as well."

"So that means you guys are now..." she thinks for a moment. "Best friends?" She asks me in English.

I chuckle, "Well, sort of." I run my fingers through my hair, "Your English lessons with Sergej are going good?"

My Mama smiles at me, "Yes. It's hard to remember all the vocabulary but I'm getting there."

I nod. I don't like to talk about Sergej so much because every time I do, I am reminded of my wife's joke that they're more than just friends.

"Oliver, Sergej and I are just friends. Nothing more. I will never love another man like I loved Carlos. Your Papa and I... You only get that kind of love once in your life."

I lick my lips as I am reminded of my Papa. Every time we talk about him my throat tightens and tears burn in my eyes. Even after seven years, the wound still feels fresh. "You're not into older men then?"

My Mama bursts into a laughter, "No! No, definitely not. If I ever decide to get close to a man again, he won't be in Sergej's age. I would want someone in my age, maybe a few years younger or older, I don't know."

I'm relieved she and Sergej won't turn into Della and Wlad 2.0.

"But men are not on my mind right now. I want to learn the language of the country I live in now. I want to be able to chat with strangers in a coffee shop and order a dinner with ease. And eventually, I want to have a proper job, not just wipe some floors."

I nod, "Well perhaps you can open your own restaurant with Brazilian meals."

My Mama blushes, "Oh, no. The paperwork would be too complicated and confusing for me to understand."

"Well maybe Sergej can turn into your work partner." I suggest. "I'm sure he can see through the paperwork jungle."

"Have you made up a plan to get Jo to French Cay?" My Mama changes the subject.

"Not yet. But I showed Troy the engagement ring and got his blessing so everything's in place."

"Can I see the ring?" She whispers.

I nod before gesturing her to follow me. We walk out of the open living area and down the hallway before entering the master bedroom. I open the door of our walk-in wardrobe and we walk into the massive room that has an island in the middle. I switch on the lights and turn left. The whole left side is mine. I open one of the many dark wooden drawers and dig into the many black socks until I find the beige ring box.

"You're hiding it in your socks drawer?" My Mama asks me with a smirk.

"She won't look for anything here." I say before opening the box. The sparkling ring is still there. Worth almost half a million pounds, this ring is really priceless when it comes to its true value.

My Mama'a brown eyes widen, "Oh my Gosh! Wow!"

The oblong cushion cut sea foam coloured sapphire is sparkling like crazy although the lights are dimmed. The half moon shaped diamonds that embrace the centre stone are the clearest on the market. The Welsh golden band is polished to perfection. And the halo underneath the three stones is covered in tiny diamonds.

"Oliver, this is amazing!"

"I hope she's going to like it."

"Are you joking me? She'll love it! She won't even miss her old wedding ring that she lost in the sink! This is so beautiful!"

Josephine and I decided to not tell my Mama about the rape. Instead we decided to lie and tell everyone that doesn't know the truth that Josephine lost her ring while doing the dishes in the sink. It's just easier for everyone that way.

"I'm so excited to see French Cay."

"Gabriella showed me a few photos and it's stunning. The clearest turquoise water and white sanded beaches."

"Sounds beautiful." My Mama smiles. "I'm so glad you guys are going to get a proper wedding. You deserve it."

Josephine

I get the last pastel de queijo out of the pot that's filled with oil. The crisp, deep-fried pastries look perfect! Maria helped Oliver and me with them - because my husband forgot how to do them even though she taught him just a few days ago - before Sergej, Caio and Johna picked her up. They're going out to have a proper British dinner. Funny, while they're enjoying British food, Oliver and I brought Brazilian food to here.

Just looking at these stuffed pastries makes my mouth fill with salvia. We've filled them with chicken or minced beef with cheese on top that has now melted. My parents are going to love them!

"They look good!" Oliver says while looking over my shoulder.

"Maybe Maria should open her own restaurant full of Brazilian food! Your Mum's a brilliant cook!"

"As long as it's without Sergej I'm fine with it."

I sigh as I pick up the two plates full of pastel de queijos. I walk over to the dining table that has been beautifully decorated for tonight. We bought a huge bouquet of pink peonies and lit white candles. The aroma diffuser is diffusing lavender to calm our senses.

This will be better than the last dinner we had. This will be the dinner we should have had at my childhood home - one without any quarrels, scepticism and judgements.

Still, I am even more nervous about tonight than I was about that night.

Suddenly, salsa music starts filling the whole living area. I recognise the song from the radio. It's Conga by Gloria Estefan, a very catchy tune.

I place the plates on the table and turn around. My husband is dancing his way towards me. "What are you doing?"

"You're nervous. Let's dance that out!" He grabs my hands and pulls me closer to him. I start dancing with him like I always do. "And salsa is the way to go in Brazil."

I chuckle as he places his hands on my waist. We start dancing to the beat and he twirls me around. It feels like always. I get too hot, my brain gets clouded with love and desire, and my heart starts racing in my chest. I rest my forehead against my husband's as we both dance to the quick music with ease.

My skirt is flowing through the air as he twirls me with ease. I start grinning from ear to ear and feel how the last single cell of stress and nervousness leaves my body.

"Now that's what I call a proper welcome."

I wince at my father's voice and stop dancing. "Oh, hi! I didn't even hear you."

My parents are grinning from ear to ear. They dressed very nicely tonight. My Daddy is in a dark pair of pants and a white Oxford shirt like my husband and my Mummy is wearing a blue dress. My Mummy is also holding a bowl that's filled with the dessert for tonight. She insisted on contributing to this dinner.

My husband turns off the music. "What's for dessert?" Oliver asks them.

"Mousse au Chocolat." Daddy answers. "A French classic. You'll like it."

"I know I love your Mousse au Chocolat. I always do." I say to my Dad with a smirk on my lips.

"You made it?"

My father nods, "My wife's only good with baking."

Oliver chuckles.

"I'm a decent cook and I can make non-baking desserts as well. Just not as good as you." My Mum admits before placing the bowl on the kitchen island. "But what did you guys cook? It smells delicious!"

"Pastel de queijos. My Mum showed us how to do them."

"Are she and your brothers not joining us tonight?" My Dad asks.

Oliver shakes his head. "No, they went out with Sergej."

"For a proper British dinner." I add with a smirk on my lips. I ignore Oliver's gaze at me.

"How are they coming along with the English lessons?" My Mum asks as we all sit down at the table.

"Good. Sergej's a really good teacher." I ensure her before pointing at the two plates. "We've got eight with chicken and eight with minced beef. The one with minced beef are spicy." I explain as my parents start loading their plates. There's also a bowl full of a colourful salad as a side dish. "Do you have any news on my wedding ring?"

"Edward's been wearing cuff links with sapphires and an Omega with a row of sapphires around the clock-face. These could be coincidences-"

"There are no coincidences in our family." I interrupt my mother. That bastard! He's wearing my sapphires as trophies!

"We don't know if those are your sapphires. We don't know if they're from your wedding ring." My Mum tries to calm me down.

"Edward doesn't like sapphires. He never did. He prefers rubies or diamonds. Those are mine and we all know it but we can't prove that, so he's going to get away with it. And he will wear them every single time we're going to see each other. At every public event. At every royal state dinner. At every fucking occasion!" I hiss.

"But now he has to bow to you." My Mum says with a smirk on her lips.

It's not enough. I want him to pay for what he did to me, to my husband and our unborn child. He knows I am pregnant and he did it anyway. I could have lost my child!

"How was your meeting with the King this week?" My Daddy's question rips me out of my thoughts.

"Good. We've discussed all the points and met in the middle." I explain and restrain myself from putting my hands on my ever so flat tummy.

"We're going to move to Hampton Court Palace's ground."

"Really?" My Mum asks surprised.

I nod, "We're going to build a house in the Home Park. At the end of Chestnut Avenue along Long Water. We'll call it Chestnut House."

"So you're moving to Richmond?"

"Yes. Just a little less than 20 kilometres away from you guys. We can pay you a visit whenever possible."

"It must be reassuring to be living next to Rory and George." My Dad says before picking up the pastel de queijo and biting into it. "Oh, these are very good!" He compliments us. "Just like in Rio!"

"It is and I think Charlotte and Nate have a chance to get their home base there as well. If they ask really nicely."

"Really?" Oliver asks me.

I shrug, "The King let that shine through at our meeting. Either that or Apartment 1 at Kensington Palace. Next door to William and Catherine."

"That's a good place as well. Better than Windsor." My Mum says. "At least it's in London."

"What will Chestnut House look like?"

"Very different. Very unique. But we're not going to show you the plans because we don't have them yet."

"Red bricks and white transom windows." Oliver gives them a clue. "We'll tell you more when we have digital images."

Troy nods. "What are your plans now?"

"Tomorrow we start doing interviews and tonight we have to read all the cvs for our royal household." Oliver explains.

"Oh and we get to design or royal coat of arms, see our cypher and talk about our royal website and instagram account." I add.

"Oh, that's exciting!"

"I hope you're going to choose a bear as your royal supporter." My Daddy says with a wink.

"No. I actually thought about a lion. It's traditional. English. I think it's the right way to go."

"And you?" My Mum asks my husband.

Oliver shrugs, "I don't know. Something that relates to Brazil."

"What's Brazil's national animal?"

"The Jaguar. But the Macaw is pretty popular there as well."

"So your royal supporter would be a cat, too. Well, isn't that fitting? Two sides of the same coin."

I chuckle at my mother's words although she has hit the bullseye with her comment. "Maybe you could use the macaws in your shield. Have four in a different colour on a blue background." I suggest to my husband.

"I like toucans more."

"Those are the one with the long and wide yellow-orange bill and black body with a white throat, right?" My Mum asks Oliver.

"Yes."

"They're very pretty." My Mum says. "We saw some when we climbed up the Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio."

"What does your shield look like?" Oliver asks me.

"I'll be using my family's shield. It's an eight-pointed shield with a blue background and three gold sprigs of Lilly-Of-The-Valley. The first two sprigs have four tepals for my siblings and me and the third has two tepals for my parents."

"That sounds pretty." Oliver says with a smile on his lips.

"You could do something similar." I suggest. "Four golden toucans."

"But on what background? Blue, green and yellow like the Brazilian flag?"

"You could use the same bright blue as on my shield. They would match that way." I suggest.

Oliver sighs, "This is too much to think about right now. Let's just eat."

"I suggest to choose a nice green to symbolise the Amazon." My Dad suddenly says.

"Dad,"

"No, maybe that's a good idea." Oliver says. "Green and blue would look good on our royal coat of arms."

I bite into my pastry that's filled with chicken so I don't rip my husband's head off. Sometimes he's really frustrating and indecisive.

Who knew my father could help him then?

"Think about it. Also about the shape of the shield. Maybe you want something unique as well."

"How many people do you want to have in your royal household?" My Mum asks me.

"Well, we're going to need a private secretary, a communication secretary, an advisor, an official spokesperson... at least four people but we're probably going to hire more because we need a deputy for each position." I explain.

"That's a lot. And you want to hire all of them tomorrow?"

"At least have a look at their cvs and talk to them. It's important to get to know them a little bit before hiring them."

"Are you getting a stylist?" My Mum asks me.

I shrug, "I haven't thought about it yet. Maybe. At least for a year or so. It's not like I'm going to need a stylist so much."

"Still, you both have to avoid making a blunder whenever possible." My Dad says.

"I know..." I nod. It's going to be an exciting but slow terrifying time. And that's before the King is going to make the announcement.

"I know I'm going to need royal training." Oliver says.

"You're not alone. Just because we have royals in the family doesn't mean we know how to act like them in public. It's going to be a learning curve with lots of ups and downs." I tell him. "It's a new territory for all of us. Something like this has never been done before. We're making history."

Oliver

"These would be my suggestions for your royal website called ClarenceRoyal. uk." Sam Jefferson says to my wife and me before handing us each a stack of papers. Sam is the technology expert and responsible for designing the websites for the Royal Family. He and his team designed the official websites for the Royal Family, King Charles' website, the website of the Royal Foundation and Rory and George's website. They're the best people to turn to.

But I still have to read every little word they will put out. Because it's Josephine and mine reputation that's on the line.

We're sitting in one of the dining room of Clarence House. The room has been transformed into a conference room with a long mahogany table. There are golden frames with oil paintings hanging on the white panelled walls. The white transom windows offer a view over the lush backyard. The table can seat twenty people. It's nine thirty in the morning and we've already been here for nearly two hours with just Sam and his ideas for our website. We've had coffee and orange juice but frankly my wife looks a bit hangry. I can see the way she furrows her brows and licks her lips. She's been constantly tipping her right forefinger against the square shaped mahogany table as well. She's annoyed because she's hungry.

There's an arrangement of small sandwiches, a collection of fresh fruit and veggies, scones and croissants beautifully draped on an étagere in the middle of the table. A stack of plates, cutlery and serviettes are next to the étagere.

"How about we take a break for half an hour? Let's go for a walk outside or have a bite to eat. We'll read the drafts and we can discuss them in thirty minutes." I suggest.

Because if we don't take this break than my wife is going to rip off Sam's head and eat it.

Sam nods before rising from his chair. "Sounds like a good plan. I'll meet you here in half an hour, Your Royal Highnesses."

I nod and watch how my wife's bright blue eyes follow Sam's every move until the big wooden double doors of the dining room shut behind him.

My wife lets out a big breath, "Thank you. I'm starving!" She says before getting a few sandwiches from the étagere.

I get a plate from the stack. The plate is almost too beautiful to use. It has a stunning light blue base and a white floral design that's been hand painted along with a gold edge. The étagere as well as the coffee mugs are from the same collection as well. And the cutlery is made from pure gold. It's posh and unreal.

But it is my new reality.

"Here. You don't want to get crumbles on the sheets." I say before putting the plate on Josephine's stack of paper, just a second before the first crumble fall onto the plate.

"Thank you. Aren't you hungry at all?"

"I'd rather read the drafts while you eat, okay?"

She nods, "Fine by me. I scan the drafts."

"I thought you'd be more controlling."

"Sam's using most of my words." She says before taking some blue berries from the étagere and letting them fall into her mouth.

I decide to start with the funding section, perhaps the most important part of our website.

Funding

Welcome to Clarence Royal, the source for information and details relating to the works and structure of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Clarence. We are so pleased to have you as part of this community. In this section, you will find answers and clarification to questions that have come to the forefront with the newest addition to the Royal Family. Many of you may be familiar with these policies, but for those of you who are not, we hope this page sheds some light on what can sometimes be quite confusing.

On January the first of 2050 it was announced that Mrs. Josephine Bolton and Mr. Oliver Bolton would be joining the royal family as Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Clarence. Their Royal Highnesses have chosen to work as senior members of the Royal Family and support His Majesty The King, primarily in their positions of President and Vice-President of the Commonwealth Trust.

The answers to the following questions aim to provide clarity on existing and future funding arrangements.

Why have The Duke and Duchess of Clarence been chosen as President and Vice-President of the Commonwealth Trust?

The Duke and Duchess of Clarence take great pride in their work and are committed to continuing their charitable endeavours they started prior joining the Royal Family. For several years, The Duke as well as The Duchess have participated in various social projects all over the world. Before becoming President and Vice-President of the Commonwealth Trust, Their Royal Highnesses have worked at the Bolton Foundation, Oxford Royal, at different soup kitchens and churches in London as well as schools and kindergartens in the area they lived.

After participating on The Commonwealth Tour of The Duke and Duchess of Oxford, The Duchess' desire to help globally and support all 54 commonwealth countries arose. After marrying The Duke of Clarence, His Majesty The King has come to the decision to offer them their new roles, which came with the job of being the President and Vice-President of the Commonwealth Trust as well as joining the Royal Family.

The Duke and Duchess of Clarence feel immensely grateful to have been given this opportunity. Together they aim to support and help all members of the commonwealth while at the same time continuing to carry out their other royal duties for His Majesty The King.

With The Duke and Duchess of Clarence being the first members to join the Royal Family by not marrying into it, does the public have to pay for them?

No. The Duke and Duchess of Clarence have chosen to be completely independent from the Sovereign Grant. Their office as well as their official home, based at Hampton Court Palace, is privately funded.

More details on the specifics of the Sovereign Grant are outlined below.

I decide to skip the five pages about the Sovereign Grant. The numbers are all correct and up to date. I stop at the page that starts with more personal questions again.

Do The Duke and Duchess of Clarence earn income?

Their Royal Highnesses have chosen to not earn an income by becoming the President and Vice-President of the Commonwealth Trust. Instead, Their Royal Highnesses have opted to earn the symbolic 1, while the rest of the team at the Commonwealth Trust will continue to receive their income via the Sovereign Grant.

Do The Duke and Duchess of Clarence benefit financially from their charitable and cause-driven work?

No, see above.

Will The Duke and Duchess of Clarence participate in other royal engagements?

Yes. The Duke and Duchess of Clarence will join His Majesty The King and other members of the Royal Family on all major family events in the year. This includes the Commonwealth Day celebrations at Westminster Abbey, Eastern Service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor, one garden party at Buckingham Palace, Trooping the Colour (the birthday parade for His Majesty The King), first day of Ascot, Remembrance Day and the Christmas Morning Walk to St. Magdalena Church in Sandringham. In addition, whenever Their Royal Highnesses' schedules allows it, they will join other members of the Royal Family if the opportunity arises.

Have The Duke and Duchess of Clarence benefited from public funding and tax benefits as members of the Royal Family?

No. As explained above, Their Royal Highnesses have chosen to stay financially independent from all public funding. Public funding has never been used, nor would it ever be used for private or official expenditure by The Duke and Duchess of Clarence, who also do not receive any tax privileges.

How will the Office of The Duke and Duchess of Clarence be funded?

Since starting the establishment of The Office of The Duke and Duchess of Clarence, Their Royal Highnesses have paid for everything themselves. From hiring the members of their household to providing their income, everything was and will continue to be paid by them privately.

How much does The British Royal Family cost each UK taxpayer?

The contribution from UK taxpayers towards the full overhead of the British Monarchy is equivalent to approximately 1 per head per year.

What is the return on the investment for this funding mechanism?

The British Royal Family generates an estimated 3.7 billion a year in tourism revenues for The United Kingdom.

How was the Official Residence of The Duke and Duchess of Clarence (Chestnut House) funded?

The building process of Chestnut House, a Grade-2 listed building in Hampton Court Palace's Home Park was funded by Their Royal Highnesses privately. No money from the Sovereign Grant has been used and will be used for any future refurbishments. This includes expenses related to fixtures, furnishings, and fittings at the official residence.

Why did The Duke and Duchess chose Hampton Court Palace as their Official Residence?

The Duke and Duchess of Clarence chose Hampton Court Palace for various reasons. His Majesty The King has offered them Apartment 10 at Kensington Palace, which was previously inhabited by The Prince and Princess of Kent, as well as the choice to build their home on Hampton Court Palace's grounds. Apartment 10 at Kensington Palace was estimated to cost in excess of 10 million for mandated renovations including the removal of asbestos (see details above on the Monarchy's responsibility for this upkeep). This residence would not have been available for them to occupy until the fourth quarter of 2051.

After much consideration, The Duke and Duchess came to the conclusion to build their permanent home on the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.

Chestnut House is located in Home Park along The Long Water at the end of Chestnut Avenue, hence the name Chestnut House.

Additionally, Hampton Court Palace is the official residence of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Oxford as well as The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who have chosen to refurbish the Farm Cottage, the Clarence's in-laws and the Duchess's siblings.

Their Royal Highnesses are big family persons, hence they feel incredibly grateful to live so close to their family.

Are the Duke and Duchess of Clarence paying rent for Chestnut House?

With His Majesty's permission, The Duke and Duchess of Clarence are living there without having to pay rent. The household and any hired staff is paid privately by Their Royal Highnesses.

Does their financial autonomy extend to covering the costs of travel?

All travel arrangements undertaken by The Duke and Duchess in their private time have always been and will continue to be paid for privately and not by UK taxpayers.

The same goes for official tours or visits to represent His Majesty The King and the United Kingdom. Wherever possible their logistical arrangements are undertaken via a private air carrier that is owned by the Bolton Family, local trains and fuel-efficient vehicles, be it for official or personal travel. The produced carbonated footprint will be balanced by planting trees in the country they travelled to.

Why do they carry out official overseas visits and who pays for it?

The Duke and Duchess proudly carry out official overseas visits in support of His Majesty The King at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), as is the case for all members of the Royal Family. The length and location of these tours are determined by the FCO and the Royal Visits Committee. All Official overseas visits are in support of His Majesty's Government's objectives and paid for by The Duke and Duchess privately as well as minor contributions from the host country, when appropriate.

Does their financial autonomy extend to covering the costs of security?

The provision of armed security by The Metropolitan Police is mandated by the Home Office, a ministerial department of Her Majesty's Government, responsible for security and law order. The Duke and Duchess of Clarence are classified as internationally protected people which mandates this level of security. However, all costs of security will be privately funded by Their Royal Highnesses.

As stated on gov. uk, "No breakdown of security costs is available as disclosure of such information could compromise the integrity of these arrangements and affect the security of the individuals protected. It is long established policy not to comment upon the protective security arrangements and their related costs for members of the Royal Family or their residences."

"Here."

I look up from the last page and see that my wife has poured coffee into my mug. "Thank you."

"And? Anything world changing in those drafts?" She asks me while chewing some grapes.

I shake my head. "No. The same words you used in your folder."

"Told ya." She smirks at me. "And now eat while I scan the rest of the pages."

Josephine

I take another sip of my coffee before starting with my stack of paper. It starts with the media, one of the most crucial parts of being a Royal. We need the media as much as they need us. It's an symbiosis neither should try to exploit or abuse. It's a very fragile dance between giving away enough so they can write about us, but not too much to keep the mystery of being a royal alive. In times like these, especially with social media platforms, it's getting harder every day. Rory broke a few taboos by posting photos on the Oxford's IG account that were absolutely shocking at the time being - like her pregnancy photo shoot and the photos in the delivery room.

It's a dance we have to learn how to do as well and this will set up the rules for all involved parties.

Media

Thank you for visiting Clarence Royal to learn more about the work of The Duke and Duchess of Clarence. The following section explains the new media relations policy of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Clarence.

How will The Duke and Duchess of Clarence handle media relations in the future?

As of January of 2050, The Duke and Duchess of Clarence will be adopting the traditional media approach to ensure diverse and open access to their work as all working members of the Royal Family do.

This includes:

- Engage with grassroots media organisations and young, up-and-coming journalists;

- Invite media to specific events/engagements/tours from the Royal Rota system to give greater access to their cause-driven work, widening the spectrum of news coverage;

- Provide access to credible media outlets focused on objective news reporting to cover key moments and events;

- Continue to share information directly to the wider public via their official communications channels;

What is the 'Royal Rota' system?

The Royal Rota was established more than 40 years ago as a way of giving UK print and broadcast media exclusive inside access to the official engagements of members of the Royal Family. Due to space restrictions and security, it is rarely possible to allow all media who wish to cover a royal engagement equal access to the event. A rota, or pool system, was therefore introduced. Representatives from each relevant media sector are offered the opportunity to cover an event, on the understanding that they will share all material obtained, with other members of their sector who request it.

The core group of UK outlets with Royal Rota access remain the predominant news source through which worldwide media organisations receive content on the official engagements of members of the Royal Family. These UK media outlets are: The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror, The Evening Standard, The Telegraph, The Times, The Sun.

Why have The Duke and Duchess of Clarence elected to participate in the media policy of the Royal Family?

The Duke and Duchess have chosen to participate in the media policy used by the Royal Family as they have fully become members of the Royal Family - without costs for the taxpayer. Their wish is to reshape and broaden access to their work which is mainly focused on the Commonwealth.

How does this media policy relate to the UK's Royal Correspondents?

Britain's Royal Correspondents are regarded internationally as credible sources of both the work of members of The Royal Family as well as of their private lives. The Duke and Duchess have chosen to work with UK's Royal Correspondents on their everyday life as well as when they're on official tours.

Will they have a social media platform?

Yes, The Duke and Duchess of Clarence have a social media platform.

I frown at the last sentence. It's quite short. Perhaps we should add a few more words to the last answer. I flip the page.

Strengthening the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth is a global family of 54 countries, bound together by shared history and tradition, working to promote a future of peace, democracy, and human rights for all.

His Majesty, The King, became Head of The Commonwealth in 2046, following his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. There are 54 countries in the Commonwealth, in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. Commonwealth countries are diverse – they are amongst the world's biggest, smallest, richest and poorest countries. 32 of the members are classified as small states. Small states are especially vulnerable to things like climate change or developmental challenges.

Leaders of member countries shape Commonwealth policies and priorities. Every two years, they meet to discuss issues affecting the Commonwealth and the wider world at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). All members have an equal say regardless of size or wealth. This makes sure even the smallest countries have a voice in shaping the Commonwealth.

In addition to the CHOGM, The Duke and Duchess of Clarence host a Commonwealth Trust Forum. The Commonwealth Trust forum aims to bring together all heads of states from 54 countries

Few global entities have a greater stake in that future. Citizens of the Commonwealth comprise one third of the world's population, with 60 percent under the age of 30.

The collective strength, passion, and perspective of this rising generation present a unique opportunity to bring about positive change - on both a grassroots and global level - today, and in the decades to come.

Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Clarence are honoured to help fulfil this potential through their roles as President and Vice President, respectively, of Commonwealth Trust. During their trips across the Commonwealth, The Duke and Duchess will meet with young leaders to hear their insights and propel their vision for lasting change as well as state officials that will work with them to bring the visions of Their Royal Highnesses for the Commonwealth to life.

Current Members of the Commonwealth:

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

AUSTRALIA

THE BAHAMAS

BANGLADESH

BARBADOS

BELIZE

BOTSWANA

BRUNEI

CAMEROON

CANADA

CYPRUS

DOMINICA

ESWATINI

FIJI

THE GAMBIA

GHANA

GRENADA

GUYANA

INDIA

JAMAICA

KENYA

KIRIBATI

LESOTHO

MALAWI

MALAYSIA

MALTA

MAURITIUS

MOZAMBIQUE

NAMIBIA

NAURU

NEW ZEALAND

NIGERIA

PAKISTAN

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

RWANDA

SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS

SAINT LUCIA

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

SAMOA

SEYCHELLES

SIERRA LEONE

SINGAPORE

SOLOMON ISLANDS

SOUTH AFRICA

SRI LANKA

TANZANIA

TONGA

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

TUVALU

UGANDA

UNITED KINGDOM

VANUATU

ZAMBIA

Upcoming Tours and Trips:

To discover more about the official tours that will be undertaken by The Duke and Duchess of Clarence throughout the Commonwealth, see underneath.

I flip the page. There's still some editing to do with the drafts.

Serving the Monarchy

The history of the British monarchy is steeped in tradition and pride, as the oldest form of government in the United Kingdom.

His Majesty King Charles III is sovereign and was crowned Monarch in 2046. His Majesty serves as a symbol of unity and national pride. The Duke and Duchess of Clarence deeply believe in the role of The Monarchy, and their commitment to His Majesty The King is unwavering.

With their special roles within the Royal Family, Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Clarence, will reflect their sense of duty and allegiance to The Monarch and his legacy in the world. Their commitment to The Monarch is resolute, their position is unique within the Royal Family.

The British Royal Family has forged links with thousands of charities, public institutions, military associations, and professional bodies in order to highlight the vital work they do for their communities. These efforts help recognise and support the organisations and their contributions to society.

As members of the Royal Family, The Duke and Duchess of Clarence support His Majesty King Charles III by continuing his efforts to draw special attention to these groups as patrons of multiple organisations.

The history of patronages is a fascinating historical insight into the British Royal Family and the role they continue to play in The United Kingdom. For over three centuries, members of The British Royal Family have held patronages to advance causes and shine a light on important areas of interest for the nation. It was during World War II when members of the public were looking to The Royal Family for a sense of hope and patriotism that the Royal Family further embraced their roles as patrons on a greater scale. They did this by honouring grassroots clubs and organisations as well as larger establishments that reflected the fabric of the nation.

It is for this reason that patronages cover a broad spectrum of causes, a symbol of national pride that was so needed then and has carried over to present day. Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Clarence have chosen their patronages to support charitable organisations that represent causes important to them and that honour the legacy of His Majesty The King.

The Duke of Clarence

*Insert Patronages*

The Duchess of Clarence

*Insert Patronages*

Future Tours and Trips:

Since the announcement of their joining to The Royal Family in January 2050, The Duke and Duchess of Clarence plan to embark on official visits throughout the United Kingdom, but mostly focus on overseas tours to support the Commonwealth as their position in The Royal Family requires.

I wince as the double doors open and Sam walks back into the room. I can't believe half an hour has already passed by. That was quick. Very quick. "Welcome back. I hope you enjoyed your break." I greet Sam with a smile on my lips.

There's still a lot to add to the website. The cookies, terms, privacy, accessibility and a lot more but these are standard procedures. These drafts here are really what matters.

"We've had a look at the drafts and they look good." Oliver tells Sam.

"Great." Sam sits down and opens his folder. "These are the different font-options we could use." He slides a paper over to us. It has our titles - Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Clarence - written in different curly and plain fonts. Some are prettier than others. "I suggest the Autumn Chant font." He points at a curly font. "Or maybe a different one. Whatever you prefer."

"What do you think?" I ask my husband.

"I think your handwriting is pretty than all of those." He answers.

Rory and I did a calligraphy course when we were at Oxford University for a whole semester. She used her skills to write thank-you notes to royal letters that she and George receive. "Then we'll use my handwriting." I suggest.

"Can we do that?" Oliver asks Sam.

He nods, "Yes. All she would have to do is write the alphabet, special symbols and numbers on a sheet of paper and we would digitalise that."

I nod, "Good. But I only want to use my handwriting for headings and our titles. The rest of the content could be written in Bakersville as a heading two option and maybe Open Sans?" I suggest.

"Very well." Sam takes a few notes. "And we're sticking to a royal blue font on a light grey background?"

"Yes. You'll be getting official images in due course." Oliver ensures him.

We want our website to be in synch with all other royal websites so we decided to stick to the traditional royal blue and added a light grey instead of white for the background. We will use our royal coat of arms for official announcements. The website is a little more modern than the website of the royal family, but it catches the spirit of the other royal websites and creates its own version of royalty with the focus being the Commonwealth.

"Can we use a world map for the section of the Commonwealth countries? In a royal blue and the names of the countries that belong to the commonwealth could be written in white in my handwriting when you move the mouse over it." I suggest. "It's better than a long list."

Sam nods again, "Yes. And when you visit the country we could add that as well under the name."

"That's a good idea. And I want sites for each Commonwealth country as well. To explain a bit why it's such a wonderful country with a few photos and when it joined the commonwealth. We could use the national flag as the background for the content. So that way it's colourful, diverse and wonderfully broad." I want the focus to be more on them, rather than us. God knows we're going to attract a lot of focus in the future. We should use the spotlight to highlight our work, not ourselves.

"Good, then I think we're done here. I suggest you each write your about-section and then mail it to me." Sam leaves a card on the table. "It was very nice to meet you, Your Royal Highnesses." He says before shaking our hands.

"You're very talented. Our website is going to be very ascetically pleasing." Oliver says to Sam.

"I'm looking forward to our next meeting." I smile at him and watch him leave us alone.

"Ready?" Oliver takes a sip of his coffee.

I nod before getting the thirty cvs that Charles' private secretary gave us 100 cvs and we've ruled out 20 so far. But the other 80 deserve to be seen and heard. They deserve a chance.

Plus, hiring a household is a rather big deal: from our cleaning team to a private secretary, masters of the household, a communication secretary, an advisor, an official spokesperson, project managers, digital communications lead, perhaps a stylist and hairdresser, personal assistant and a deputy as well as an assistant for each position - Perhaps we end up hiring up to twenty or even thirty people today.

It's a whole team we're going to choose today.

It's our team.

Team Clarence.

Oliver

I have another look at the colourful copy of our official royal coat of arms. I've chosen the leopard as my supporter. Just like my wife's lion supporter, the leopard has a crown around its neck as well. It's a sign that we're not royal by blood, but by joining the firm in a very unique way. We decided to go with a joined classic shaped shield. It's parted in the middle: the right side symbolises Josephine's family's shield with the three golden sprigs of Lilly-Of-The-Valley on a blue background, while the left side represents my family. I have chosen an emerald background and four golden toucans for my parents and two siblings. There are sprigs of golden peonies, English ivory and lush green palm leaves growing above the shield, where usually a big crown would be to signify the royal rank. Butterflies are flying out of the flowers and plants: the Brazilian orange tiger Dryadula phaetusa, the blue Tanzanian diadem butterfly, the Indian green and black coloured tailed jay, the purple common tit from Sri Lanka and the Australian Blue Banded Eggfly. The butterflies represent diversity as well as the commonwealth and my home country. Underneath the shield and the supporters is grass.

"I think we should frame it." I think out loud before looking up.

Josephine is laying on the sofa next to me, writing our about sections for the website. "Why? We're getting a hand painted version made from pure gold soon." My wife asks me.

The gold version is a gift from His Majesty. He gifted every royal their coat of arms in either brass, gold or silver. It's getting hand painted with a special colour and proofed so it's going to look impeccable for a very long time. Our royal coat of arms will hang next to Rory and George's coat of arms at the palace's gates. This way the public knows who lives at Hampton Court Palace. The same applies to Kensington Palace and other official royal residences. "I really like it. It's very pretty."

My wife moves over to me and has another look at our royal coat of arms. "I like it as well. It looks exotic, innovative... it's so brilliant. I love the leopard and the lion. I love that we've chosen to have two cats in our coat of arms. We really are two sides of the same coin." Then she points at the palm leaves. "I like those leaves as well. It gives the coat of arms a Brazilian touch. It's Hispanic and English. It's biracial. It's us."

"It's perfect."

She nods, "It is. You're right. We should frame it. And I have the perfect frame for it." She gets up from the sofa. "Read what I wrote about you before I get back." She hands me the iPad before walking out of the living area.

I get the iPad and look at the words my wife used to describe me.

About the Duke of Clarence

The Duke of Clarence, born Oliver Carlos Rodriguez, has joined the Royal Family along with his wife, The Duchess of Clarence, in January 2050. The couple's official residence is Hampton Court Palace. As well as undertaking royal duties in support of The King in regards of the Commonwealth, both in the UK and overseas, The Duke devotes his time to supporting a number of charities and organisations.

Biography

The Duke of Clarence became a member of the Royal Family in January of 2050 alongside his wife The Duchess of Clarence. He will perform Royal duties in support of The King through engagements at home and overseas, alongside a growing portfolio of charitable work and patronages.

The Duke was born on 9th May 2021 to Mrs. Maria Rodriguez and Mr. Carlos Rodriguez in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His Royal Highness is the oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez. He has two younger brothers, Master Caio and Master Johnathan Rodriguez.

The Duke attended the College Notre Dame Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After graduating he worked for several charitable organisations before moving to London.

Charitable work

From a young age, The Duke had a keen awareness of social issues and actively participated in charitable work. At the age of 10, he visited a homeless shelter in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the first time and continued to visit local homeless shelters with his wife twice a month up until this day in London. His Royal Highness enjoys cooking warm meals to the people and participating in deep conversations.

Prior joining the Royal Family, The Duke has also worked in the Bolton Foundation, which was founded by his wife's parents Sir Troy Bolton and Dame Gabriella Bolton.

The Commonwealth Trust

In addition to supporting charities and organisations, The Duke of Clarence, like his wife, The Duchess of Clarence, is able to direct her own philanthropic work through The Commonwealth Trust as Vice-President.

For further information visit ClarenceRoyal. uk.

Titles

In January 2050 The Duke and Duchess of Clarence joined the Royal Family. Their official residence is at Hampton Court Palace.

"And, what do you think?" My wife asks me.

I look up and see her holding a golden frame. "I like it."

"Not the frame. The part I wrote about you!"

"Oh, yeah that sounds good, too."

She sits down next to me. "If you want me to change anything I will. We could add your kindergarten or a section about your surfing skills-"

"No, it's good the way it is. I didn't go to university like you and I don't think people need to know I worked on a coffee and banana plantage to provide for my family. Just like people don't need to know of my dead father or the fact that we were poor before I met you."

She places the frame on the coffee table. "You make your life seem like a very sad story. It's not sad and it wasn't before I met you. You are the kindest and best person I ever met. You are a fantastic brother, son and father-to-be."

Hearing this out loud makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable. I'm not good with compliments and I guess I have that in common with my wife.

"But I can't add these personal trades to our website. It has to be a bit objective and distant. It can't be a love letter."

I nod, "I know. But perhaps we should add the part about the surfing. It shows my interest in sports. But we're not adding shooting and boxing."

She chuckles, "Okay, good."

I lick my lips as I watch how my wife starts typing again. I haven't told her about the surprise wedding and while Gabriella is getting everything ready behind the scenes, I still need to break it to my wife that we're going to get married in three days - without telling her we're going to get married. "How about go on a little holiday together?"

"We can't just leave like that."

We can and we will. "Isn't it tradition for the Boltons to all come together on French Cay for your parents' wedding anniversary?"

She stops typing, "You're right, it is. It's their 35th in three days. But we can't just hop on the plane and fly to French Cay!"

We can because we will get married there in three days - on her parents' wedding anniversary. But Josephine doesn't know that. "My brothers and Mama would love to be back in the sun as well. Britain has been a little cold for their Brazilian souls."

My wife thinks for a moment. "I don't know..."

"We've chosen our royal household. Chestnut House has been talked through from roof to basement. We've created our royal coat of arms. There's nothing more on our list for a while. We all deserve a little holiday from everything that has happened."

To my surprise, my wife nods. "Okay. Good. Let's go on a family holiday. But just to be clear, this is not our baby-moon."

"What's a baby-moon?"

"It's the last holiday couples take before becoming parents."

I nod, "Okay."

"We could fly to the Maldives for our baby-moon." She suggests with a beautiful smile on her lips.

"Well, then we can tick off a destination off of your list if we have dinner in that underwater restaurant."

Her grin widens at my suggestion. "You remember?"

"Of course. I promised to tick off every destination of your bullet list and we will. One destination at a time."

"Then it's settled. We're going to fly to French Cay with Maria, Caio and Johna. I'll make the calls."

"No! I mean, I can do it." I offer since everything's already planned and settled. If Josephine calls the company that provides us with a pilot and stewardess than this whole thing might blow up. "And you can start packing."

"Right now?"

"Why not?"

"Perhaps I can find us a flight for tonight." I lie to her. I already booked a flight for tonight. A private jet is waiting for us on the tarmac while the Boltons as well as the royals are already in the air, on their way to French Cay. The King, his wife, his oldest son and daughter-in-law will join us in three days.

"Okay." She agrees before rising from the sofa.

I watch how her hips swing from side to side as she walks away from me. My eyes dance up and down my wife until she disappears in the hallway.

I can't wait to marry this woman again.

---

Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!

I thought I'd give you a glimpse of their royal website. If you're not into the royals, don't worry this story will still remain very much focused on Jo and Oliver with their charitable focus. They're not joining the royal family in the traditional way, which means they won't be served on a silver platter all the time unlike Nate and Rory. I've added the list of the Commonwealth Countries on purpose, expect the list to be valuable information for the future. ;)

The next chapter will focus on their wedding. I'll upload it as soon as I've finished the chapter. During scary times like right now, I find comfort and distraction in reading someone else's words and I hope you do, too.

Please review but most importantly, stay healthy and happy!

In gratitude,

Nicole