Two days later, my fever finally broke. That afternoon, I kicked the blankets off of me and pulled my hoodie off. There was no longer any need for the extra layers and I was hot. At least, I felt a lot better.
I glanced at my empty desk and smiled. Seemed like Alexander had taken my advice.
After being discovered by my parents, I had asked him to go home and get some actual work done. It concerned me that he hadn't heard them coming to my room and, no matter what he said, I know he was behind on everything he needed to do. It was just like he had told me: he couldn't afford to slack off at the moment if he was serious about taking the throne. Any wrong step and people hold it against him.
That's the argument I used to get him to go home. I didn't mind having him around. On the contrary, I really enjoyed it. However, I didn't want to hold him back. Since I had decided to be with him, I knew I had to make some sacrifices in terms of spending time with him. Plus, I had a life outside our relationship. We both had to be a lot more responsible now.
Famished, I went to find food in the kitchen. How long had it been since I had eaten something other than soup? Obviously, too long.
Dad stood in the kitchen by the slow cooker on the counter. He held a recipe book in his hands. The scent of potatoes and beef made my mouth water and my stomach growl.
"Is it ready yet?" I asked.
Dad glanced up. "Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling?"
The fever broke," I told him. "I'm starving."
"There's pizza in the fridge," he said. "Roast will be ready in an hour or so."
"Okay."
Once I had heated my food, I sat at the kitchen table and started eating. Mom ended up coming in at some point. She and Dad joined me at the table. Halfway through my meal, it occurred to me that they probably wanted to talk to me.
"Dad said you were feeling better," Mom began.
"Yeah," I told her. "Much better."
I continued eating and they continued their silence. They glance at each other from time to time. I supposed I could help them out a bit. It was painful to sit here and wait for them to talk.
"Were you able to send the reply to the dinner invitation?" I asked.
Mom grabbed onto the lifeline. "Yes," she said. "It's in two days."
"That's good," I said. "We don't want to keep postponing it. Did they say anything else? About a dress code or something?"
"I figured it was formal," Mom said. "We can dress up a little."
"We can definitely try," I said.
"Seems kind of strange they're inviting us to dinner after accusing us of an assassination attempt," Dad blurted out.
"John," Mom began.
"Emily," started Dad. "Honey-"
"Everyone was a suspect, Dad," I interrupted. "Alexander got shot when he was with me. If I was in their shoes, I would suspects us too."
"They need to apologize," Dad grumbled.
I shook my head.
Mom rubbed the bridge of her nose. "We're still going," she said. "We're going to be respectful. It's not everyday the royal family invites anyone for dinner."
"They haven't even caught the culprit," Dad fired back. "What if there is another attack?"
He wasn't wrong. Whoever attacked Alexander first could definitely try again but it had been months. No group had claimed responsibility for it.
"We don't know that," Mom said. "You know as well as I that the royal family likes their secrets. They're not going to disclose information regarding an ongoing investigation."
"If it puts your worries to rest," I said. "I can ask Alexander for information. He'd tell me."
The kitchen went quiet.
"You've talked to him recently?" Mom asked.
I shrugged. "Yeah, yesterday," I told her. "He called to check up on me. I mean, I told him I got sick before so yeah."
I continued before they could speak.
"It was his idea. The dinner. We wanted our families to officially meet. From the invitation, I'm guessing King Rothchester isn't opposed. I doubt they would invite us to kick us out in two minutes."
"So, it's also about the ring you got," Dad said.
A flash of guilt twisted my guts.
"I-it's a promise ring," I forced out. "He - Alexander told me he wants to be with me no matter what."
"What do you want?" Mom asked.
I bit my lip. My face warmed.
"I like him," I said. "I want to be with Alexander too." I cleared my throat. "I don't know what will happen in the future but we want to make this work."
I met my parents' gazes. I needed to know that I was serious. Despite everything that I had been through, Alexander made me happy. I'm sure there be problems or issues in the future but I wanted to work those out with Alexander. For now, we were dating and that wouldn't change for a while and I knew what I wanted for my future.
Dad didn't speak. He stood and walked out of the room. My throat closed out watching him leave. Why hadn't he said anything? Was he angry? Was he opposed.
Mom grabbed my hand. "Don't worry about your dad," she said. "He's trying not to bawl his eyes out because his little girl is growing up." She smiled at me. "Whatever you decide, I'll support you, you know that. All I ask is that you think things through and you're sure about it. And of course, do remember to tell your mom about it."
Unable to speak, I nodded.
Dad didn't return into the kitchen. As a matter of fact, I didn't see him the rest of the day. Saddened, I showered. Dad wasn't shy about speaking his feelings so maybe he wasn't disappointed. At least, that is what I told myself. Maybe Mom was right and he'd stepped away not to cry.
"Well," I whispered to myself. "Since he didn't outright oppose it then maybe he does approve."
I nodded to myself. Yeah. That had to be it.