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.By the time I reached the first landing, my confidence was at its peak.And there stood Kevin in his tux, his hair slightly gelled back, looking at me not as if I was the Tsarina of Russia, but as if I was the only person in the room.And I couldn’t help but smile as he grinned and gave me his arm.Once I latched onto it we descended the next flight of stairs, confident yet laser-focused on each step we took.When our feet finally landed on solid floor, I knew the hard work was over and the fun was about to begin.I whispered to Kevin, “I didn’t fall this time!”“What do you want a crown?” he whispered back.“Oh, that’s right you already have one.” Then his smile faltered.“Quick, look serious.LaGard’s right there.”When we slipped past LaGard we put on funereal faces, then dropped the act as we continued to the dance floor.The trumpets stopped playing and the whole room fell quiet as we got into position.I felt Kevin’s hand softly press against my waist as he pulled me forward.I placed one arm on his shoulder and the other in his own hand.Then I placed my body up against his and heard him whisper in my ear, “You ready?”I whispered back, “You have no idea.” Then we glided away.The dance went even better than it had this morning.I twirled and dipped at the right moments and I was able to spare Kevin’s feet the punishment I’d been doling out all week long.I was tempted to go off-script and improvise a Dirty Dancing move (run into Kevin’s arm, let him hoist me up in the air), but better sense prevailed.We finished flawlessly.As soon as we took our bows, Kevin whispered, “You look stunning tonight, An.” On our last bow he lifted my hand to his lips and gave it a soft peck.I swear, it felt as if someone had dripped hot wax on the spot he kissed.I thought that after that performance, I deserved a breather.But just as I was about to suggest to Kevin that we adjourn to the terrace for a breath of fresh air, I heard a commotion behind me, followed by the rapid-fire clicking of multiple cameras.I turned to see a horde of reporters heading toward me, all hungry for interviews.I turned back to Kevin, who said with a wry smile as he broke away, “Well, I guess your business begins now,”“Kev … Kevin, wait!” I whispered, but he vanished in the crowd and I was already besieged by an international contingent of reporters.It was time to get to work, and I did my best to charm them: “Oh, hola, ciao, um … Bonjour, monsieur … Guten Tag …”Chapter 29SurprisesThanks to a scheduling screw-up, the interviews lasted all through the coronation banquet.Oh, I was at the head of the table for the pre-dinner champagne toasts; it was my coronation banquet, after all.But no sooner had I raised my fork to take my first succulent bite of beef Wellington, when LaGard appeared at my side.“What are you doing here?” he whispered angrily into my ear.“Reuters and Le Monde are waiting outside the library for their exclusive interviews.Leave at once!”Call me crazy, but I somehow thought that being empress meant that I was in charge.This was a classic LaGard maneuver.Since no one had informed me I had to give interviews during dinner (did I mention it was my coronation banquet?), I could only conclude that LaGard had forgotten to pass that little tidbit on to the scheduling coordinator.The last thing I wanted to do was to create a scene, however, so I left the table as unobtrusively as possible.Considering the fact that all eyes were glued on me, that wasn’t possible at all.So there I was in the palace library, answering the same questions that had already been answered in the press packet.The good news was that there was only one more interview left, thank God.I was getting cramps in my smile muscles, and my stomach was starting to make indiscreet “Feed me” gurgles.“Has it been hard getting around the palace, Your Majesty? I mean, there are so many rooms!”Yeah, that’s why it’s called a palace, I wanted to say.But I smiled prettily and replied, “No, not at all! I mean, it was difficult at first, but now I could probably take a second job as a tour guide.Why not? Whatever it takes to help stimulate our economy.”She nodded as she scribbled that down on her clipboard.“So!” she said, giving me her best bright-eyed smile, “Here you are, living every little girl’s dream.How’s that working out for you? You have the palace, the wardrobe …” She leaned forward and asked in a just-between-us-girls tone, “… and I hear you even have the prince.”“Well,” I began, having no idea how to handle that one, but then I was mercifully rescued by the sound of a clearing throat.I turned around and there was Kevin standing awkwardly at the door, looking like a teenager about to ask for the keys to the family car [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]