The King and the Kindergarten Teacher (The Rebel Royals 1) - Page 1

Chapter One

In the view from his window, Leo looked out and saw the spires of tall castles. Tall towers of metal and glass dotted the landscape. Looking up, giant beasts roared and left trails of smoke in the early morning sky. Multicolored lights flashed in the distance like a witch or wizard casting a spell. Down below in the street, life-sized animals waved hello to awed children and posed for rowdy passersby.

New York City’s Times Square was pure magic.

Leo wanted to go down and be a part of it. But that would be impossible. Duty called. It always did, which was why he rarely had a good night’s sleep.

He might live in a palace full of servants. Their main job might be waiting on him hand and foot. But each one of those people were ultimately his responsibility. As their monarch, their livelihoods were in his hands.

“Are you ready for your speech, your majesty?”

King Leonidas turned away from the revelry below him. He dusted off the formal suit and coat of arms over his chest. He might hold a title. He might know how to wield a sword. But there were no fairytales or romance in modern nobility. No. It was all business and protocol.

“It’s important to bring up Cordoba’s ample resources,” said Giles who was serving both as his valet and chief of staff while on this trip to New York. “That will attract more business interest.”

“Yes, I know.” Leo moved to the standing mirror in the suite to straighten his tie.

But Giles brushed his hands away and undid the perfectly straight knot. “It would be most advantageous if we could capture the Spanish government’s interest. Their resources pair perfectly with ours. It would be a match made in heaven. In fact, that’s not the only match that would benefit our two countries.”

Leo rolled his eyes. Unfortunately, Giles didn’t catch the gesture. The man was far more focused on making the noose around Leo’s neck even more pretty.

It had been two years since Leo’s first wife had died. Giles wasn’t the only one after him to choose a new bride. The whole country was antsy for a new queen, and Leo was starting to feel the pressure.

He might feel responsible for each citizen in his country. But did that give them all the right to have a say in his personal life? Being in the Land of the Free, Leo wondered if democracy wasn’t the way to go over a monarchy.

He looked again out at the bright lights of the big city. If he were just another citizen, he’d be free of his duties, and he could live his life. He could go out to Times Square. He could attend a sporting event without disrupting the whole country. He could have a cup of coffee in a shop tucked away in a corner. He could ask a girl out for said cup of coffee—unchaperoned. He was a thirty-year-old king and, for much of his life, he still had to be chaperoned by aides and security.

Cordoba was a small island country in the Mediterranean between the southwestern border of France and the northeastern border of Spain. It was virtually unheard of here in America. Therefore, his security detail and entourage were at a minimum. Just Giles and a driver most days. He could slip them easily enough. He’d seen his brother do it many a time.

Leo turned from the window and picked up the notes for his speech. He knew thousands of people were relying on him for their livelihoods. So he did his duty. And he would do this duty of finding a new wife. Eventually.

He couldn’t ask out a random woman for coffee. Just like his first marriage, his second would be a transaction. Not of the heart but of national interests.

“The Spanish duchess, Teresa of Almodovar, comes highly recommended. She’s young, educated, philanthropic, and the women in her family’s breeding history are quite positive.”

Leo would’ve cringed if he hadn’t heard this litany before with his first wife. Isabel had all these same qualities, and they’d gotten along amiably. But that was as far as the fires of passion rose.

He’d never experienced passion. He never would. It wasn’t in the cards for a king.

Leo gave his collected notes a shuffle. He knew them all by heart. What was in his cards was economic stability and a wife who would satisfy an industrial need and breed an heir. If they managed to get along, as he and Isabel had, that would be a perk but not a requirement.

“It’s been two years,” said Giles. “Ample time for a respectful mourning period. Cordoba needs an heir.”

“I already have a child.”

“You know our country’s constitution is patriarchal.” Giles held up his hand before Leo could argue. “We don’t have time or support to change that law. You’ll need to find a new queen and produce a male heir. Otherwise … I don’t want to consider the alternative.”

As if he heard them talking about him, the alternative bumbled into the room. A slightly younger, much more straggly version of Leo opened the door and spilled into the room.

Alex’s shirttails were untucked. His belt was missing. His collar was askew with visible lipstick on the white fabric. Alex had likely made his way up from the revelry of Times Square.

Leo didn’t envy his brother his playboy ways. He did envy that his brother had more choices in who he could love. Not that his brother opted for any choices. Alex was of the opinion of why choose when he could have them all.

“Good morning, your highness,” said Giles, his tone drool, his emphasis on morning.

“Is it morning already? I was hoping to catch a few winks before the sun came up.” Alex shaded his eyes from the dawning daylight. “Too late. There it is.”

“You didn’t sleep at all?” asked Leo.

“Oh, I slept a little. Just not in my own bed.” Alex pulled off his jacket. And in true rakish fashion, he let it fall where it may on the floor, secure in the knowledge that someone would pick it up. “You don’t need me for anything today? No ribbons to cut? No heiress to entertain? No press to distract with my insanely photogenic mug?”

“Actually,” said Leo. “I do have need of you. You promised to take Pen out today.”

Alex blinked, as though waking from a long slumber. “I did?”

Leo nodded. “On a tour of a local school. She wanted to see a kindergarten class.”

“Fine.” Alex sighed dra

matically and scrubbed a hand over the scruff of his face. “The little pea is the only woman I keep my word to. I just need a catnap. And a shower. And a change of clothes. And then I’ll be good as new.”

Alex slumped on the couch. He closed his eyes and was out in the same instance. The man had always had the ability to slip into a contented sleep wherever he lay his head. That was easy when you didn’t have a care in the world.

Leo put his notecards back in order and placed them in his coat pocket. Before leaving, he poked his head into his daughter’s room. She was the little woman his loyalty flocked to first. Aside from his duty to his people, his daughter was his reason for everything.

Princess Penelope slept peacefully in the hotel room bed. Her dark hair fanned out over the white pillow case. A book of fractions lay on the side table.

Unlike most five-year-olds, his Pen preferred to fall asleep doing mathematics. It was a trait she’d received from her mother. Isabel had studied engineering at university even though she knew she’d never be able to use it in her duties as queen. It had made his wife happy. Numbers made his little girl happy, so he was more than happy to pick up a pencil and do algebra at bedtime in lieu of a story.

Losing her mother at such a young age was hard for his Penelope. He should’ve left her home, but he hated being parted from her. She was the true love of his life.

His angel slept soundly. He didn’t dare wake her even though he wanted to say good morning before starting his day. He was beginning his day early, and he didn’t want to throw her schedule off. Especially with her uncle knocked out in the other room.

Penelope deserved a mother, and he would find her the best one possible. That would be his number one criteria. Not some economic advancement for his country. Instead, Leo would focus on the advancement of his daughter. With his resolve set, Leo headed out to curry favor for his country and find a mother for his daughter.

Chapter Two

“And the charming prince drew his sword and rushed to rescue the princess when—”

“But, Ms. Pickett?”

Esmeralda Pickett looked up from the picture book at the interruption. This wasn’t the first interruption of the story. She’d paused at nearly every page of the story to answer a question or offer an explanation to the bright-eyed kindergarteners in her class. She was proud of her inquisitive group. Their little minds were like sponges, hungry to soak up new knowledge.

“Ms. Pickett, why can’t the princess draw her own sword?” Aubrey Thomas scrunched her button nose up as she tried to work out her problem with the story. “You said this wasn’t the first prince to try to rescue the princesses. And they’re all in the dragon’s lair. So there are other swords lying around on the ground. Why doesn’t she just pick one of those up herself?”

Tags: Shanae Johnson The Rebel Royals Romance
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