Natalie Vs. Prince

all Jacques before I get on the motorcycle.

“Jacques,” I tell him. “Get ready to go to St. Albans. Call me when you land. We’re going to have some digging to do.”

I get a call from Jacques that evening.

"Jacques, tell me everything we know on Nadia Scow," I speak into the phone. "And I don't just mean the standard shit we ask before someone starts working for the Crown. I mean I think Royal Intelligence needs to do a quick scan of her right now."

Jacques is nothing if not efficient because it takes him literally all of two days to get back to me.

It's not as if I'm sitting around on my ass during that time.

I do as much research onto the Constitutionalists as I can. If they’re focusing on me, I can’t help but feel that somehow this is all fucking connected.

Sure enough, there’s websites already running as to ‘the Crazy Prince’ and how he’s biting the hands that feed him - firing his PR company.

I place a call to Silas the next day.

"Tell me everything the Constitutionalists have been up to," I ask my brother Silas as I call him. He takes my call, despite being in the middle of a Cabinet meeting and sighs.

"They've mainly been pointing to the shenanigans of the Royals of St. Albans and calling us unfit to lead," he says wearily.

This doesn't make any fucking sense.

"Wait a second," I say to Silas as I talk into the phone. "Mom and Dad abdicated the throne to enjoy retirement and I doubt they warrant much gossip, and you're a family man with kids. That means they're all fixating on..."

I trail off as I make the connection in my head.

"Yeah, baby bro," Silas says. "They've started focusing on you. It's nothing you did or didn't do. It's that the rest of us are too boring and by using you they think they have the greatest chances of stirring up a popular revolt."

"What if I was in the process of cleaning up my act?" I ask Silas.

"Well then firstly I'd probably have to pinch myself," Silas says with a chuckle. "But you'd probably cut the Constitutionalists at the knees. In fact, baby bro, this last month you've been on some good behavior, haven't you? I think I read about how the Anti-Royalist factions in St. Albans were starting to get worried."

We talk for a few more minutes but everything is starting to make sense.

I hang up. It only took three days. But it all makes sense now.

It’s one thing to go to Natalie and tell her sorry for anything.

But in order to really win her back, I need to show her I’ve fucking changed. I’m not the impulsive fuck anymore.

I have all my shit together.

And then Jacques calls.

"Sire," Jacques says. "I'm sending over some security forces to your location. We have some definitive proof that..."

"Right, Jacques, listen, just track my motorcycle," I tell him and hang up before he can protest. I know I cut him off, but I already know what he's going to say. I’ve already figured this shit out.

I’m buzzing down Broadway within the half hour and it takes me no time to get to Gage Price.

I approach the receptionist at the lobby.

"Mr. Thomson and Mr. Brown aren't in right now," the receptionist tells me. "They're conducting the exit interview with a client."

No shit. I'm the client. But she's just staring at me dreamily. If I tell her I'm the prince of St. Albans I don't think it'll do me any good.

"I'm here to stop them from fucking doing that," I tell her. "I'm Prince Connor D'Avington from St. Albans."