─── ♔♔♔ ───

    They say bad news comes in threes, or at least, that's what my dad used to say when I was growing up. But this time, it comes in ten.

Ten newspapers that say the same thing – tripe about us. Ten magazines gossiping about us, saying the same thing as those ten newspapers.

Ten... mangoes alongside the punnet of peaches on the side.

I know the peaches are for me; he's called me Peach since the night we met, but why mangoes?

My eyes furrow as I stare at Kai. He has a grin on his face as Emma giggles, piling more fruit into her mouth.

"This feels ominous, especially as that grin usually means you're up to something," I mention and point to the kitchen bench. "Why are there ten freaking mangoes on the side?"

"There's a method to my madness, Peach!" He grabs a mango and hands it to me. "Emma's enjoying them, but also you ruined the surprise by waking up early."

I arch an eyebrow and put the stupid newspaper down. The conversation about the press can wait a few minutes. Kai moves around the kitchen and shows me the fruit display.

"It's our wedding anniversary next week, right, and I was going to give you a fruit basket, amongst other things." He gives me those puppy dog eyes I can't ever ignore or deny. "Peaches because you're my peach, and mangoes represent marital bliss, and also fertility. I was going to add pineapples too."

I groan. "No more fertility talk. The papers are already annoying with it."

"The press office for the palace called early this morning. I knew this was coming. They won't shut up. They're just bored arseholes, Peach, looking for a story."

I sigh and help Emma with the last of her mango. She giggles as I give her the last bits and hand her a drink. "They're just... insane. What have our intimate lives got to do with them?"

Kai shrugs and takes the newspaper to have a look. There's a photo of me, Kai, and Emma at a royal engagement yesterday. We were doing a toddler group with other kids around Windsor as part of a charity we're championing next. Plus, it gets the babies interacting with each other, so I see it as a win-win.

"The public will relish any excitement, and for them, that's weddings and babies. They aren't to know anything that goes on in our lives, Peach. Try not to take it personally," he says gently. "I know it's hard."

"Is it worth coming out and saying it upfront? Like, we're trying, but nothing for six months yet. Stop bugging us."

Kai shakes his head. "As much as I'd like to tell 'em to screw off as well, we can't. Anyway, who is going to believe sensational headlines like this?"

He turns the paper to show me. The headline reads: 'Prince Kai and Princess Mila in trouble? With no male heir in the line now, all eyes are on Kai and Mila to have a royal prince urgently. Rumours are King Hugh is pressing them to have a male child ASAP.'

The same headline has been all over the magazines all week, with articles going into how the British public believes we should have a male soon so we're not too old. That's despite the fact I'm only twenty-three, and the fact that no public poll has been put out about this. Oh, and the fact my father-in-law hasn't even mentioned us having another child anytime soon.

"The law doesn't matter right now anyway. Mum and Dad changed the line of succession law for Lucy and her kids, but haven't touched it for me yet. As far as I'm aware they just never thought to because I was—"

"If you tell me one more time you were fifth in line to the throne, I will scream, Kai. I've heard that so many times over the past couple of years," I joke, trying to distract from the mention of his sister and her family. Their deaths are still a touchy subject.

He grins and winks. "Fine, because of where I was in the line of succession, they just never thought the law needed to be changed. Lucy would've been queen to change it further if needed, anyway. Since they... you know, they just haven't changed it yet. I assume they either aren't because I'm now first in line and can change it for Emma if I want, or it's on the list of things to put through parliament."

"Even if I got pregnant tomorrow, you can't predict what sex it's going to be," I point out.

"My parents might be the monarchs and in some ways traditional, but they're not that cruel. This is just the papers wanting drama, Peach. We'll just carry on doing what we're doing and it'll happen," Kai says. "In the meantime, here are your mangoes and peaches."

I snort as Emma finishes her drink. "This is nuts, but also really cute. Thank you, Prince Charming."

He grins. "I like that nickname, you know." Kai walks around and cleans the mango-monster-child up before grabbing her from the high chair. "So, we've been summoned this afternoon."

"Summoned? By your dad, I assume?"

Kai nods as Emma nibbles on Kai's shoulder. "I can only assume it's got to do with the headlines. The nanny is coming in an hour, when we need to leave for the meeting with your charity. Afterwards, it's straight back here for His Majesty's summoning."

I groan. "All because I can't get pregnant. It feels awkward; everyone talking about us having sex. Well, in a roundabout way."

"Peaches are also a symbol of fertility, you know, and in some art, a symbol of... you know." His eyes wander down my body. He means sex. Of course he does.

I snort. "Well, now I know why you nicknamed me Peach the night we met!"

He presses a kiss on my forehead. "Trust me, there are many reasons I call you Peach. Your Royal Highness."

I roll my eyes. "I better start perfecting the art of making mango smoothies now, then, huh? And peach crumbles!"

─── ♔♔♔ ───

I always – weirdly – feel underdressed when I stand in the presence of King Hugh, despite him being my father-in-law and him not caring about our clothes. That's even when I'm dressed up, too. I'm standing in my white and black dotted dress with black boots, feeling like I should've put in more effort.

The royal dress code is exhausting, and I just want out of these boots.

Kai's holding my hand as we stand in the red drawing room – the same room I first met the King and Queen in when I first moved here, pregnant with Emma and thrust into this life I thought I'd never love. How times have changed.

"These headlines are getting out of hand, Dad," Kai says.

Hugh nods. "I'm aware; that's partly why you're both here. As you're aware, the line of succession law was changed when Lucy was born to make her next in line and to allow any girls she had to be queen."

Kai nods. "I've filled Mila in on the law."

"Not long after Emma was born, I approached the government to change the law entirely. The law didn't extend past Lucy as we never thought it would be relevant, but obviously, it is now. If it goes through the government, the law will now not take any notice of gender for any royalty, unless a future king or queen wants to change it. Should it go through, the line of succession will go through birth order, no matter whether the child is female or male. That would mean Emma would be after you, and go through her children if she has any, no matter their gender," Hugh announces.

Kai and I share a hopeful look.

"It's not really relevant right now, but the term is 'absolute cognatic primogeniture'. It means the eldest child of the sovereign succeeds the throne regardless of gender. Women and their children have the same rights as males to the throne. If the House of Lords passes it through, it'll be law until a future king or queen wishes to change it," Hugh explains.

Kai smiles and looks at me with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. This is all he's been talking about since Emma was born. Since Lucy died, it would mean the pressure would be on his shoulders to produce a male heir. The newspapers would've been right, had Hugh not done this, or if the law doesn't pass through the government.

"The law still has to be accepted, but there's no reason they wouldn't pass it. We rarely ask for anything, and they know the circumstances. I'm thinking of pushing the news out later that I've put in the change and awaiting the government to change it," Hugh continues. "I've also seen these." He passes over a few magazine articles.

I skim them. A few theorise that Patrick and Gemma might be our surrogates, as we're willing to accept anyone who can give us one. There's also a theory that I might have some secret unhinged sister out there producing an heir, or I'm having an affair with someone who can impregnate me.

They've picked on Patrick and Gemma because they're celebrities since they're seen with me a lot. Patrick is my step-brother, while Gemma's my best friend from university, so it wouldn't be as weird to have either be surrogates or donors. I've read some crazy theories online that I might be having an affair with Patrick when there have been photos of us going out for dinner together on our own one afternoon. In reality, Patrick and Gemma have just been keeping their heads down and working, staying out of the limelight as much as possible. They've also been away the past week up north while they finally have time off, and they're planning their wedding. But the press loves to speculate.

"This is all insane," I whisper.

Hugh nods. "Press for you. These are just some of those gossip magazines. They have little readership, so the press office tells me. I'm going to be frank with the both of you. How many children you have is ultimately up to you and your fertility. However, what I will tell you is royal protocol says you should have at least two children."

He's basically pressuring us without pressuring us for royal rules and whatever. How ridiculous. Or maybe that's just me, who has grown up in a family where nothing is expected except happiness and love. This is a new world where expectations are rife, and if you don't conform, you're a disappointment.

Kai sighs and shakes his head. "The heir and the spare. Why you had me."

Hugh closes his eyes. "Listen to me, Kai, your mother and I love you. It's not—"

"I'm aware, Dad. I'm not an idiot, I know you and Mum love me and all of that, but let's not pretend you didn't have me to fulfil the royal needs. With what happened to Lucy, I get it, okay? I told Mila this would most likely happen."

Part of me wants to keep remaining silent because this seems to be between father and son, but this discussion is also about my fertility, which is weird. "Kai told me about this expectation before we got married, and... we're discussing it."

We all quickly recover from this awkward moment.

"That's good," Hugh mumbles and turns away for a second.

"Look, Dad, can't we just shut the press up with the news about the law change? That'll put to bed most of this crap. If they know Emma can become queen eventually, it'll satisfy them. We're due to go to Egypt next week and we're taking Emma; they'll soon shut up with our faces all over the place."

I shift my weight, nervous about this. It's our first royal tour and our first royal tour with a baby. It's going to be hell – a hot country, one Kai is desperate to take anyway because of his Egyptology fascination. It's to strengthen our ties with Egypt as a nation, and I think Kai is discussing something to do with more Egyptology in our universities and there's more talk around more artefacts in our museums.

However, the nanny is coming with us so we'll have talks and meetings without a baby, and I think Kai's talking about doing visits to the historical sites alone or something.

"Yes, we can keep these headlines at bay from later. It still harms us a little, though. Like I said, it's your business, but you need to be aware of things like this," Hugh says. "Which brings me to the second reason I asked you in here."

Kai puts his hand on my lower back for comfort, but he quickly lowers it to my behind. He doesn't do anything except just rest his hand there, but immediately I'm imagining all the filthy things those hands do usually when they're on my butt and all the things he did on the first night we met – the night we conceived Emma and flipped our lives on their head.

I shake my head and get my mind out of the gutter. I'm damn next in line to the throne, I need to mature, but my husband is the one with his hand on my behind.

"What's going on, Dad?" Immediately, Kai's words bring my mind back to where it should be.

Hugh sighs and looks at his son. "I'm going to abdicate the throne."

I arch an eyebrow. Abdicate. That means giving up the throne.

"Huh?" Kai asks.

I take his hand in mine and squeeze hard. He knows what this means.

"I'm going to abdicate the throne and have you take over, Kai," Hugh clarifies.

In one instant, though I know what this means for Kai, it hits me like a train what I'll be facing too.

"What?" Kai asks again.

Hugh clears his throat. "It means, Kai, you'll be King, and Mila will be Queen Consort – your mother and I agreed."

My eyes dip to the floor.

Holy shit. This is not what I signed up for. I've only just got over everything that happened last year with Emma and marrying into the royal family, let alone suddenly being put into a queen role.

For the second time, the world I knew and was accustomed to has been lost, and a new one has been born.

I'm not ready to be a queen, but it looks like I might, yet again, have no choice in the matter. Something I'm used to, I suppose. 

─── ♔♔♔ ───