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Then, he was gone, and they were alone again. Palmer turned Elizabeth around in her arms and pulled her in for a long hug.

“You okay?”

“Is it wrong that I’m glad he’s dead?” Elizabeth asked against Palmer’s chest.

“Not even a little bit,” Palmer replied, kissing her temple.

CHAPTER 39

The polls were open from eight in the morning until six in the evening. Then, the officials would finalize the tally. Elizabeth couldn’t sit still. She had already had two cups of tea and couldn’t eat anything for breakfast. She’d never been so nervous. Well, that wasn’t true. She’d been pretty nervous the moment she’d realized, after the shock of losing her family, that she was Queen of St. Rais. So much depended on this vote, though. Her entire life could change in an instant. Either way, her life would change today. If she remained as Queen, she’d keep her promise to Palmer: she would come out to her nation. She could only hope Palmer could find a way to be by her side when she did. And if she was no longer a Queen, she’d have so many options;allof them, really.

Elizabeth had been going over them all in her head. She could stay in St. Rais, work for a charity, and continue the work of her family, but not as a royal. She could go back to university, earn her degree, and end up in research. She could also get her degree elsewhere, maybe at a more prestigious school in Europe. She could ask Palmer if a move to America was in order. They hadn’t been together long, but Elizabeth knew that the distance between them had already been so hard, and she didn’t want Palmer to get into more trouble at work because of Elizabeth than the woman already was. Elizabeth didn’t want Palmer to have to risk anything else on her behalf.

“So, you’re clearly going crazy. Anything I can do to help?” Palmer asked, wrapping her arms around Elizabeth’s waist from behind.

“Make it over already,” Elizabeth replied.

“I’m afraid, it just started, babe. But we can, I don’t know, do something to take your mind off of it.”

“The news about Sebastian Adrian is out, but no one seems to be noticing,” Elizabeth said as Palmer’s lips pressed to her neck. “Everyone in the world seems to be focusing on whether or not my family will have titles by the end of the day.”

“Mmm.” Palmer kissed her neck again in a different spot.

“What am I supposed to do today? It’s not like an election – I can’t just kiss babies or shake hands, as you Americans say. I suppose I could.” She quickly turned in Palmer’s arms. “Do you think I should be campaigning? Did I mess this up because I didn’t make more speeches or go around the country requesting that people vote pro-monarchy?”

“Elizabeth, hey.” Palmer rubbed her arms up and down. “You didn’t screw it up. I think it’s good youdidn’tcampaign. You’re not a politician. Had you done that, it would’ve been like everyone else out there, that is. You’re a Queen. Queens donotcampaign.” Palmer smirked at her.

“Thank you for being here. I don’t know if I’ve said that enough.”

“You have,” Palmer replied. “And you don’t have to thank me. I want to be here. I’m pretty sure I’m about sixty percent adjusted to the cold now.”

Elizabeth laughed and said, “Well, that’s good. We have long winters here.”

“You’ll just have to keep me warm, then.”

Palmer leaned in and placed a sweet kiss on Elizabeth’s lips.

“That won’t be a problem,” Elizabeth replied.

“Let’s just do something fun,” Palmer suggested, pulling out of their embrace.

“Like what?”

“You have a bowling alley and a movie theater inside the palace. Let’s just block out the world until the votes are in. We could use a fun day off.”

“You want to bowl? You’re terrible at bowling.”

“Yes, but you can teach me. It also means your hands will have to go on parts of my body, so I can take the hit to my ego when you slaughter me,” Palmer replied.

“Okay. Bowling it is.”

???

Palmer lost all five of the games they played before they had lunch in the greenhouse. Elizabeth wasn’t sure she could actually keep anything down, but Palmer had insisted she eat something. Elizabeth’s rumbling stomach and her girlfriend won out, so she ate the sandwich that the kitchen staff had prepared for her while Palmer had showed her videos of Camilla, who was back at school and, apparently, bragging to her friends about her friend the Queen and her brand new tiara.

When Palmer went to the restroom after their meal, Elizabeth grabbed something to give her later. Then, they made their way to the private theater. Palmer selected a movie for them, and they settled into the comfortable seats. Elizabeth snuggled into Palmer’s side, running her hands over Palmer’s thigh, wrapping her arm around Palmer’s middle, and finally, sliding her hand under Palmer’s shirt to rest on her stomach. She dragged her fingertips across the skin she found there until she heard a gasp. She smirked and repeated the gesture. Palmer shifted a little under her touch, which made Elizabeth only want more. She moved her index finger to Palmer’s belly button, moving it around and around until she lowered her hands still and placed it over Palmer’s belt buckle.

She could feel Palmer’s heart racing beneath her head. She could hear her breathing picking up in speed. Her hand slid a little lower but moved to the inside of Palmer’s thigh and rested there. Elizabeth lifted her head and moved her lips to Palmer’s neck, kissing her over and over again, feeling Palmer’s pulse intensify with every touch. She knew what she wanted now. She didn’t want to wait for it anymore.