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“She didn’t. She grew up poor, and because of that, she benefitted from several of the charities the royal family supports. People often assume we take tax dollars from the country to line our pockets or to renovate our many properties, but the truth is that much of that money goes right back to the people.”

“Through charities?”

“Yes. The palace was built by the first King of St.Rais using his own fortune. That fortune was maintained over the years and passed down from generation to generation. Unlike other countries with monarchies, St. Rais doesn’t pay members of the royal family anything. While it’s true, we have free room and board, if you want to call it that, we receive no salaries. Any tax dollars that are, let’s say, tagged for the royal family go straight back to the people. In fact, by law, we are required to report all of that publicly.”

“You are?” Palmer asked as she took notes. “What, like a publicly-traded company?”

“Basically, yes,” Elizabeth confirmed.

“Can I ask why people seem to think the monarchy here is a bad thing, then?” Palmer asked.

“You’d have to ask them,” Elizabeth replied, stirring the food in the pot she’d placed on the stove. “We have many benefits; I can’t and won’t lie about that. Last night, I went to a dinner wearing millions of dollars in jewelry, and even though the food wasn’t my taste, it was provided to me for free by a renowned St. Rais chef.”

“That’s what the people see, isn’t it?” Palmer asked.

“Yes, it is.”

“They should seethis,” Palmer stated.

“What?”

“You, cooking in this small kitchen for a guest; using food from your fridge in the home your grandparents raised their kids in.”

Palmer’s phone buzzed. She removed it from her pocket, looked down at the screen, gave an unreadable expression, and put the phone back into her pocket.

“If you need to take a call, you can use my room,” Elizabeth offered.

“It’s a text, and I’m okay. Thanks, though. Back to you.”

“Okay. Back to me,” she agreed.

“Can I write about this place, Elizabeth? I won’t include the address or anything you don’t want me to, but this is the side of you your people should see.”

“We areonthe record,” she replied.

“I’d like to ask some questions about your family. Would that be okay?”

“Yes,” she said but felt the lump in her throat as soon as she did. “You know about my mother already.”

“Well, I suspect there’s a lot more to know about her, and Iwouldlike to know more about her, but maybe I can dive into that more later.”

Elizabeth looked over at Palmer and nodded at her. “Go ahead, then.”

“What kind of father was the King?”

“Oh,there’sa question.” Elizabeth chuckled. “It won’t work if I lie, so I’ll be honest with you, Palmer. I’m sure Rebecca and Thomas will want to ream me for this.”

“Do they know I’m here?”

“No, I didn’t tell them. Only security knows you’re here.”

“O-k-a-y… I wish you well, then. I hope the lecture you get is a short one.”

Elizabeth smiled and said, “I can handle it. I’ve been getting lectured since before I could walk.”

“By?”

“Everyone,” she said, still chuckling. “I suppose, it started with my nanny, then my tutors, and my teachers. My mother and father lectured me, too, of course.”