“Your Majesty,” Maria finds me kneeling in the garden. I look up at her and brush the sweat off my forehead only to get dirt on my face. Maria hands me a handkerchief and I use it to clean my face then shake it off and try to hand it back to her but she raises her hand in a gesture telling me to keep it.

“Thank you,” I tuck the handkerchief into the pocket of my overalls then stand up. “What can I do for you?”

“Queen Amaya has requested your presence,” Maria informs me and the look on my face must betray my shock and concern since I am a mess. Maria smile and adds, “she has invited you to lunch in the Castle and then would like to spend the day with you.”

“Oh, alright. Thank you,” I check the time on my phone and see that it is almost 10:30 am. “What time will lunch be served?”

“Una y media,” Maria informs me and I am relieved I will have plenty of time to get cleaned up.

“Thank you, Maria,” I say, effectively dismissing her. Maria nods her head in a bow then goes back to the Castle. I finish in the garden then I head back to the cottage to take a shower then put on a dress and heels that I think Violeta would approve of.

I check the kitchen first and see Chef is making our lunch but we won’t be dining in the kitchen this time. I am glad I dressed up for the lunch, I would feel awkward sitting in the formal dining area if I was wearing my normal garb.

“Amanda,” Queen Amaya says when I enter the dining space. She stands in greeting, as I am the new Queen she dips her head into a bow. “Thank you for joining me.”

“Of course,” I bow my head as well. “Thank you for the invitation.” I take a seat at the table where it is set for me and Queen Amaya sits as well.

“Yes, I wanted to spend some time with you. You are my daughter-in-law after all,” Queen Amaya says in a way that makes it seem like a jab. Maybe she is just upset we got married so quickly, that would be understandable. “I hope you are settling in well. I know Lucas has been quite busy, I would be surprised if you see each other at all.”

“He has been busy, yes, but I’ve been alright so far. I had my first day of work yesterday and although I am in a different time zone, it went pretty smoothly,” I tell her and then help myself to the food on the table. “Today went a lot better than yesterday though.”

“That’s wonderful,” Queen Amaya comments and I look across the table at her. I’ve never really looked at her for a long period of time, so I take the time to study her now. She looks tired, which is understandable. Most people I’ve run into look tired from all the events that have happened recently.

“I’m just excited to have some time to slow down,” I say and Queen Amaya looks at me with a sad smile.

“The work of a Royal and the Castle staff never really slows down,” Queen Amaya lets out a soft sigh as she says it.

“Have you ever been on a vacation?” I set my fork down and sit back in my chair, looking at the Queen with interest and an idea.

“A vacation?” Queen Amaya thinks it over. “I don’t think I’ve been on a vacation that has felt like a vacation since my honeymoon. Sure, we took trips with Lucas and Isabela but I always felt that I had to keep up the appearance and demeanor of a Queen. People will always look to the Queen, you can’t be too prudent and strict but you most definitely cannot be too exciting or loud.”

“That must have been really hard. I’m sorry,” I offer my sympathy.

“I can accept your sympathy but you need to hold onto that because you have the same burden now. Shall we retire to the sitting room,” Queen Amaya suggests, seeing that we are both done with lunch. I nod my head in agreement and we leave the table. We adjourn to the other room and sit in two plush chairs in front of a decorative fireplace.

Maria comes into the room to see if we need anything, and Queen Amaya requests water for both of us. We sit in silence for a few minutes before she speaks again.

“Our honeymoon was different. Fernando made sure our time together was private. I didn’t have the children at the time and was able to fully enjoy the vacation from the royal life,” Queen Amaya reminisces with a happy little smile on her face. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my children dearly. They are a lot a huge responsibility and there is even more pressure when the whole world is looking at your every move.”

“You were young when you got married to Fernando and then had Lucas within the first year, right?” I ask, wanting to learn more about their family.

“Ah, yes,” Queen Amaya smiles. “Fernando and I were friends for years before he expressed his intentions. He liked to say I pursued him but everyone knew he fell for me first and he didn’t let up until I agreed to be his girlfriend. He was quite annoying but he won me over,” the Queen laughs at the thought and I chuckle quietly as well, not wanting to interrupt her.

“Once I said yes, I was worried all of his loving gestures would fade but they never stopped. I’m still finding little notes he’s left for me in our private quarters. When I found the first couple, I was so worried the staff would find them all over the Castle so I made him promise to only place them in the privacy of our quarters. I think he had already placed some notes in other places because he excused himself quite quickly,” Queen Amaya laughs once again and places her hand on her heart.

“That is so romantic,” I say and lean back in the chair, thinking about all the times Lucas had swept me off my feet with a romantic gesture.

“He was such a wonderful man,” Queen Amaya says softly. I look over at her and see that she has tears in her eyes. I look around for something to hand her but thankfully she has her own handkerchief. “I am sad that he was not able to see Lucas crowned King, but I am thankful he was there for your wedding,” Queen Amaya shares the same sentiment that Lucas and I were discussing and I reach over to squeeze her hand. She looks up at me and smiles. It’s a small smile but not nothing.

“It was a privilege to meet him,” I say to her. I want to say something else that would make her sadness go away but I can’t think of anything and I know that the sadness she feels isn’t something that I could wipe away with a few words.

“If you have any questions about your duty as Queen, I am always around when needed,” Queen Amaya offers and it’s touching to hear. She offers a polite smile to go along with the words before she stands up. I stand with her and realize it’s grown dark outside. We must have been talking for a few hours.

“Thank you, ma’am. I am sure I will need all the help I can get,” I smile back at her. We stand together for a few seconds, a bit awkwardly before Queen Amaya excuses herself to go check on Isabel and retire for the evening.