Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Most men would consider this heaven. You’ve got ten women vying for your attention.”
His nose wrinkles as though he’s smelled something noxious. “I have plenty of attention. I don’t need more.”
I don’t understand him at all. “Then why are you here?”
“I suspect you know. Isn’t that how Joe managed to convince you to do the job?” He shifts back on the bed, stretching his long legs out and leaning against the headboard. Like he’s settling in for a nice long chat.
When did the room get so warm?
“He said something about tourism.”
“My country took a hit a couple of years ago. We’re known for our ski resorts and our casinos. Consider us a lesser-known Monaco. Ralavia was considered a playground for the wealthy. Then we had a vicious disaster.” His tone is even, but there’s something about it that lets me know this is hard for him.
“A flood.”
“It was more than a mere flood,” he corrects with a sigh. “We had torrential rains for over a week, and the dam that we depended on for most of the capital’s power couldn’t handle it. Apparently the department that was supposed to ensure the dam was kept up hadn’t done their job. It burst without warning and killed six hundred and seventy-four people.”
My heart hurts for him and his country. “That’s terrible, Luca. I’m so sorry.”
“We’re a country of less than a hundred thousand people. In an instant we lost almost one percent of our population. Because I didn’t check on things. Because I was busy helping plan a polo event.”
I can hear the guilt in his voice, and it threatens to tear me up. “Luca, you’re not an engineer.”
His jaw goes tight. “I am, though. I’m an engineer and a doctor and a taxi driver and a croupier. I’m a mother and a father. I’m a banker and a schoolteacher. And that day I was a gravedigger, too.”
I hadn’t thought about how hard it was to be the king. “I understand that you feel responsibility to your people, but no one can be all things to all people. It wasn’t your fault.”
His head falls back, and he sighs. “My advisers would disagree.”
“I don’t get all the king stuff. Are you like the Brits? No one would think King Charles should have checked up on a dam.”
His head shakes. “I am much more hands-on than that. I am the functional head of the country. We have a simple parliament, but they are there to advise me. I make the decisions when it comes to Ralavia. I offered democracy to the country. They voted to go on as we have. So now it is written into the constitution that they must vote to uphold the monarchy every five years.”
“That seems like a generous thing to do.” I don’t know a lot of people in government who would give up power.
“It’s the only thing to do,” he insists. “I wouldn’t leave my people saddled with a bad king.”
Sneaky king. “So you basically manipulated them into a kind of democracy. They elect leaders to advise you, and they can kick you out if they don’t like what you’re doing.”
“My father thought it was a ridiculous idea, but I’ve wanted to propose it since I was a child,” he admits. “I’m worried they might do it this time, and I fear the chaos that will come. We’re not in a good position financially, but there is a faction of the population who blame me for what happened, so I don’t know how the vote is going to go. I have two years to turn things around.”
So he’s on a timeline. “And you thought a reality dating show would do it?”
His jaw tightens. “I thought a reality dating show would allow the world to see that Ralavia is coming back. We’ve spent years rebuilding. We’ve put everything we have into it. Everything I have into it.”
“What does that mean? Like your own money?”
He nods. “Oh, yes. I sold most of the property the crown owns around the world. I’m obligated by the constitution to keep up the palace and certain other historical residences, but if I could sell it, I did, and I put that money into rebuilding.”
“Why didn’t you go to investors?” It seems like the simplest way to get what he needs. “If it’s as beautiful as you say, then I’m sure there are hotel groups that would love to build there.”
He dismisses the idea with a regal shake of his head. “So they can pay my people a pittance and keep the money for themselves? No. We’ve always kept out the big companies. We’re small. If we allow them in, we’ll disappear. We’ll be nothing more than a part of France or Germany. We would lose our unique identity, and there have been times when that was all we had. Times like now. We rebuilt the chalets and hotels and restaurants. The bistros and cafés and resorts are ready. But tourism is still down over fifty percent. I don’t have the funds to do an advertising campaign, so I thought of this.”