Princess Thief: Stealing Your Heart (16 page)

Armand
nodded,
“Indeed,
there was, sir.  I believe the rumor stated that the resort’s construction had
been shoddily managed.  If I recall correctly, the Chinese government
ultimately stepped in and confiscated the entire property a mere weeks before
it was completed.”

“If
the Chinese government seized the property, he would have lost everything,”
Guillermo noted.

“Most
likely, sir,” Armand agreed.

Guillermo
considered this, then continued,
“Do you think he could have sold the
jewelry to hide the losses on his investments?  Could he have sold them, then
had them replaced with fakes?”

“I
think that’s a distinct possibility, yes, sir — especially in light of what
Miss Juliette has discovered.”

“Wait
a minute — of course he did!” Guillermo slapped his hands together as a smile
spread across his face.  “That’s why my brother was looking over the royal
ledgers, Armand!  That’s why he was so concerned with jewelry thefts before he
died.  He must have known that something was happening to the jewelry somehow. 
He just didn’t know what.”

Armand
matched Guillermo
’s
smile, “That does seem to fit, yes, indeed, sir.”

“Do
you see what this means?  We have him, Armand,”  Guillermo leapt up and patted
Armand’s shoulders.  “We have him!”

“I
believe we do, sir,” Armand beamed.

Juliette
interrupted this moment of male bonding with a question. 
“Wait — what am
I missing?”

“Ah,
Juliette,” Guillermo sat back in his chair and smiled a relaxed smile for the
first time in hours.  “This is even better than your realize.  The jewelry that
Olivia wears is actually part of the Crown Jewels — or they are supposed to
be.”

“Allow
me to explain, miss,” Armand interrupted.  “It is a royal tradition — dating
back centuries — to loan out certain pieces of the Crown Jewels to members of
the aristocracy and members of Parliament.  They are allowed to hold onto the jewelry
as long as they like; in many instances, this can be decades.  We, meaning the
royal house, seldom ask for them back unless there is a special event-”

“-such
as a royal coronation,” Guillermo finished triumphantly.

“Wait
a minute,” Juliette said, “You’re saying that you actually
own
Olivia
’s jewelry?”

“Yep,”
Guillermo nodded.  “Sofia and I technically own all of the Crown Jewels.  Not
the fakes, but the real thing.  And, with the coronation coming up,”
Guillermo’s expression changed to a sly grin, “I’m suddenly in the mood to ask
Baron Amsel to return the jewels that we loaned to him.”

Guillermo
turned to Armand. 
“I’d
like to issue a royal proclamation.”

“Oh! 
Right away, sir.”  Armand reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and
produced a small black book and a pen.  “Go ahead, sir.”

Guillermo
began dictating,
“My
dear Baron Amsel.  Let me begin by thanking you for your sage words of advice
since my return to San Morrando.  I have always held your wise guidance in the
highest esteem.  Your daughter, Lady Olivia, has graced the castle with her
presence many times throughout the years.  Her gentle demeanor is certainly a
credit to her father’s house.”

Juliette
snorted,
“Yeah. 
Right!”

Guillermo
chuckled, then continued,
“After weighing all of the options, and after much
careful deliberation, I have decided to accept the burden of the crown and
proceed with the coronation ceremony.  To that end, I must reluctantly ask for
the return of the Crown Jewels that we have lent your family over the years.  Because
we are so pressed for time, I must insist that all of the Royal Jewels be
returned to our possession within the next 24 hours.

“I
realize what a tremendous burden this will be on such a short notice so I am
dispatching our Royal Jeweler, Señor Rohner, along with four of our most
trusted royal guardsmen to help with the collection.  They should arrive at
Casa Amsel by mid-afternoon today.

“As
the monetary value of the jewelry to be returned is well over a million
dollars, I will not attempt to list all of the pieces here.  Instead, Señor
Rohner will arrive with an itemized list detailing each piece.

“Sign
it, ‘Yours in San Morrando, Prince Guillermo,’” he concluded.

Armand
could barely contain his laughter. 
“Oh, very good, sir!”

“Armand,
have that delivered to the baron immediately — even if it’s on the Parliament
floor.”

“Yes,
sir.”

“And
get a copy to the Solicitor General, too.  Attach a note that I must speak with
him immediately.  We can’t leave him out of the loop.”

“Yes,
sir.  It will be done, sir.”  Armand briskly left the room.

As
the door closed, Juliette smiled at Guillermo and said,
“You’re kind of
scary, you know that?”

Guillermo
gazed at Juliette, a huge grin on his face,
“I couldn’t have done it without you, my
dear.”

Guillermo,
Juliette, and Sofia were gathered around a laptop in the Solicitor General
’s office,
watching the video stream of a local newscast, while the Solicitor General sat
at his desk, typing on his computer.

On
the laptop screen, a reporter seated behind an anchor desk smiled pleasantly
into the camera,
“We
take you now to our live coverage at the Palais d’Or.  Eulalia?”

The
video cut to a shot of a reporter holding a microphone with a big numeral 6
printed on it. 
“Reina,
I’m standing in front of the Palais d’Or where we are awaiting the arrival of
Baron Silvio Michel Amsel, the senior Senator of the San Morrando Parliament. 
As everyone has heard by now, the senator abruptly suspended debate on his new
bill today, a bill designed to restrict the movements of the royal family —
many would say, unfairly restrict those movements.  After pulling that bill, he
then adjourned Parliament in mid-session and, we’re told, is rushing to an
urgent meeting here at the castle with Prince Guillermo.”

“Eulalia,
the producers are telling me that suspending Parliament in mid-session is
highly unusual.  Do you have any more information on that?”

The
reporter nodded. 
“It
is
highly unusual,
Reina.  We have only seen something this bizarre during a time of war.  It
’s almost unprecedented. 
In fact, the last time this happened— oh, wait, Reina.”  The reporter looked
off camera.  “Yes, I can see him.  Here is the baron’s car now, just entering
the compound.  I’m going to try to get a word with him.”

The
picture bounced unsteadily as the cameraman chased after the reporter.  A black
limousine pulled to a halt in the driveway; multiple microphones stretched out
as the chauffeur opened the rear door. 
“Baron Amsel!  Baron Amsel!” shouts rose
up from the reporters.

“Why
did you suspend Parliament?”

“Is
it true that you’re reconsidering your bill?”

The
baron emerged from the car, looking ashen and shaken.  He waved off the
reporters and stormed inside the castle.

“Baron
Amsel!  What are you hiding?”

“Do
you have anything to say to your constituents?”

The
camera hastily jerked away from the castle entrance and refocused on the
reporter. 
“Well,
there you have it, Reina.  Baron Amsel entering Palais d’Or under a cloud of
mystery.  We’ll stand by for further developments.”

Guillermo
bent down and pressed the mute button.

Armand
entered the Solicitor General
’s office and closed the door behind him.  “The
baron is in the King’s Study, sir.”

“Good. 
Let him wait,” Guillermo chuckled.  “Was it difficult getting the media out
here on such short notice?”

“Oh,
no, sir,” Armand responded.  “They were most cooperative.”

Guillermo
nodded. 
“And
the press secretary knows that I want a podium with a row of microphones set up
for the baron’s exit, right?”

“Yes,
sir,” Armand assured him.  “It will be done.”

Guillermo
called over to the Solicitor General,
“Ordaz, do we have the ‘terms of
surrender’ ready to go?”

“Yes,
sir, right here,” the Solicitor General, Señor Ordaz, held up a sheet of
paper.  “All it needs is his signature.  But, sir, I must reiterate, I feel
that you are being far too generous with the baron.”

“I
appreciate that, Ordaz, but I don’t want to start a constitutional crisis,”
Guillermo responded.  “He
is
the senior Senator in Parliament after
all.  A public humiliation would be bad for the country.
”

Juliette
interjected,
“All
I can say is he’s lucky you’re the prince.  I’d have him tarred and feathered
and paraded down Main Street at high noon.  And that little snit Olivia, too!”

Guillermo
and Sofia laughed.

“One
must show restraint, Juliette,” Sofia winked, rubbing her sore shin.

Juliette
smiled.

Guillermo
straightened his coat and asked,
“Well, Señor Ordaz, Armand, shall we go
and see what the baron wants?”

Juliette
and Sofia were still seated on the couch watching the news channel
’s video stream
on Sofia’s laptop when Guillermo, Armand, and Señor Ordaz all entered the
room.  Guillermo sighed and began shrugging off his jacket.  Armand closed the
door, then rushed over to help the prince.

“Is
it over?” Juliette asked.

Guillermo
nodded. 
“He
signed.”

“Yay!”
Sofia clapped her hands happily.

Guillermo
nodded at the laptop. 
“Raise
the volume.  I want to hear this.”

Juliette
leaned forward and pressed the volume button.

“-is
just stepping up to the podium now,” the reporter’s tinny voice poured out of
the laptop speakers.  “We’re told he’ll be making an official statement.  Here
he is now.”

“My
fellow citizens of San Morrando,” the baron stood in front of the podium and
began speaking.  “As you know, we in the Parliament have been weighing several
important issues concerning the future of the monarchy of this country.  I’ve
always considered it my duty to be true to the spirit of our forefathers-”

“This
guy can’t even say, ‘I’m done,’ without a thesaurus in his hand,” Juliette
mumbled.

Sofia
giggled.  Guillermo shushed them both.

“-that
the citizenry of San Morrando demands — nay, I dare say, deserves,” the baron
pontificated.  “And so, after receiving assurances from the crown, I feel there
is no need to advance the Royal Traditions Bill any further at this time.”

“Baron
Amsel!”

“Baron
Amsel!  Does this mean you’ll be pulling the bill from the floor permanently?”

The
baron gripped the podium. 
“One can never say never, young lady, so I would
hesitate to use the word ‘permanently.’”

“Baron
Amsel!”

“But
you
are
pulling the
bill, are you not?
”

The
baron nodded solemnly,
“That
is my intention, yes.”

“Baron
Amsel!”

“Baron
Amsel!”

“You
can shut it off,” Guillermo said.  “That’s the important part.  The rest will
just be more hot air.”

Sofia
clicked the stop button and said,
“The nerve of that guy.”

“It’s
what he does,” Guillermo shrugged.  “Making a loss seem like a win.  He’s a
politician through and through.  But he won’t be causing
us
any more
trouble.  We
’ve
got his signature now.”  Guillermo turned.  “Armand, I’m in the mood for a nice
meal tonight.  Would you let the kitchen staff know that we’ll be eating in the
formal dining room this evening?”

Armand
bowed and smiled. 
“Very
good, sir.”

Juliette
wandered through the Royal Garden, pausing occasionally to sniff the many
colorful flowers.  It was just after 9:00; she was pleasantly full; sleepy, but
not tired; content and strangely happy.  The celebration dinner in the formal
dining room had been sumptuously prepared.  Everyone was laughing — even the servants. 
The conversation flowed easily and cheerfully.  She had never seen Guillermo
look so happy — nor Sofia, for that matter.  Se
ñor Ordaz told such wonderfully
entertaining stories that time flew by.

She
stretched her hands over her head and gazed up at the twinkling stars in the
sky.  She felt a profound sense of accomplishment, proud of how things had
resolved themselves — and of the small part that she had played.

There
’s just one last
piece to this puzzle and then I can leave without any regrets.

“Sorry
I’m late,” Guillermo said, jogging up to her.  “I was talking with Sofia and
making some last minute arrangements.”  He had changed into casual clothes;
jeans and a sports shirt.  The scent of his cologne mixed with the fresh
flowers; Juliette inhaled deeply and smiled.

She
glanced behind him. 
“Where
is Sofia?”

“She’s
out celebrating with friends,” Guillermo answered, then displayed a proud
grin.  “I told her that I would be staying on as king after the year was up and
that she wouldn’t have to worry about becoming queen for a long, long time.”

“Oh,
Guillermo, that’s music to my ears!” Juliette hopped up and down like a little
girl overwhelmed with joy.

“Yes,
I had a feeling that you might be happy to hear that.”

Guillermo
and Juliette began casually strolling down the garden path side by side.

“Can
I ask you something?” Juliette said.  “What exactly was written on that paper
that you made Baron Amsel sign?”

“Oh,
that,” Guillermo replied.  “I simply agreed to extend his loan of the Crown
Jewels indefinitely.  In exchange, he agreed to drop the Royal Traditions
Bill.  And I agreed to stay silent about his theft.”

“No
wonder Señor Ordaz was upset,” Juliette said.  “That’s a steep price to pay! 
Weren’t those jewels valued at over a million dollars?”

Guillermo
nodded,
“And
I was quite willing to sacrifice that for the good of the country.  But when we
were bargaining earlier, the baron let slip that the jewels were only being
used as collateral.  In other words, that means that he pawned the jewelry, but
he didn’t actually sell them, so we should be able to get at least
some of them
back. 
Eventually.
”

“I
don’t know,” Juliette said.  “You let him off too easy in my book.”

“Oh,
I don’t think so,” Guillermo disagreed.  “His political career won’t survive
this.  Stopping the debate, pulling the bill from the floor, suspending
Parliament mid-session — he was far too reckless.  People have already begun
asking questions.  Within 24 hours, everyone will know he’s bankrupt.  Well,
everyone in
Parliament
will know he
’s bankrupt; the
country won’t find out for a while.  In the meantime, he’ll be allowed to step
down from his post with his reputation still intact.”

“Is
bankruptcy that big of a deal?”

“For
him?  It’s huge.  It’s absolutely a big deal.  He’s a senior member of
Parliament.  See, the argument goes: how can he be trusted to manage the
finances of an entire country when he can’t even manage the finances of his own
house?”

“Actually,
that makes sense,” Juliette nodded.

“I’m
sure that’s why he’s been so desperate to hide his financial problems.  And why
he went to such extremes as to sell the Crown Jewels.  Who knows what else he’s
done?”

“So
he’s finished.”

“In
Parliament he is.  Well,” Guillermo reconsidered, “for now, at least.  After he
retires, he can eventually go back to work as a lobbyist and probably make
triple what he made as a senator.  But the next few months are going to be
pretty rocky for him.  If he’s not careful, he could lose everything.”

Juliette
and Guillermo turned a corner; they were now facing a row of fruit trees; just
beyond the hedge, the river babbled gently; the shadows of the mountains
towered imposingly in the distance.

“I’m
curious,” Juliette broke the silence.  “How long do you think the baron was
planning this coup of his?”

Guillermo
drew in a long breath, then exhaled. 
“Honestly, I don’t think he planned it
at all.  I think it was a crime of opportunity.  Remember, this is all just
guesswork on my part, but here’s what I think happened: Three years ago, he
lost all of his money in China.  He panics and begins pawning the Crown Jewels
that he borrowed to cover his expenses.  And, realistically, I’ll bet he
probably had to pawn or sell quite a lot of other stuff as well. 

“After
three years of this, he’s probably getting pretty desperate.  I mean, three
years is a long time to maintain that sort of lifestyle when you’re secretly
broke.  Well, then, what do you know, out of the blue, my brother, the king,
dies.  When I couldn’t be located for 10 days after my brother’s death, I’m
sure it popped into his head, ‘If I were to become king, I would have access to
the royal treasury and my money troubles would be over.’  By the time I
returned, I’m sure he had begun thinking of it as ‘his crown’ and ‘his fortune’
— and he acted to protect it.

“If
you think about it, the whole scheme wasn’t very well-thought-out.  At first,
he tries to get me to simply resign.  Then he tries to get me to marry Olivia
instead of you.  Then, finally, he drafts up a piece of legislation at the last
minute to try and drive me out using the Constitution.  The entire plot — if
you want to call it that — was pretty haphazard.”