Angelo Sanchez did not like attention.
The army had taught him many things.
How to lead.
How to observe.
How to make decisions when there was little time to make them.
But it had never taught him how to deal with people staring at him because his face appeared in a newspaper.
By Wednesday morning, it was becoming a problem.
He noticed it as soon as he entered the barracks.
Two soldiers stopped talking.
Another looked up from his phone.
Then came the grin.
Angelo pointed at him.
"Don't."
The soldier's grin widened.
"I haven't said anything, Corporal."
"You were about to."
"I was only going to congratulate you."
"For what?"
The soldier held up his phone.
A photograph of Angelo appeared on the screen.
Angelo sighed.
"Put that away."
"You're famous."
"I am not famous."
"You saved a king."
"I stopped three criminals."
"You saved a king while stopping three criminals."
Angelo walked past him.
"Go to work."
The laughter followed him.
He shook his head.
By the time he reached the operations room, he had already been congratulated six times.
He was beginning to regret stopping the vehicle on Friday.
---
At nine o'clock, his commanding officer summoned him.
Angelo entered the office and stood at attention.
"Sir."
"At ease."
Angelo relaxed.
His commander had another officer with him.
A civilian.
The man stood and extended his hand.
"Corporal Sanchez."
Angelo shook it.
"Sir."
"My name is Daniel Mbeki. I'm with the Ministry of Defence."
Angelo nodded.
The civilian opened a folder.
"Please sit."
Angelo did.
Mbeki placed several documents on the desk.
"The government of Valoria has formally expressed its gratitude to the Republic of Sanjara for the assistance provided to His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen."
Angelo listened.
"They have also specifically mentioned you."
Angelo looked at his commander.
His commander gave him an almost sympathetic smile.
Mbeki continued.
"The Ministry intends to recommend you for an official commendation."
Angelo frowned.
"Sir, I don't think that's necessary."
Mbeki raised an eyebrow.
"Necessary?"
"I was doing my job."
"That may be true."
Mbeki closed the folder.
"But governments don't usually ignore it when one of their soldiers saves a visiting monarch."
Angelo leaned back.
"I'm not interested in publicity."
"I gathered that."
The civilian smiled.
"That is precisely why they seem to like you."
Angelo didn't know how to respond to that.
Mbeki opened the folder again.
"There is something else."
Angelo waited.
"The Valorian royal household has sent an invitation."
Angelo's expression changed.
"To me?"
"Yes."
"For what?"
"A private reception."
Angelo stared at him.
"I thought the government already thanked me."
"This isn't from the government."
Mbeki slid a document across the desk.
"It is from the royal household."
Angelo looked at the letter.
The seal was unfamiliar.
Elegant.
Official.
He didn't touch it.
"Why?"
"Because the King and Queen would like to thank you personally."
Angelo looked at his commander.
His commander shrugged.
"It's your decision."
Angelo looked back at the letter.
A private reception with a European king and queen was not something that appeared in a normal soldier's schedule.
He had no desire to become involved in royal affairs.
But refusing a direct invitation from the people he had rescued seemed unnecessarily disrespectful.
"When?"
Mbeki smiled.
"They haven't specified."
Angelo frowned.
"They're leaving the timing to us?"
"They're asking when your military duties would permit you to travel."
Angelo looked down at the invitation again.
Travel to Valoria.
A palace.
A king.
A queen.
He had never imagined any of those words would appear in his life.
"Do I have to go?"
"No."
That answer surprised him.
Mbeki leaned back.
"But I would advise you to consider it."
"Why?"
"Because this isn't only about gratitude anymore."
Angelo looked up.
"What does that mean?"
Mbeki was silent for a moment.
"The incident has attracted attention in both countries."
Angelo's expression hardened.
"The robbery?"
"Yes."
"You think there was more to it?"
"We don't know."
That answer was enough.
Angelo understood the difference between nothing happened and we don't know.
The civilian closed the folder.
"You were told that the King and Queen were travelling privately."
"Yes."
"They had a reduced security presence."
"Yes."
"And three criminals somehow encountered them in a location where their movements were supposed to remain private."
Angelo said nothing.
Mbeki stood.
"Sometimes coincidence is exactly that."
"And sometimes?"
"Sometimes it isn't."
The civilian extended his hand.
"Think about the invitation."
Angelo shook his hand.
"I will."
After the two men left, Angelo remained seated.
His commander looked at him.
"You're thinking about it."
"I am."
"You should go."
Angelo looked at him.
"Why?"
His commander smiled.
"Because you've spent your entire career saying you want nothing except to do your job."
He tapped the invitation.
"Maybe it's time you discover what happens when your job puts you somewhere you never expected to be."
Angelo looked down at the royal seal.
For the first time, he wondered whether Friday afternoon had really been an ordinary incident after all.
---
Valoria Palace
Elena was standing in front of a mirror when her mother entered.
"You're dressed early."
Elena turned.
"I have somewhere to be."
"Where?"
"Nowhere."
Her mother smiled.
"That doesn't sound like you."
Elena picked up a pair of earrings.
"I'm bored."
"You have meetings all afternoon."
"That is precisely why I'm bored."
The Queen laughed.
Then her expression became thoughtful.
"Elena."
"Yes?"
"Your father has made a decision."
Elena turned.
"What kind of decision?"
"He has invited the Sanjaran soldier to Valoria."
Elena stopped.
"Corporal Sanchez?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Soon."
Elena tried to hide her interest.
"Why?"
"To thank him properly."
"Of course."
Her mother studied her.
"You seem interested."
"I am curious."
"About him?"
Elena shrugged.
"I've never met a soldier who saved my parents."
"You've never met a soldier who saved your parents because you've never had parents attacked on holiday."
Elena smiled.
"Fair point."
The Queen walked toward the door.
"Don't build a story around a photograph."
Elena looked at her.
"I wasn't."
Her mother smiled.
"You were."
Then she left.
Elena turned back toward the mirror.
For a moment, she thought about the photograph.
Angelo Sanchez.
Twenty-eight.
A corporal.
A soldier from Sanjara.
A complete stranger.
She wondered what he was like in person.
Then she shook the thought away.
It was nothing.
Just curiosity.
At least, that's what she told herself.
---
That evening, Angelo sat alone in his quarters.
The invitation lay on the table.
He had read it three times.
He still hadn't decided.
Outside, the sounds of the military compound continued as usual.
Boots on concrete.
Voices.
Vehicles.
Orders.
Everything familiar.
Angelo looked at the letter again.
Then at the small photograph attached to his military identification.
He was a soldier.
That was all he had ever wanted to be.
Yet somehow, a single Friday afternoon had placed him on a path toward a kingdom he had never visited.
He picked up the invitation.
Tomorrow, he would give them an answer.
He had no idea that, in Valoria, a princess was already waiting to meet him.
And she had no idea that the soldier she was curious about had no interest whatsoever in becoming part of her world.