Wishing you all good times with friends and family. This is a stressful week for many, especially those who have lost loved ones this year. May the memories you have of prior holidays sustain you.
Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. Our word prompt is GIFT. I’m continuing with The Case of the Missing Prince. Please note, after consideration, I’ve made the duchy a kingdom. LOL It made more sense.
“If it were up to them, our women would still be slaving away, baking bread in outdoor ovens. School would be a luxury only afforded to the wealthy, and most of our men would spend their lives underground like moles. It’s true that mining is critical to our economy, but there are better, safer ways to extract that ore from the ground.”
It sounded as if Stan had powerful enemies back home.
“Is it possible that one of those people used the prince’s vacation as a way to get rid of him? An accident in a foreign country would be quite handy. Would they go after the king then?”
Emile shook his head. “King Leopold is an elderly man with limited mobility. Stanislav was a child of his later years, a gift from the Almighty Himself. Leopold was fifteen years older than Maria-Elena when he married her. She lost several children before Stan was born. Most of us had given up hope that there would ever be a royal heir. It won’t be long before King Leopold cedes the throne to him … assuming you find him alive. ”
I cocked my head. “I thought Crown Prince Stanislav was supposed to take over as CEO of Zobora Copper and Fine Metals at the end of the year?”
Jacob Horvath nodded. “That’s correct. His highness was in line to do that, but since the king’s health has declined, he may choose to give that position to someone else.”
“Why wouldn’t you keep it? You don’t look old enough to retire.”
He chuckled. “Thank you for the compliment, but I suspect I’m older than you think. I requested a transfer back home at the end of the year. My wife misses the mountains and seeing our grandchildren. With our granddaughter expecting our first great-grandchild, she wants to be there. I’ll remain on the company’s Board of Directors for another couple of years. If the prince can’t take over from me, then someone else will be appointed, but if the wrong person gets the job, it could be disastrous.”
“I see. You’ve given me a lot to consider.” I wasn’t crazy about having to work with two men I still didn’t quite trust, but both of them seemed to have a legitimate reason for wanting to find the truth. Both had talked a good show, but some people were better liars than others.
Don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.
Living the Dream 