/ Istvan – FC Rob Evans
/ Both images borrowed from their Instagram
/ I own none of these images, all used with love and respect <3
/ Rings – enoirvado / Vegas view – Instagram sin1city / Quotes – all taken from Pinterest and none had credit for where they came from.
Viktoria and Istvan sat side by side in the back of the Bentley, heading towards the opening of the new extension to the Royal Cordonian University Hospital. Viktoria’s charitable foundation supported the hospital as one of it’s six worthy causes nominated by the Cordonian public alongside a support centre for domestic abuse, Cordonia’s Lifeboat Association, the King Fabian Arts Council, a youth sports initiative, and a rehoming centre for abandonned animals. She had set up the foundation (with a lot of help from Maxwell) shortly after she married Istvan in a bid to give back to the Cordonian people for welcoming and accepting her as their Queen. Istvan had given her his full backing on the project, but had little time to get involved in its running due to the heavy workload already on his plate, it was very much the Viktoria’s pet project. Given that the popularity of the royal family had dipped in recent years following some of Constantine’s controversial policies and Leo’s abdication, Viktoria thought it would be a great way to raise their public profile and put her Marketing and Event Planning degree to good use at last! It had seemed like a win-win to Viktoria; the people benefited, and the more popular and beloved she and Istvan were, the safer she felt they would be from terror threats and anti-monarchy opposition.
The Cordonian Monarchs’ Trust had raised a considerable amount of money towards the hospital’s new maternity and neonatal unit’s financing through its various benefits and events. The previous unit had been badly in need of expansion and refurbishment – the redevelopment had been earmarked as the number one fundraising project for the Trust, nominated for two consecutive years. Today was by far the most outstanding achievement of the Trust to date, and the King and Queen had been invited to cut the ribbon and speak at the Grand Opening to mark the occasion.
It had been just over four months since their last argument about starting a family when he’d gone out and gotten blind drunk. Istvan had kept true to his word and hadn’t tried to pressure, guilt or talk Viktoria into anything, but the elephant had never left the room. Whether he said anything or not though, she still felt pressurised, perpetually guilty and inadequate. She thought about it most days, then pushed it to the back of her mind again. She swallowed how she felt and never told him, for fear of it erupting into a conversation that she just couldn’t face having for fear of the long-reaching consequences. As excited as Viktoria was about today, about all the Trust’s hard work coming to fruition, she wished that the new unit was oncology or a surgical theatre… Not that maternity and neonatal care wasn’t a great cause, of course it was! But she knew within herself that it would be impossible to avoid having the B-A-B-Y conversation with Istvan at some point today…
—
Istvan adjusted his dark silk tie and smiled at Viktoria. She looked fantastic today; her figure-hugging navy blue dress stopped just above her knee paired with nude-coloured stiletto heels. Her usually wavy flowing dark hair was pulled back into a sleek, straight, professional-looking ponytail with a high quiff at the front. Her make-up was flawless; elegant and understated. He reached across, resting his hand on her knee,
“I am so proud of you today, my beautiful girl.”
Viktoria looked at him, with a slightly startled expression at being dragged from her own thoughts,
“Oh! Thanks!”
Istvan laughed at her,
“Why do you look so surprised?! You’ve did an amazing job with the Trust. You should be proud of yourself.”
Her cheeks coloured and she wasn’t entirely sure why! She clasped her hand over his,
“Thank you my darling, that means a lot. I still can’t believe my idea has come together like this. I feel like we’ve helped accomplish a really good thing, you know? I think that this goes a long way to prove that we care about the Cordonian people, don’t you?”
He nodded squeezing her hand as they pulled into the parking house,
“Ready?”
The designated royal security team and Istvan’s press secretary were already in place to meet them. There was a real buzz surrounding the opening: the media were assembled out front, Maxwell near the entrance talking to Ana from Trend, some of the team from the trust were rushing around working on last minute touches, the senior doctor who would address the media was reading over his notes at a small lectern facing the crowd. As they left the car, Istvan stayed close by his wife, his hand on the small of her back, smiling and acknowledging people as they moved to front of the space. He meant what he said in the car, he was so proud of her today. The Trust was her brainchild and it had captivated the hearts of the Cordonian people, Viktoria’s ideas on how to engage with them to make philanthropy matter had helped put the royals higher in approval ratings than they had been in several years. She had been affectionately dubbed as ‘Koiní Vasílissa’ – ‘The Common Queen’ by the people; a term of endearment showing the people’s acceptance of a foreign commoner into the Cordonian monarchy.
Doctor Matic gave a rousing opening speech, welcoming everyone and explaining to them the great benefits to be experienced by Cordonia’s new mothers and children at the new unit.
He handed over to Viktoria; she took a deep breath as she waited for the applause to die down,
“Thank you so much Doctor Matic for that wonderful introduction. It is a pleasure for King Istvan and I to be invited to participate today. The Cordonian Monarchs’ Trust has been involved in various events over the past two years to support the financing of this wonderful addition to the hospital, which will allow Cordonia’s new mothers and babies access to some of the best medical care available in Europe. It is something that I am delighted to have been so closely involved with, and want to thank all of the wonderful team at the Trust for their efforts, including a special thank you from me to Maxwell Beaumont for his continued support; without these truly brilliant people the Trust wouldn’t be able to function or give back to the citizens of Cordonia. King Istvan now has a few words he would like to share with you. After that, we will move to the official opening of the unit, followed by an opportunity for photographs. Thank you, everyone.“
Viktoria stepped aside to let Istvan take the microphone, he beamed from ear to ear as he leaned in, clapping
“My wonderful wife ladies and gentlemen!”
The crowd laughed with him and applauded emphatically, Viktoria was sure the couple of ‘Woooo!’s that she heard were Maxwell. She smiled to herself, patting herself on the back at how well everything had gone so far. Istvan relayed some statistics to the crowd on the number of extra beds, state of the art machines purchased, as well as how much more cost efficient the new facility would be than the old one, which meant more money could be reinvested to providing care. He continued, “The Queen and I will of course be making an official visit to the unit over the next few weeks to meet some of the Cordonians using the new facilities and finding out more about the daily life of the wonderful medics and support teams here. But without further ado, let’s proceed to the official opening.”
Viktoria and Istvan made their way across to the ceremonial red bow strung over the main entrance. Taking the large scissors in both of their hands, pausing and smiling for the press snaps, they cut through the ribbon to yet another round of applause.
Over the next 30 minutes the royal couple, various senior medics on Doctor Matic’s team, Maxwell and several members of the Trust staff shook hands and posed together for the cameras. Ana de Luca approached Istvan and Viktoria,
“Your Majesties, would it be possible to ask a few questions in addition to your official speeches today?”
Istvan smiled warmly at her,
“Certainly Ana. Let’s move off somewhere a little quieter.”
Off to the side, Ana pulled out a small Dictaphone.
Ana : Thank you for talking to Trend today Your Majesties, I appreciate you’re on a busy schedule. Queen Viktoria, this is by far the Cordonian Monarchs’ Trust’s largest achievement to date. Tell me, how do you feel today?”
Viktoria (smiling) : Ana I am delighted on a personal level, to see your vision of a charitable organisation grow and develop is really something special! I am excited for the enduring impact this new facility will have on our citizens, both current and future generation!”
Ana: King Istvan, did you ever expect the Cordonian Monarchs’ Trust to be such a huge success?
Istvan: Nothing my wife does surprises me; she’s a remarkable woman. Her compassion and desire to instigate beneficial change has secured her place in the hearts of the Cordonian public, and in my own, of course!
Ana: Now I’m hoping to get some sort of exclusive, a maternity and neonatal wing Your Highnesses… Trend’s readers would love to know if the new unit being part of the CMT’s plans indicates there could be a royal announcement upcoming… Perhaps regarding a future little prince or princess…?
Istvan’s face froze into a practiced, serene-looking smile as Viktoria swallowed hard, looking straight ahead, keeping her head up , trying to disguise her suddenly elevated heartrate: what would he say?!
Istvan (laughing) : Oh Ana wouldn’t that have been the story of the year?! I’m sorry to disappoint your readers, but with the heavy workload on the monarchy at present, in addition to my wife’s charitable work ramping up in months before the today’s important opening, I simply don’t know where we’d have found the time to work on getting you that exclusive…
Viktoria exhaled. She knew there would be a conversation about having babies at some point today, but she hadn’t expected anyone except Istvan to bring it up! Bloody Trend!
Viktoria: As many of your readers may already know, the recipients of the CMT’s funding are nominated and voted in by the Cordonian public on a yearly basis. I believe this grassroots engagement is part of why it has been so readily embraced by Cordonian citizens; areas of funding aren’t something either the King or I dictate. We wholeheartedly agree with the public though, that realising this particular facility is a fantastic achievement, and we are certain there will be hundreds of families welcoming their very own little princes and princesses into the world right here over the coming months and years.
Ana (smiling) : Well you can’t blame a journalist for trying! Thank you very much both for your time, as always”
—
Viktoria and Istvan sat side by side in the back of the Bentley, heading back to the palace after the event ended. Istvan knew what he’d said about giving her time, about not pressuring her, but after today with the media actually asking direct questions… The public were clearly wondering why there was no royal baby. The royal baby he wanted so very, very badly. The fact that it had never been mentioned since that last argument indicated to him that she was probably no more ready now than she felt a few months ago. His heart was breaking inside. He needed to speak with Viktoria. Tonight.
TBC – VP 💖
