“Sure wish mom could be here.” Benjamin took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Looking at his father in the mirror, Benjamin straightened his bowtie. “I miss her too, son.” His father, Prince Marcos Sayid of Madain Saleh, put his hands on his son’s shoulders. “I’m sure she’s smiling down on you today and is almost as proud of you as I am.” “Thanks, dad.” The older Benjamin got the more he looked like his father. In spite of his mother’s blonde hair and blue eyes, Benjamin had inherited his father’s dark brown hair and olive skin tone. He also had his father’s nose and firm jaw. Even without his crown, his father appeared regal. Perhaps the reason Benjamin seemed so much like his father was because the crown now rested on his head. Today he would be placing a crown on his bride and coronating her as his princess. “Do you think Alexandria’s going to be angry?” “Nah, jealous, maybe.” His dad scoffed. “She knows just as well as the rest of us that you and Nisha were meant to be together. I think it’s nice that you included her as one of your bridesmaids.” “She’s my best friend.” Benjamin shrugged and adjusted the cufflinks on his custom-tailored tuxedo. “We’re like cousins.” “Speaking of cousins, hers will be here today for your wedding.” “Uncle Jacob’s son?” Benjamin hadn’t even considered that any other Cohen brothers would be here with their children. Some of them had been estranged from the family almost as long as his father had been estranged from King Sayid, Benjamin’s grandfather. “I thought they lived in Michigan or Canada or something.” “They’re flying down from Michigan,” his father said. “And Emanuel is bringing his bride.” “Isn’t he a little young to be married?” Benjamin chuckled. “What’d he do? Get her pregnant?” “He’s barely a year younger than you.” His father raised his eyebrows, meeting his gaze in the mirror. “Did you get Nisha pregnant? Is that why you’re marrying her?” “Heck no. Geesh, dad, I’m not stupid.” Benjamin pulled his gaze away from his dad’s penetrating stare. Not innocent either, but definitely not stupid. “We’re getting married because we love each other and want to be together forever.” “Humph.” “Change of subject—” Benjamin used his wandering thoughts as a clever way to take the focus off his premarital relationship, and presumed lack thereof. “Most of these people weren’t at my coronation last month. Are any of them going to be freaked out about me wearing a crown?” “Most of them have never seen me wearing a crown either, son. The crown is reserved for very formal occasions, occurrences of which we have very few while living at a beachside resort in Mexico.” “I kind of wish I was getting married in the kingdom,” Benjamin whispered, hoping he didn’t get reprimanded. “I will never return there as long as my brother’s widow is in control.” The angry growl that escaped his father’s throat was all the reminder Benjamin needed to shift the subject again. “My apologies, Your Highness,” Benjamin mumbled then pulled himself confidently together. “My bride awaits. Shall we?” “We shall,” Marcos responded with renewed confidence. Benjamin wrapped his arm around his dad’s shoulders as they strode from the room. “What are you going to do without me around anymore?” “Travel, most likely,” Marcos said. “Explore some of this beautiful land we call home.” His father’s statement once again drew Benjamin’s thoughts back in time and place to the land of his inheritance. Travel. Maybe it was time for Benjamin to do some travelling as well. With or without his father, Benjamin had already determined to get more involved in the country where he was destined to lead. Perhaps an extended honeymoon could take him and his bride to visit the Middle East. The Kingdom of Madain Saleh called to him. Having been taken from the palace before his first birthday, Benjamin had no recollection of the kingdom in which he’d been born. Yet he had dual citizenship with Mexico and royal diplomacy from Madain Saleh. Travel indeed. But first, a wedding. Note to Blog Readers: in preparation for re-releasing the entire Royal Family Saga in three volumes, rather than five books, I’ve been working on this little side story. At this point I’m not sure how long the story will be and I’m not done writing it, so be patient with me. If you’ve never read the Royal Family Saga, this might get a little confusing because this little side story is a bridge between several other stories and brings together characters from many parts of the families. The main character in this story is Benjamin, son of Prince Marcos, who is the son of King Sayid. You might remember Marcos as the main character in Part One of Billionaire’s Brother: Royal Family Saga Book Four. At the end of his story, he fled Madain Saleh with little Benjamin in one arm and his brother’s crown in the other. Marcos claimed the title of Crown Prince in absence of his older brother, Jared, who died in a tragic motorcycle accident. That was the moment when the Crown was contested by his brother’s widow, Princess Tayma, who claimed the title should be conferred upon her five-year-old son, Prince Omar. Thus began a four-generation war between Jared’s descendants and those of his brother, Marcos. You might remember Benjamin’s son, also named Prince Marcos after his grandfather, who was usually referred to as Mark. He and his best friend Alexander Cohen (Alex, Sr.) travelled to Madain Saleh in Part One of Billionaire Crown Prince to return Prince Marcos to the land of his inheritance to be interred alongside his brother, Jared. Mark and Alex will both be born near the end of Benjamin’s story. Mark will become father to The Young Princes (Part Three of Billionaire Crown Prince), and Alex will become father to Alex, Jr. who we lovingly refer to as the Honorary Prince. You can only read Honorary Prince by requesting the free copy and joining my weekly email newsletter / book club. In Benjamin’s story you will also meet Alexandria Cohen-Stephenson, mother to Alex, Sr. This is the only story where you will meet her because she dies when Alex is very young. Until I started writing this story, I had no idea how close she and Benjamin were, or the reasons why her husband Garrett never really got along with Benjamin. Now I understand! Other characters who make brief appearances include several of the Cohen brothers, along with their wives, and children, plus their parents, Levi and Sarah. You’ll also meet several wedding crashers, the children of the oldest two Cohen brothers who were estranged from the family at the end of Jacob’s story in Billionaire’s Sons: Royal Family Saga Book Five. Are you confused yet? Imagine how I felt writing all this! Benjamin’s story takes place immediately following the end of Billionaire’s Sons. You might remember the day after Emmanuel and Aloise got married when a wedding invitation was delivered. Manny was dumbfounded to be pulled from his honeymoon just so his father could excitedly announce they’d been invited to the royal wedding. Manny shoved his father back out the door and told him not to knock again for several weeks. Yeah, that’s where we’re at in the timeline. Miss a Chapter of Benjamin's Story? Click Here! Click here if you’d like a complimentary digital copy of the Complete Genealogy of the Royal Family Saga. (You might need that in order to follow this!) If you’d like to read the entire series in its present form, here is the order: Billionaire Crown Prince Billionaire Hero Billionaire Professors Billionaire’s Brother Billionaire’s Sons The new series (coming in spring 2022) will be published as a three-volume series in chronological order! I’ll let you know as soon as I have those available for preorder.
2 Comments
Edwina Brown
12/18/2021 02:50:14 pm
Yay! More about the royal family. So happy to be reading about Benjamin. Looking forward to reading more.
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Julie Spencer
12/18/2021 08:02:27 pm
I'm so glad you're happy! I was afraid everyone was sick of my princes!
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