Levi lowered into the chair beside her. “That was very generous.”

“I thought so, but Jeremiah’s two sons didn’t agree. With no income to support the lifestyle they had grown accustomed to, they demanded a stipend from the royal family.”

“Your grandfather refused.”

“Yes. The two sons saw the throne as theirs to be had and began stirring up discontent within the general population,” Cassie said. “Our economy was still rebuilding after the earthquake and floods. The brothers accused my grandfather of hoarding the royal treasury instead of helping the citizens.”

“What happened?”

“They knew if they tried to kill my grandfather, they would lose their claim. And then they found out my grandmother was pregnant.”

“Which would put another obstacle between them and gaining control.”

“Yes.” Cassie motioned to her water bottle. “Do you have a glass?”

Levi rose and retrieved a glass from the shelf in his closet. Leave it to the royals to not know how to drink from the bottle. He twisted the cap off Cassie’s water and poured liquid into her glass.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Levi sat again. “Tell me more.”

“The oldest, Orson, had attended university in America. He had a friend who moved to Sereno and became the figurehead of the Avila revolt. He filled our citizens’ heads with dreams of the American way.”

“You’re talking about Valentin Avila, the man who tried to assassinate your grandfather.”

“Yes. Even though my grandfather couldn’t prove the Escobar family’s involvement, he exiled them from Sereno.”

“And you don’t know where they went?”

“Rumor had it that Orson went back to the United States,” Cassie said. “The father and youngest son moved to Italy, but I don’t know where they went from there.”

“I would have thought someone would have kept track of them since they were still in line for the throne.”

“My father was born a few weeks after the assassination attempt on my grandfather, and from all accounts, he had no interest in worrying about what would happen to the family who would only benefit from the extinction of his progeny.”

“Understandable.”

“Besides, at the time, they once again had a legitimate heir, and they hoped my grandmother would have more children.”

“But that didn’t happen?”

“She had a daughter who was stillborn but no other children beyond that.”

“I’ll get my staff working on tracking down the Escobar family.”

“You have to keep the reasons confidential,” Cassie said. “The secrecy of the succession agreement has protected my family for generations. With today’s resources, if it became public, it would be far too easy for someone to try to create a political alliance with one of Escobar’s descendants to destroy my family.”

“I understand.” Levi took her hand. “Like I said before, you can trust me.”

She put her free hand over his. “Thank you.”

The naturalness of the gesture made Levi want to forget that he was with her in an official capacity. He rose, breaking contact. “It’s getting late. I should take you back to your room.”