A senior engineer approached, peeling off a headset and then self-consciously tucking his gray hair into place. The Netherlands really was just a constitutional monarchy. She had no real business here. She probably shouldn’t have come here at all. If she’d been swept off the dike by a rogue wave, the same things would have happened at the same time. This man had no actual duty where she was concerned. But. He had to do it. "Your Majesty," he said, "I am pleased to report that the Maeslantkering is closed."