by Ember Casey
Andrew’s face falls and he squeezes his eyes closed for a moment. “I will not allow you or my father to decide my fate—”
The king’s hand balls into a fist. “No one has decided your fate but you, Prince Andrew. And the fact that you refuse to acknowledge that—”
“He’s right.” My voice doesn’t even sound like my own. For as meek and small as I’ve felt since I entered this room a little while ago, my voice sounds strong, almost ferocious. “You did this, Andrew. It was your mistake. And I…” Tears well in my eyes for a moment, but I force them back. “I don’t want to be dragged into the middle of it. Not when the fix is so easy.”
King Max nods. “It is simple, isn’t it?” He turns his gaze back to Andrew. “Pity she isn’t a royal. I might have liked to introduce her to my son.”
Andrew finally opens his eyes. “I will not be forced into a marriage with your daughter—”
“You’re hardly being forced.” King Max’s gaze narrows a bit. “If you have another solution, I’m prepared to hear it.”
“We’ll go to war.” Andrew’s jaw tightens. “If that is what must happen, then that is what must happen.”
King Max shakes his head. “You will be hated as a ruler. Hated. Abhorred. You would actually consider sending your own citizens to die in a war of your own making? One where there is an obvious political solution where no innocent civilians need be harmed? Because Andrew…” The king splays his hands on the table. “Innocents will be harmed. Could you really live with that on your conscience?”
“I love Victoria.” Andrew stands, taking a step over to pull my hand into his. “We can come to a solution where no one need be harmed. One where—”
“There is no other solution, Andrew.” I pull my hand away from his, turning to look into his eyes. “Don’t you see? If there was another way—”
“We’ll find another way. We have to.” He presses his lips together—it looks like he’s trying to keep the emotions from playing across his face. “We have to.”
King Max laughs and leans back in his chair. “Do you want to know what’s funny about this?”
Andrew’s head snaps around and he glares at the king. “There is nothing funny about this.”
The king’s smile widens. “What is funny about this is that I was in an almost identical situation years ago. Of course, I hadn’t behaved nearly as immaturely as you have—I never would have gambled away a national treasure the way you did. But I, too, was once in love with a commoner. And my father showed me why it would never work. Why my country would be better for a more appropriate marriage.”
Andrew’s teeth almost gnash together. “My mother was a commoner. And she has served Montovia better than anyone—”
“Ah, and your father was also a fool for marrying a commoner. You think your country has been better for his choices, but it is only because you are too close to the situation to see otherwise. To the rest of the world, it was a mockery. It was—”
Andrew’s hands ball into fists. “You are in my home. In my mother’s home. And I’ll not have you speaking of her…of Victoria…of anyone—”
The king stands behind the table, his hands curling to match Andrew’s. “I’ll speak in any manner I choose, Prince Andrew, as I am the one holding all the cards at the moment. You remember cards, do you not?”
Andrew is stiff, almost shaking. “You’ll leave at once. I’ll call the Royal Military to the borders as soon as you are escorted from the premises—”
“Andrew.” I reach for his forearm, squeezing it for a moment. My voice lowers to an almost soothing tone. “I don’t think threatening war is the answer. I know it isn’t the answer.”
He turns his gaze to mine, looking into my eyes as he takes a few deep breaths.
I nod at him before turning back to King Max. “I think your terms are more than fair. And you’re right—there’s been no ring exchanged. No announcement made—”
“Only because…because it’s so…so recent.” Andrew shakes his head, lowering his voice to something above a whisper. “Victoria, please. This is not the answer.”
“And war is?” I turn back to face him. “You might be able to live with the consequences of war on your conscience, but I’m not. I cannot… I will not. It isn’t worth it, Andrew. None of this is worth it. For either of us.”
Andrew’s jaw tightens and he turns his gaze back to Max. “I’ll be presenting Victoria with a ring tonight. The formal announcement will be made tonight. All the arrangements for our immediate nuptials will be made tonight.”
“No.” I shake my head. “They won’t. We’re not getting married tonight, Andrew. Your father is in the hospital. He might not make it through the day—”
“Victoria.” There’s a warning in Andrew’s voice I haven’t heard before.
But it doesn’t stop me. “I want a plane readied for my immediate departure. And…and if it will help…” I flick my gaze to Max before turning it back to Andrew. “You can have me banned from Montovia.”
Andrew shakes his head. “Then we’ll be married tonight in your country. We can have the plane readied to go to Las Vegas. I’m sure we can find some members of the paparazzi willing to cover the ceremony.”
“No. No, Andrew.” I close my eyes for a moment. This is the right thing to do. And not just to prevent a war. This sort of thing is sure to happen over and over if Andrew chooses to marry anyone but Justine. When I think about it, I have no choice but to admit to myself the one thing I’ve feared all along.
I’m not good enough for him.
Opening my eyes, I turn my gaze up to meet Andrew’s. “I love you. I always will. But I’m not going to marry you.”
Andrew
This can’t be happening. Everything is falling apart.
Victoria is the only thing in my life that is right. The only thing keeping me together. She can’t be sincere when she says this is over.
But as I look into her eyes, I realize how determined she truly is. And worse—I realize she’s right. As much as I love her, am I truly willing to risk bringing war to Montovia for my own selfish desires? Victoria is the other half of me, but we can’t let our love be used to destroy Montovia. I was born to serve this country, and serve it I must.
Victoria’s eyes are dark with emotion. This isn’t even her country, and yet she’s willing to sacrifice her own happiness for the good of its people—and for me. She is the strongest, most selfless person I have ever known—and God, she would have made a wonderful queen. She would still make a wonderful queen, if only I can find us a way out of this.
I must. I must find us a solution.
“It’s the only way,” she says softly, her eyes never leaving mine. “You know this is right, Andrew.”
It’s not right. It can never be right. But right now, it’s our only option.
“I love you,” I tell her, not even caring how raw my voice sounds right now.
“I love you, too,” she says.
“This is all very touching,” comes King Maximilian’s voice, “but if you two are done behaving like emotional little fools, we have some business to attend to.”
Victoria’s eyes flutter slightly, but she straightens her shoulders. “I think that’s my cue to go.” I start to protest, but she cuts me off. “I know this is important, Andrew. And since we’re no longer engaged, I’m only in the way here. I’ve already overstayed my welcome.”
“Promise me you won’t leave the palace grounds,” I say.
“Andrew—”
“Promise me. Swear you won’t sneak off without telling me.”
I can see the indecision in her eyes, but I can’t bear the thought of emerging from this meeting to find her gone. If she leaves now, I’m afraid I’ll never see her again.
“Fine,” she says after a moment. “I promise.”
The relief that rushes through me is almost as intense as the pain I feel right now.
“I’ll come and find you after,” I tell her.
&
nbsp; She nods. “I should go now.” She throws a final glance over at King Maximilian, who’s staring at both of us as if we’re the scum beneath his feet.
I feel emptier after she’s gone. I wanted her by my side for this. Needed her. But while her strength is gone, it’s been replaced by something just as powerful—anger. King Maximilian has destroyed our chance at happiness. He’s trying to manipulate and blackmail me into giving him exactly what he wants.
And I refuse to play into his hands.
I have no idea what I’m going to do or say. I’m not sure I’m politically experienced enough to match wits with this ruthless man. But I’m not going to let him beat me. I refuse.
I stride back over to the table and stare him right in the eyes.
“Are you ready to discuss business?” he asks me, condescension dripping from his tone.
“Yes.”
“Good. Then let me begin by laying out my expectations.”
He’s underestimating me already. It’s frustrating, but on the other hand, I know I can use his attitude to my advantage. He doesn’t realize how much I love Victoria. He can’t even imagine how hard I will fight for her.
I still have no idea what I’m going to say. No clue how I’m going to resolve this. But I won’t stop fighting.
I’ll never stop fighting. No matter what it costs me.
Three hours later, I’m not sure whether or not I’ve succeeded.
I’ve spent all afternoon arguing with King Maximilian. Every time I thought I’d gained some ground with him, he’d shift his tactics and try a different angle. He’s used to dealing with my father, not me, and it’s clear he thinks I’m a fool. But I won’t let him take advantage of me or Montovia.
Finally, my head pounding, I told him we would have to resume our negotiations the following day. After all, with my father incapacitated, I have extra business to attend to. Maximilian must have been getting tired, too, or I’m not sure he would have agreed to stop.
I rub my forehead. I’m going to be king someday—maybe sooner than expected—and such negotiations will be a part of my life. I’m not sure I’m ready. Three hours of discussions and I’m not sure either King Maximilian or I are even close to being satisfied.
I want to go see Victoria. To pull her into my arms and kiss her and pretend that nothing could tear us apart, even though we both now know that’s not true. But I’m also afraid I’ll fall apart at the first sight of her, that the stress of the day will all come to a head in her presence.
Instead, I find myself wandering toward the treasury. I don’t know what takes me there—some desire to torture myself, I suppose.
To think—only a few hours ago, I thought I would be coming here in triumph and joy. Taking my great-grandmother’s ring from its case. Bringing it to Victoria and sliding it onto her long, beautiful finger, giving her a symbol of our unshakeable love.
Unshakeable, ha. It hasn’t even been a day since I proposed to her, and circumstances have already torn us apart.
The treasury, for all that it holds our country’s greatest treasures, is a relatively plain room. As I enter, my eyes flick to the display holding the royal scepter, and it glints in the low lights, taunting me.
Looking quickly away, I walk over to the glass case on the far side of the room. Inside, on a bed of purple velvet, lay a number of pieces of fine jewelry. Some belonged to previous generations of my family, others were gifts from other nations, some were purchased at various auctions by my grandfather, who was a collector of antiques.
There are several rings in this collection, many of great value, but there’s only one I’m interested in right now. At the far end of the case is a white gold ring set with a single black pearl. I open the case and reach down inside, lifting the ring from the velvet and holding it up in front of my eyes. Even in the dim light, I can see a thousand colors in the depths of the pearl—a dark midnight blue, a flash of silver, even a ripple of green.
This should be on Victoria’s hand. Forever.
I’m only torturing myself by looking at it—I know that. But something drew me here. Even though negotiations with King Maximilian didn’t go as planned, I can’t give up hope. I must find a way to be with her and to protect the people of Montovia.
I should return the ring to its case, but I can’t bear to. Instead, I slip it into my pocket. I can’t give it to Victoria yet—but I will. I’ll find a way.
Now, though, I just want to see her.
I leave the treasury, trying to decide where she might have gone since leaving the receiving chamber. In my mind, there’s only one answer—the gardener’s cottage.
I head down the corridor, determined to get to her as soon as possible. I only make it a short way, though, before I turn a corner and find William striding toward me.
“There you are,” he says. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“You should have called me,” I say, tapping my pocket for my mobile phone. It’s only then that I realize it isn’t on me—I must have left it in my chambers when I was changing to receive King Maximilian. “Is Father—”
“He’s out of surgery,” William says quickly. “And stable. The surgeon said it went as well as could be hoped.”
Relief rushes through me. “Thank God.”
William nods, looking as relieved as I feel. “Mother is still with him. She sent me back here to find you. And to check on you. King Maximilian—”
“Has currently retired to his guest chamber.”
“Is he being his normal pleasant self?”
“Even more pleasant than usual.”
“And Reginald?”
“I’m told he retired early, and that he requested not to be disturbed before noon tomorrow. This is probably some sort of power play, but I must admit I’m grateful I don’t have to deal with him just yet.”
“Bastard.” William shakes his head. “Whatever his issues with you, he and his father should have waited until after Father’s health improved before inviting themselves here. I saw when I came in that they brought half of their staff with them. They seem to have taken over the guest wing.” He gives a dismissive wave of his hand. “Princess Justine is nice enough, but thank God you got out of marrying her. Can you imagine having those people as in-laws?”
My expression must give my thoughts away, because William’s eyes widen.
“What?” he asks. “What happened?”
“Victoria and I received King Maximilian, and he threatened us with war. In response, Victoria called off our engagement.”
William’s eyes get even wider. “What?”
“We are not going to war,” I say firmly. “And Victoria will be my wife, one way or another. I don’t know how, but I refuse to bend to King Maximilian’s outrageous demands.” At this point, I want nothing more than to give him the damned scepter and be done with this.
“Fuck,” William says. “I’d rather spend more time with Lady Clarissa than a minute alone with Maximilian.” He shakes his head. “Clarissa’s been quiet lately. At first I just thought she was being understanding because Father’s in the hospital, but now I’m starting to wonder if we should be worried. I don’t trust that woman—especially now that she feels personally slighted by our family. But we have bigger things to worry about than her. What the fuck are we going to do about Maximilian’s threats?”
“I’ll figure that out,” I say. “In the meantime, please don’t say anything to our mother. I don’t want to upset her right now.”
“Understood,” William says with a nod.
“I’m going to find Victoria,” I say. “But I’ll let you know if there are any updates on the situation.”
“Please do,” he says as I start to head down the corridor. “And Andrew?”
I pause and look back over my shoulder. “Yes?”
“No one fucks with Montovia,” he says. “If you need any help—”
“I know,” I say. “And you’re right—no one fucks with Montovia.”
Victoria
I’m out of place in the palace. It’s not like the little gardener’s cottage is my home or anything, but it seems a lot more comfortable than trying to find any comfort in the stuffy palace.
The truth is, I’m out of place in this country. I’ve probably worn a path on the floor of the cottage as I paced this afternoon to come up with that brilliant conclusion.
Andrew will be here soon. If I’m sure of anything, it’s that he’ll know where to find me once his meeting is over.
And then what? I’ve gone over every possible response he’ll have to me trying to do what was right for his country. He’ll argue with me—he’ll tell me we don’t have to give up. That we’ll figure out a way to work this out.
But the only outcome for that choice is war.
He might have come to his senses during the meeting with that asshole, King Max. Maybe he’ll come here and tell me I was right. That the only way through this is for us to part ways.
Not going to happen.
The only outcome I can come up with where this works out for the two of us—the only thing I can hope for—is that somehow, some way, Andrew and King Max have come up with some sort of compromise.
But that seems even less likely than Andrew changing his mind about our engagement.
I pace for what seems like forever before the door finally opens. Andrew doesn’t even knock—he walks in and sits down in the living room of the small house without saying a word, placing his head in his hands.
I turn to him with a frown. “I take it the meeting didn’t go the way you hoped?”
He shakes his head, not lifting it from his palms. “It hasn’t concluded. We’ve reached no agreement. No compromise. No understanding.”
“It doesn’t seem like King Maximilian has any of those words in his vocabulary. You can’t really be surprised.”
“I’m not. That is the problem.” He finally lifts his head from his hands, turning his gaze to mine. “You shouldn’t have spoken during the meeting. If the topic of a marriage to Justine hadn’t come up—”