And then a sinking feeling settled in her stomach. She was going to be alone. After all of this, why hadn't she realized it? This was not some ingenious way to solve her problem, because her problem wasn't Samson. It was her fear of being alone. Well, that and her fear that she might not be loveable, but that was not a thread she was equipped to pull on tonight.
Thankfully, Adelina appeared at the base of the stairs with an expectant look on her face. Marianna breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way she was going to make it down the stairs feeling like this. She needed to get out of her head and focus on her job. That was all.
"Are you coming?" Adelina said, waving toward the stairs.
Marianna nodded and made her way down. Once she reached the bottom, Adelina studied her.
"Why did you change your hair?"
Marianna reached out and ran her fingers through it, remembering what it felt like to have the prince so close to her, telling her that she looked beautiful. Then she groaned. She was in trouble. Bad.
"The prince said I looked like his mom and prefers I wear my hair down."
Adelina raised her eyebrows. "And this is a bad thing? Looking like the queen?"
Marianna didn't realize that saying something like that would be offensive. How could she be so dumb? "I—um—well—," tumbled out, but Adelina raised her hand.
"Enough. I don't have time to fix it. Hopefully, Her Highness with not be insulted." She motioned toward the hallway on the other side of the foyer. Marianna nodded and obeyed.
Soon they were standing in the doorway of a large hall. A massive table stretched down the middle. It spanned the whole room. A large fireplace was along the far wall.
Maids and butlers dressed in dark suits were scurrying around with trays of food. They would lay one down in front of someone and then turn and grab another one.
At the far end of the table was an empty seat. A portly man who was busily eating what looked like a turkey drumstick sat on one side, while a young girl with dark curly hair sat on the other. She was giggling as she watched the portly man.
"Adelina," Mrs. DeLuca said from her seat at the head of the table. She motioned with her head to the empty seat.
"This way," Adelina said.
Marianna nodded and followed. She tried to ignore how this seat put her at the other end of the table from Leo. And she tried not to get angry at the fact that Gisella was right next to him, laughing and placing her hand on his arm.
Marianna knew what Mrs. DeLuca was doing. It made sense. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt. When her gaze landed on Leo, he shot her an apologetic look. She smiled and shrugged.
By the time she got to her chair, it had already been pulled out. She sat down as the butler pushed the chair back toward the table. Now sitting, she glanced over at her companions.
The portly man was too busy eating, but the little girl was studying her with wide eyes.
"Hello," she said, moving out of the way as a maid came by and dropped a napkin in Marianna's lap.
"Hi," the little girl said.
Marianna smiled. "What's your name?"
"Clara."
She looked so much like Leo. “And you are who to Leo?”
“He’s my big brother,” she said, stabbing her potatoes with her fork.
Leo had a little sister? Marianna studied her. She was adorable.
"I'm Marianna," she said, picking up a glass of water and taking a sip.
Clara nodded. "I know. You're the woman who is trying to steal my brother."
Marianna gasped. Water raced down the wrong tube, throwing her into a coughing fit. All eyes turned to her. She waved away anyone who approached. That was the last thing she needed—someone thinking she needed the Heimlich.
"Sorry," she said, her voice raspy. "Some water went down wrong."
There was a collective sigh of relief as everyone returned to their conversations. Marianna dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. Clara was staring at her again.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Marianna nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
Clara looked relieved. "Good. Because you're the only one who will talk to me. I'd be sad if you died."
Marianna laughed. She liked this little girl and was happy she was seated next to her. "How old are you?"
Clara sat up straighter in her chair. "Eight."
Marianna leaned in. "Want to know a secret?"
Clara's eyes widened as she nodded. "Yes."
Marianna glanced around to make sure no one was watching. From the corner of her eye, she swore she saw Leo's gaze on her. But when she turned, Gisella had pulled his attention away.
Trying not to feel too disappointed, Marianna smiled back at Clara, who looked as if she was going to die from anticipation.
She smiled. "I'm happy to be sitting next to you, too."
Clara looked disappointed. "That's it?" She picked up her fork and pushed around some meat on her plate. "I thought it was going to be a good secret."
Marianna held up her hand. "Hey, now. You didn't hear why."
Clara glanced back at her. "Okay. Why?"
Marianna wiggled her eyebrows. "Oh, just you wait. It's going to be amazing."
A wide smile spread across Clara's lips. "Perfect."
Chapter Twelve
Dinner was boring and dragged on. Leo couldn't help but let his gaze slip over to Marianna. It made his heart swell to see her chatting with his sister. Their heads were pressed together and they would occasionally giggle. He wondered what they were talking about. It had to be better than what he was being forced to sit through.
Gisella kept trying to engage him in conversation, but Leo wasn't having it. Truth was, he was done with her. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of the night before, when Marianna had discovered that Gisella was in his room. He'd finally gotten Marianna to trust him again, and he wasn't going to take that lightly.
"Leo," Gisella whined.
He glanced over at her. She was looking at him expectantly.
"What?" he sighed.
"You're not paying attention. Father was just talking about the plan for the castle when we marry, and you are completely ignoring him." She wrapped her hand around his arm and leaned closer.
Thankful that he was still holding on to the selective amnesia story, he pulled away. "What? Why would you be making plans to change the castle?" He scrunched up his nose. It bothered him that Mr. Marasco thought he could just swoop in and make changes.
"We're getting married, silly. My family will be living here with us. It'll be better for the country and Marasco Industries." She puckered her lips and leaned in.
Leo's stomach soured. He hated how much power the Marasco family thought they had over the crown. Sure, they were rich, and Caro was hurting right now. But that was no reason to get into bed with a snake.
Unable to sit there and pretend to play nice, Leo pushed his chair back and stood. "I need some fresh air," he said.
He could feel everyone's gaze on him as he made his way to the large French doors that led out to the balcony that wrapped around the castle. He leaned against the railing and took a deep breath. This was not the time to overreact. Right now, he needed to be calm. If he was going to stand strong against his parents and their expectations, he needed a cool head.
"What was that?"
Leo tried not to groan at the sound of his mother's voice. He turned to see her approach him. Her hair was pulled back into a French twist—very similar to the one he'd convinced Marianna she didn't need.
He sighed as he scrubbed his face. "What, Mother?"
She stood next to him, staring out across the perfectly manicured gardens that ran up to the cliffs. The Mediterranean Sea could be seen in the distance, the moon's reflection bouncing off the water.
"You were extremely rude to Mr. Marasco. He's here to help Caro. The least you could do is be kind to him."
He had amnesia, he needed to remember that. He changed his expression to one of pain. "I'm sorry, Moth
er. I know I'm supposed to remember these people, but I can't. And it hurts me to try."
She quirked an eyebrow, but then her frustrated expression softened. "Perhaps we are forcing you too soon." She leaned against the railing and sighed. "Why don't you go up to bed. Tomorrow we have a lot to do. Get some rest and we'll try again."
Leo's heart softened from his mother’s words. He'd allowed himself to believe for a while now that she cared nothing for him—that holding onto the crown was her only goal. And if he didn't accomplish that, then he had failed her. It was nice to see that she cared for him, outside of what he could do for the crown.
Perhaps, once everything was said and done, his mother would return to how she used to be. There would be no more hidden agenda. They could go back to being mother and son. Leo would be lying to himself if he said he didn't envy what Marianna had with her parents. He missed his old life when the fate of their country was riding on his shoulders.
He stood and leaned in, kissing his mother's cheek. "Thank you," he said.
She patted his cheek and nodded.
Now free, Leo walked through the dining room, catching Marianna's eye. She shot him a quizzical look, and he shook his head. She nodded.
He wondered for a moment what their exchange had meant to her. He hoped she understood that he was okay and heading to bed. But with a crowd of people watching them, he didn't want to expose too much about his relationship with Marianna, which was growing deeper by the day.
When he got back to his room, he dressed in his pajamas and crawled into bed. Thirty minutes later, there was a knock on his door. He straightened and turned on the light on his nightstand.
"Come in," he said.
The handled turned and the door was pushed open. Clara appeared in the opening. He smiled at his little sister. He'd missed her on his trip. "Clara," he said, smiling at her.
She looked shy for a moment but then came bounding in and hopped up onto his bed. She snuggled into the crook of his arm. "I missed you," she said.
He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. "I missed you, too," he said, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
She pulled back and peered up at him. "I like Marianna," she said.
His heart soared at her words. "You do?"
She nodded her head fervently up and down. "She was playing I Spy with me at dinner. It made it less boring."
He dropped his jaw. That was something they did together. "I'm a little jealous. I thought I Spy was just for me and you."
She shrugged. "It was. Until you had to move to the other side of the table. Where the boring people sit."
There was truth to her words. He laughed. Leave it to his little sister to speak plainly. Movement by the open door pulled his attention. Marianna was standing in the hall, hugging a book to her chest. She peered in as if she was worried she was interrupting.
He straightened and waved for her to enter.
She hesitated, but Clara had seen her too and called out "Did you get it?"
Marianna held up the book and nodded. "Right here."
Clara glanced over at Leo mischievously.
He raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"
She smiled. "We heard you weren't feeling well, so we decided to come read you a story."
Leo chuckled and rubbed his hand on Clara's head. "Well, aren't I lucky?"
Clara nodded, dodging to break his contact. He knew that she hated it when he ruffled her hair, but he did it anyway. Clara held out her hand, and Marianna placed the book into it. Clara turned back and snuggled in next to him.
Marianna looked as if she didn't know where she was supposed to go. Before he thought too much about it, Leo patted the bed next to him. "Want a seat?" he asked, grateful that his voice came out confident and not uncertain, like he felt.
Marianna eyed the edge of the bed. "Are you sure there's enough room?"
"Sit down so we can get started," Clara said in her commanding voice.
Leo glanced over at her. "Wow. Bossy much?"
Clara shot him an apologetic look and then turned to Marianna. "Sit down, please. There's enough room."
Marianna hesitated. It looked as if she were having an internal battle with herself. Finally, she sighed and made her way over. Leo tried to ignore how it felt to have her climb onto the bed next to him. Or how her arm brushed his as she pulled in close. He hoped it was more than just the mattress that brought her right next to him. He hoped that, perhaps, she wanted to be there.
He glanced over at her after she finished shifting around. "Comfortable?"
He saw her cheeks turn pink as she nodded. "Yes," she said. Her voice was low and sent shivers down his back. He would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying this.
Clara flipped open the book and started reading. Leo tried to pay attention, but it was too hard. Everything about this—sitting on the bed with them, reading together—felt right. Having Marianna so close to him felt right.
Clara grew weary and glanced up at him. Her eyes were pink with exhaustion. "I'm too tired, Leo. Can you finish?"
He nodded and picked up where she left off. Fifteen minutes later, her head dropped back. He glanced down to see that she had fallen asleep.
"Aww, she was tired," Marianna said, moving to slip off the bed.
Leo reached out and grabbed her leg. "Stay," he said and then instantly regretted it. What was she going to do?
She stopped and then shifted so she was next to him. "Okay," she whispered.
Leo sat there, enjoying her proximity. Why did it feel so good to have her close? Perhaps it was because she had made it clear that she would support him, something he was sorely lacking from the other people in his life.
"Are you okay?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.
Leo nodded. "I am right now."
He felt her take a deep breath and then heard her blow it out. "Anything I can do to help?"
He sighed, reaching down to tuck a curl behind Clara's ear. "Not really. Change my parent's minds—but that seems impossible."
"They still want you to marry Gisella?"
He nodded. "Above anything else."
Her hand came into view as she reached over and entwined her fingers with his. Warmth radiated up his fingers to his arms. His heart picked up speed as he hooked his fingers around hers. They sat there in silence, just enjoying each other's company. It felt so good to be next to her, feeling her support.
"Thanks," he whispered.
He saw her nod. "Of course. It's what a friend would do."
There that word was again. Friend. Even though he knew he should be grateful for that, he couldn't help the sour feeling that rose up. Was it wrong to admit that a friend was the last thing he wanted? He had enough friends; he wanted something more. And he was pretty sure that he wanted that something with Marianna.
Chapter Thirteen
The sun peeked through the drapes of her bedroom the next morning. Marianna groaned as she rubbed her eyes and sat up. She felt all out of sorts since her encounter with Leo yesterday. It had felt so good, sitting on his bed, holding hands with him. Letting him know that she was there for him.
And the way it made her heart race? Well, that was a mistake, but she couldn't blame the prince for that. It was her own dumb fault for letting feelings grow that shouldn't. He deserved someone to support him, not develop feelings for him. He deserved better.
There was a knock on the door, and Adelina walked in before Marianna could answer. She gave Marianna a curt nod and headed over to the window to open the drapes. Marianna rubbed her eyes and sat up.
Adelina was in full business mode. She went straight to the closet and pulled out a fitted business suit, then disappeared into Marianna's bathroom and came back out, clapping her hands.
"You are very behind, Miss Marianna," she said as she walked over to the bed and pulled back Marianna's covers. "Her Highness will not appreciate it if you are late."
At the mention of Mrs. DeLuca, Marianna leapt out o
f the bed. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint Leo's mom. Even though this whole situation was fake, Marianna had this intense desire to get the queen's approval—even though she knew that it wasn't ever going to happen.
Adelina ushered her into the bathroom, where she instructed Marianna to take a shower and to dress in the outfit she’d arranged. When she was clean, Marianna turned off the water and stepped out onto the plush bathmats that dotted the floor. She wrapped a towel around her body and made her way up to the mirror, where she wiped off the fog.
Before she had any time to think, Adelina opened the bathroom door and entered. It was as if she were anticipating Marianna's every move. When she was dressed, Adelina pushed her down onto the nearby chair and began working on her wet hair.
"Straight and down," Marianna said, hoping to not have an incident like the day before, when she’d ended up looking like the queen.
Adelina nodded but continued to twist and pull her hair. Finally, Marianna stood. "I'll take it from here," she said holding up her hands, hoping that Adelina would get the hint.
The woman huffed but then shook her head and smiled. "Sure. I will wait outside." She narrowed her eyes as if challenging Marianna.
"Great. That would be awesome," Marianna said, turning to focus on her thick, curly hair.
Adelina stared at her for a moment before she turned and stalked out of the room.
Finally, having a minute to herself, Marianna did her hair the way she wanted it and then dressed in the business suit. She left the bathroom feeling clean and like herself again—not the version that Adelina or Mrs. DeLuca wanted her to be.
After she slipped on a pair of pantyhose and flats, she smiled over at Adelina, who didn't look too pleased at being kicked from her duties. Marianna hoped her smile would soften Adelina's expression, but it didn't.
She walked over to her door and opened it. Just as she stepped out, she heard a familiar voice.
"Well, good morning," Leo said.
Marianna turned to see him walk up to her. He had on a pair of business slacks and a button-up shirt. His sleeves were rolled up past his wrists and the top button was undone. He looked relaxed but formal. And incredibly handsome. So much so that Marianna almost forgot how to speak.
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