by Mia Carson
Matt had a hard time focusing on his surroundings. After Daphne fell asleep, he crept quietly from her room and hurried back to his before anyone discovered him in the princess’ bedroom. Last night was more than he had expected to find in the arms of that woman, but this morning, in the harsh light of day, his thoughts were torn and the mocking voice was louder than ever in his mind.
He wanted to believe that they could have something together. Or that in the end, he could whisk her away and pretend she wasn’t a princess and he wasn’t carrying around this darkness inside. What good would he really do her? She gave him back his control, but could he continue to use her like that, knowing he might never be the man she deserved? At the end of the day, he was still the killer, still the man who took his job and his missions seriously. Getting involved like this had been a mistake. He put her life at risk by getting so attached.
Matt reached the end of the next row of shipping crates and stopped, his boots scraping on the concrete. He couldn’t do this to her. When he returned to the palace, he’d put an end to it. It might destroy him and he’d probably have to leave his job, but if it kept her safe, that was what mattered. He might have had the reputation of a womanizer, but he would not bring down an innocent woman he cared for far too much.
Voices up ahead distracted him from his darkening thoughts, and he pressed his back against the nearest crate, his hand snaking up to his gun. It was a man and woman, and as they grew closer, he recognized them both.
“She refused to listen to me,” Agnes snapped loudly. “Your cousin doesn’t seem to trust you or me anymore. What did you say to her?”
“Nothing worse than what you did, I’m sure,” Dion shot back. “It doesn’t matter, anyway.”
“The hell it doesn’t. If you can’t get these allegations dropped, the people will grow suspicious of you,” Agnes argued, and Matt shifted when their steps moved closer to his hiding place.
There was a long silence, and Matt peered around the crate. They were standing barely ten feet away from him. He pulled his head back quickly and cursed silently. He was stuck until they moved away again.
“I’ve bribed the investigator, Mother, so quit your worrying. My focus now is ensuring the people know how distraught and depressed our poor Princess Daphne is. They all see her smile, but the rumors are out there—she’s inept. High on happy pills.”
“And who started that rumor?” Agnes asked lightly.
Matt didn’t have to see their faces to know they grinned, and his hands twitched angrily at his sides.
“I did, of course. It’s not as if she has a chance to say anything against it,” Dion said. “Now, can we get back to business? I have a meeting in an hour and a new shipment arriving at midnight. Need to make sure everything is in order for it.”
Matt moved back until he heard their steps retreating down the other side of the crate he hid behind. His hand stayed on his gun until he couldn’t hear them anymore, and he ducked out from the crates, moving swiftly towards the dock entrance. He waved at the guard in the gatehouse as he had on his way in, not smiling, simply nodding. He recognized the man from his days in the military but couldn’t place a name to the face. When Matt reached his motorcycle in the lot, he noticed the man pick up the phone and call someone, his face turned towards Matt.
The military man in him said to get some answers out of the guy, find out who he’d called, but Daphne had to be his main priority. He turned over the engine, put his helmet on, and took off for the palace. His first order of business was to track down Ambrose and fill him in. Then he’d go to Daphne and deliver both hits of bad news.
The information he found out on Dion would hurt her, but what he planned to say afterwards would probably drive her to hate him. If it kept her safe, he’d live with whatever happened.
Chapter 9
By the time Matt found Ambrose and filled him in on what he’d overheard at the docks, the sun was setting and the king and queen had departed for their trip to the main continent. The rest of the guard was on their way back from the royal dock, but Matt remained with Ambrose, watching the old man pace around his office in the lower level of the palace.
“You said there was a shipment coming in at midnight?” Ambrose said, scratching his chin in thought.
“Yes, midnight, but he didn’t say what it was, and it was too much of a risk to follow them.”
“No. No, you’re right. What you heard was enough.”
“Sir? What are you planning on doing?” Matt asked, anxious to be a part of it, but when Ambrose stopped in front of him, his face fell. “You wish for me to stay by the princess’ side.”
“That is your place now, Matthias. Protect her at all costs. For all we know, if we do take any action against Dion and Agnes, it could lead to a much worse situation. I need to know Princess Daphne is well looked after,” Ambrose told him firmly. “You are dismissed.”
Matt nodded and pushed to his feet. “Sir, Princess Daphne… Should she be informed of this?”
Ambrose sat down heavily behind his desk, folding his hands on its surface, and frowned. “Let’s not add to her already large amount of worry. She’s occupied with her education reform, and the last thing I wish to do is distract her from that.”
“Yes, sir,” Matt said and ducked out the door.
He didn’t agree with the older man, and instead of going to his rooms for the rest of his day off, he walked down the long stretch of corridor and up into the main palace to look for Daphne. He assumed he would have to wait for her return from seeing the king and queen off, but when he found Jeremiah and Marie talking heatedly outside Daphne’s door, Matt’s worry rose and he walked quickly to them.
“Is something wrong?” he asked tensely. “Where’s Princess Daphne?”
“She’s inside,” Jeremiah told him briefly. “I’m not sure if you want to go in there.”
“He might be the only one she lets in,” Marie muttered, her eyes fixed on the door. “She wouldn’t even let me sit in there with her. Didn’t want anything either. Just to be left alone.”
Matt glanced at the closed doors, his brow furrowing as his hands twitched. “What happened while I was gone?”
Marie and Jeremiah exchanged a glance before the latter crossed his arms over his chest. “She went to see the king and queen before they left on their journey, and whatever was discussed wasn’t good. She stormed out on them and disappeared into her rooms.”
“How long ago was that?”
Jeremiah glanced at the watch on his wrist. “About eight hours ago.”
“She needs to eat something,” Marie said. “She needs to at least do that. Maybe a bottle of wine will get her to tell me what’s wrong.”
Matt stopped her with a touch to her arm. “There’s something else you both need to hear first,” he said. Ambrose said not to tell Daphne, but he didn’t say anything about anyone else. Quickly and quietly, he told the two about the conversation he overheard at the docks between Dion and Agnes. Marie cursed and her face turned a bright shade of red against her light hair, but it was Jeremiah’s suddenly fiery gaze that made Matt’s ire rise again too.
“He started those rumors? The bastard. I knew I should’ve decked him a long time ago,” Jeremiah muttered under his breath. “And Ambrose didn’t tell you anything about his plan?”
“Nothing,” Matt confirmed.
“You’re going to tell her, right?” Marie asked. “She needs to know what’s happening.”
Matt hesitated and glared down at the floor. “Yeah, I’ll tell her what she needs to know,” he said, thinking about what else he desperately needed to talk to her about. This relationship she thought they could have, which he’d promised he would give her no matter what, wasn’t plausible anymore. “Give me a few minutes, Marie, and I’ll see if I can convince her to eat.”
He faced down the doors, his fingers itching as they used to do before his more dangerous missions, and he knocked. When there was no answer, he announced himself and w
alked inside. One quick look around told him very quickly Daphne was worse off than they’d all thought.
“Jeremiah, Marie, you might want to see this,” he called over his shoulder as he walked farther into the room, his worry growing when he searched the whole area and bedroom with no sign of Daphne.
“Oh no,” Marie gasped and held her hand to her mouth. “Princess Daphne!”
“She’s not here,” Matt snapped. “How the hell did she get out of her rooms?”
Jeremiah hurried to the balcony and pushed open the doors. “Shit, she climbed up the trellis.”
“What?” Matt rushed to the balcony and looked at the trellis, similar to the other one she used at the opposite side of the palace. There were a few bent and broken vines. Someone had climbed it recently. He craned his neck and jumped up onto the railing. “I’ll bring her back down.”
“Just don’t piss her off any more,” Marie warned.
From his spot on the balcony railing, Matt could still see the trashed room Daphne left in her wake. The mirror was shattered, as were the lamps, the table was overturned, and the wardrobe completely emptied and strewn about. He wondered how Jeremiah hadn’t heard the destruction, and from the aggravated look on his face, so did he.
Matt wiped his hands on his jeans, glanced up one more time, and started the climb. This trellis was taller than the other one and took him high up the palace walls before he finally found a place to step off over the edge of the roof. He could see the entire island laid out before him and realized he’d reached the highest point of the palace roof. It was flat, thankfully, and standing at the other end was Daphne.
“Daphne?” he called out loudly.
Her shoulders flinched, but she didn’t turn around. “I said I wanted to be alone.”
“And you can be, back inside,” he assured her, moving slowly across the roof. “It’s going to get dark soon, and I’d prefer you not fall off the roof because you couldn’t see.”
She laughed sharply and whipped around. Her eyes were red and the irises lighter than he’d seen before. “Why not? What’s another tragic accident in the royal family? Maybe then my parents can find the heir they want and I’ll be free.”
Matt’s jaw clenched and he took another step. “Daphne, we can talk about what happened. Just come to me and we will go back inside.”
“Why should I? Nothing ever changes!”
“Daphne, get away from the edge of the roof,” he ordered.
“I said I wasn’t ready to go inside yet,” she snapped and turned back around. Her arms fell to her sides, and she squared her shoulders.
Matt’s stomach plummeted, watching her hair blow freely in the sea breeze. His nerves screamed at him to move, and he did before she could do something he’d never be able to live with. He wrapped his arms firmly around her waist and dragged her to the center of the roof, ignoring her angry fists hitting his arms.
“Put me down! I wasn’t going to jump,” she argued.
Angrily, he turned her around and gripped her shoulders hard, leaning down so they were at eye level. “I don’t give a damn,” he growled. “Don’t ever do that again, Daphne. We’re going back inside. Now.”
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
He took her hand and dragged her towards the trellis, fuming. “I’m your bodyguard, and I’m here to keep you safe. You’re coming with me or I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you down.”
“Matt, please… Just wait,” she said and yanked her hand free. “A few more minutes, alright?”
“Why? You can think just as easily in your room, away from high ledges,” he added tersely.
She managed to appear sheepish but didn’t apologize. “I think better up here. It’s not as confining. Five minutes, and I promise I’ll come willingly and we can talk.”
Some of his anger melted away, and his gaze drifted from hers. “Fine, five minutes.”
But Daphne didn’t move away. Instead, she stepped closer. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I said I’d give you your five minutes, and you’re wasting it,” he remarked, his tone light. Her eyes lightened more, and he knew she didn’t buy it.
“Matt, tell me. Is it… is it about last night?”
“We’ll talk about it later,” he said and hoped she would leave it at that. He should’ve known better.
“You’re regretting we slept together? Is that it?” she asked. The hurt in her words almost brought him to his knees, hating himself for what he was doing to her, but he had to think of her immediate safety. One day, she’d get over her hate of him.
Matt shook his head and turned his back to her. “No, course not, but we both know what it was. Lust, pure and simple,” he said casually and hated himself for it.
“That’s not what you said last night,” she snapped and grabbed his arm to turn him around. “Matthias, look at me, you bastard.”
“There’s nothing for it, princess. I’m your bodyguard, and you’re royalty. It was one night and we need to leave it at that,” he told her firmly. Matt waited for her to lash out at him, but her face went blank—frighteningly blank. The instincts that always warned Matt when an enemy was near went on red alert as she stalked past him to the trellis.
“Are you coming or not?” she said quietly before climbing back down.
Matt had no other choice but to follow her back down to the balcony where Jeremiah and Marie waited. By the time his boots hit the stone, the women were in Daphne’s bedroom with the door shut.
“What happened up there?” Jeremiah asked.
“I’m not exactly sure,” Matt said with a sigh.
Jeremiah’s frown said that wasn’t entirely true, but he didn’t press Matt further. “Mind taking over the rest of the evening? I know it’s still technically your night off, but there are a few things I want to check on.”
“Sure, I have nowhere I need to be,” he said and ran a hand over his face.
Jeremiah patted him on the shoulder in thanks and left Matt in the living area, staring at the mess in the room. He called for a broom and dustpan, and once a servant dropped them off, set to work cleaning and telling himself this was the only way it could be.
***
Daphne leaned her head against the window and considered telling her parents they should just add bars to them all and be done with it. She knew that was a little overdramatic, but at the same time, all her hopes of a change happening were shattered. Up on the roof, right before Matt dragged her away, the thought of stepping out into nothingness had crossed her mind. She would never have done it, but the thought frightened her all the same.
How desperate was she becoming to get out of there? And allowing herself to think for one night that Matt had been serious about everything he’d told her… Daphne glared at her reflection in the window. It was all a joke, a horrible disgusting joke, and she was stuck like a damn puppet in the middle of it. Unable to be free. Unable to do anything except play her part.
“Did you hear me, Daphne?” Marie asked, and Daphne jumped. “You need to eat something. Please.”
“I told you I’m not hungry,” she replied and plopped down in the armchair in the corner. “Really, Marie, I’ll be fine. You can go.”
“I think I’ll stay a while longer,” Marie said brightly.
Daphne couldn’t help but grin. Marie was, after all, her friend, and she loved her for always being there when she needed someone to talk to. “I don’t know what to do.”
“With your parents or Matthias?”
Thinking of what Matt had said on the roof, Daphne glared at the far wall. “Both. Why would he say that? Why tell me he wanted it to be more and then act like what we shared last night meant absolutely nothing to him?”
Marie sighed and sat next to Daphne. “And this is why I wish you had more exposure to the menfolk.”
“I’ve had exposure,” she argued.
“Not with a man like Matthias you haven’t,” Marie corrected. “Listen, what he told you tod
ay, there’s a reason he’s trying to push you away.”
Daphne rolled her eyes. “No, there’s not, except that he’s a bastard.”
“Right then, and on that note, I’m going to run to the kitchens and bring you something to eat.”
“Wine, too?”
Marie grinned. “Several bottles of wine. Jeremiah is just outside the door if you need anything. Please don’t stay cooped up in your room all night, my lady.”
“Thanks, Marie,” Daphne told her with a smile, and once she was gone, she sank back into her chair, tapping her fingers on the arms. Staying in her room the entire time her parents were gone did seem childish, and she never threw tantrums. After a quick trip to the bathroom to wipe her face and pull her messed up hair back into a ponytail, she changed into jeans and a tank top and walked out of her bedroom.
When she spotted the dark head of hair on her couch and the clenched jaw, Daphne froze.
“Princess, how are you feeling?” Matt asked quietly.
“How am I feeling?” she repeated on a breath. “How am I feeling? That’s all you have to say to me? Where the hell is Jeremiah?”
“He had to take care of something,” he said shortly.
Daphne shook her head. “Course he did,” she muttered and really looked around her room. The shattered lamps, the glass, the overturned table… All of it was gone, and the floor had been cleaned. “Did you do this?” Matt nodded once. “You didn’t have to, and you can leave.”
“No, my job is to protect you, and that’s what I’m going to do,” he said, settling even deeper into the couch. “Even if it means from yourself.”