by Renna Peak
The man bites back a laugh. “I wouldn’t say that exactly, Your Highness.” His smile falls in an instant. “But I’m only saying so because you asked.”
“And he knows that,” I say. “Reginald would never harm someone for speaking their truth. Would you, Reginald?”
His nostrils flare, and he glares at me, then over at Marcell. “I…wouldn’t.”
Before I can get a word out, William is speaking. “Sometimes, being a leader means knowing when to step aside. Sometimes the best way to earn respect is to acknowledge that you aren’t the best person for a job.”
Reginald’s lip is trembling again as he looks between me and my husband. “I…I wouldn’t even know where to begin to do something like that.”
William
This is our chance. If we’re ever going to convince Reginald to give up the throne, it’s now, after he’s been humiliated and torn down.
I have to admit, looking at his sniveling, depressed face, I almost feel sorry for the bastard. Almost.
“You have a choice, Reginald,” Justine says. “You can fix this. You can go back to your old life, more or less.”
“You’d be a hero,” I add. “And if you help Justine become queen instead, you’ll avoid war with Montovia.”
For a moment, I think we have him—but then something shifts in his face again. His gaze turns to me, and his eyes harden.
“There wouldn’t be war if it weren’t for you!” he snarls.
My temper rises at his accusation, but I try to keep my voice calm.
“You know that’s not true,” I say carefully. “If anything, I’ve spent most of these past few months trying to bring our countries together. This feud between us is ridiculous.”
“That’s easy for you to say. We’re the ones who’ve been fucked over again and again by Montovia.”
I can’t help myself—I won’t let him abuse my country in such a way.
“We fucked you over?” I snap. “Only twenty-four hours ago, you committed an act of war! You’re lucky my father didn’t immediately send the entire Montovian army against you!”
My only warning is the flash of anger in Reginald’s eyes. He lunges toward me, his good hand clawing at me, and I’m gearing up to swing at him when Justine pushes between us.
“Enough!” she says. “I’m tired of having to break up your fights!” She looks over at me. “You should know better than to egg him on.”
“I’m egging him on?” I say incredulously.
Justine shoots me a look that carries a silent threat, and I don’t say another word. Meanwhile, she turns to her brother.
“I’ve given you a dozen reasons why you should give up the throne,” she says. “I know you hate me and want to tell yourself that I’m lying, but deep down, I think you know the truth. This is bigger than you, Reginald. Bigger than all of us. So are you going to do the right thing—the thing you know, deep down, will make you happier—or are you going to let your pride rule you?”
Reginald’s silent for a long moment, his face impassible. Suddenly, he jerks away, out of his sister’s reach.
“I won’t stand here and listen to you insult me,” he says.
Justine extends her hand toward him. “Reginald—”
“Enough,” he says, batting her hand away. “I have more important things to do than to listen to you fools. I won’t have my judgment questioned by the likes of you—you’re essentially traitors! The first thing I should do when I’m officially king is have you all hanged.”
He turns and strides down the passage, away from us.
“Think on it, please,” Justine calls to him. “Please, Reginald. You only have until tonight to decide.”
But if he hears her as he walks away, he gives no sign.
Justine
I’m still not sure that my brother doesn’t intend to have me executed for daring to question his authority, but at least he realizes he is not king yet.
William says a quick farewell to Marcell and we head back to the palace and our suite. The protests continue outside the palace grounds, and it still isn’t safe for either of us out there.
“So, about this cousin of yours, the one who’d inherit after Reginald…” William looks over at me as he closes the door to our suite behind him. “Crazier than your brother?”
I give him a slight shrug. “From what I know of him, his family is probably similar to Lady Clarissa’s—wishing they had power and doing everything they can to grab it.”
William groans as he slumps onto the sofa. “Great.”
“My brother hasn’t said he’s going to abdicate yet. Honestly, I don’t know which option will be better for Rosvalia.” I sit down next to him. “Maybe we shouldn’t worry about it.”
He looks at me as though I’m as mad as my brother. “Shouldn’t worry about it? What have we been risking our lives for these past few days?”
I place a hand on his forearm. “For the good of our people. And they’ll still be our people, even if this situation doesn’t turn out in our favor.”
He shakes his head before running a hand through his hair. “Our people.” He nods to himself. “I do like the sound of that.”
I try to give him a small smile, but his head is still turned. “They are our people, William. Regardless of what happens. As much as I’d like to worry about the outcome, we really have no control over it. The only thing we control is ourselves. And I don’t think my brother is going to stop us from leaving this time if he does decide to go through with the coronation.”
“Hm.” William seems to mull this over for a moment before he finally turns to me. “And what will we do if he does?”
“I…I haven’t really thought about it.”
The grin he usually sports slowly grows wider and wider. “We really could do anything, you know.”
I can’t help but smile, too. “I know.”
He glances down at my belly. “Did…did the doctor say there were any limitations? On the things you can do?”
My hand goes instantly to the spot he’s staring at. “No. I don’t think there would be just yet. It’ll be another month or so before I even look like I’m with child.”
“Children.” He grins again, placing his hand over mine on my stomach. “I still can’t believe we’re going to be parents.”
Seeing him this happy about it still makes my heart flutter in my chest. I never could have imagined the joy I could feel, even though we’re going through so many challenges at the moment.
“I know. I still can’t believe it, either.”
“Where would you go? If you had the chance to go anywhere in the world?”
I smile over at him. “Didn’t we already have this conversation? In Berlin?”
“That was before.” He interrupts. “Before we knew we really do have the option to go anywhere.” His smile falls a little as he nods to himself. “We really can’t worry about any of this, can we?”
“We really can’t.” I glance up at the ceiling, thinking about my answer. “I suppose I’d choose somewhere with some snow. Even if we could only go to visit—”
“Oh, there are plenty of resorts we could visit. There’s a fabulous one in Colorado.” His grin widens again. “I’ll definitely take you there sometime.” He watches me for another moment. “But I meant permanently. If you could live anywhere—assuming we’re going to have to leave Rosvalia for good—where would you want to go?”
“You wouldn’t want us to live in Montovia?” I tilt my head. “I thought that was where you always envisioned yourself.”
“It is. But I’m asking where you would want to live. If you could live anywhere.”
“I still…I still think it would be nice to be anonymous. At least sometimes. Maybe a small town somewhere? We could live like everyone else—maybe have a small garden where we grew our own vegetables.”
His eyes soften as his grin falls. “I think that would be lovely.”
“William, I want to be with you. I don’t care w
here it is. Even if we end up in the dungeon, as long as we’re together, it won’t matter. I…I just want us to be a family. As much as I want to bring our children in a peaceful world, as long as we’re together, we can make it work. It won’t matter where we are.”
He stares into my eyes for a long moment. “I want that, too.”
I smile. “Then we agree.”
“Hopefully on more things than we don’t.” He pulls my hand into his. “I’ll do whatever I can to make you happy. To make you laugh. To see you smile every day. I just… I’ll do whatever it takes.”
I squeeze his hand. “You don’t have to do anything, William. Being with you is enough.”
He lifts my hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. “And yet, I find myself wanting to do more than that.”
I know by the look in his eyes exactly what he means—it seems like forever since we’ve been together, even though it was only this morning. But he needs to understand that I want his happiness, too.
“William…”
He tilts his head playfully. “Yes?”
“Where would you live?”
His smile falls ever so slightly. “I suppose…I suppose I would want to live in Montovia. Near my family. Not necessarily in the palace, of course. We could take a house in the city. Or maybe just outside. Though the palace does have plenty of room on the grounds for a garden, you know…”
I nod. I do know. And what I just said to him is true—it doesn’t matter where we live, as long as we’re together.
I smile over at him again, nodding. “I think I would love that.”
“Truly?”
I nod again. “Truly.”
He tips his forehead to touch mine, lifting his hand to my cheek. “Have I told you recently how much I love you?”
“I think so. But I’m not sure I’ve told you how much I love you.” I gaze into his eyes for a moment before I tilt my head, and give him the most passionate kiss I think I’ve ever given anyone.
William
Everything feels out of our control right now. But no matter what sort of craziness is going on around us, Justine is here with me, and we love each other, and that’s enough. We’ll make it through this, she and I—I just wish we knew that the future of Rosvalia would be protected, too. For the moment, though, I just thank my lucky stars that Justine is safe in my arms.
She kisses me passionately, and I kiss her right back, squeezing her against me. I will celebrate every moment I have with this woman, and I’ll never take for granted the miracle of what we have together.
“You’re everything to me,” I murmur to her. “My entire world. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me.”
“You don’t know that. And even if you did, it changes nothing. I love you, Justine, more than I could ever express in words. I need you to know that.”
“I do know,” she replies. “And I feel the same way.”
My fingers move higher up her back, drifting up and up until I reach the nape of her neck. My hand weaves through her hair. It doesn’t seem like enough, telling her how I feel. I don’t think there’s any way I could fully express what she means to me. My body can’t be close enough to hers right now. In a matter of hours, everything could be taken away from us—I want to ensure that I appreciate every moment I have with her in the meantime.
I don’t have to say a word. Within seconds, we’re pulling at each other’s clothes.
After I’ve pulled her skirt up around her hips, I lift her up, holding her against me. She wraps her legs around me, then drops her mouth down to mine. I groan as her tongue slides along my lip. Then I shift my hips, positioning myself at her entrance, and help her slide down onto me. I groan again, but the sound is lost beneath Justine’s own cry of pleasure against my mouth.
Twisting around, I press her back up against the wall. And then I begin to move, driving myself into her again and again. She clings to me, her nails digging into my back through my shirt, her legs wrapping more tightly around me as we come together over and over again. It still amazes me how incredible, how life changing it is every time I join with her—before Justine, I never imagined there was pleasure like this. Now I wonder how I ever lived without it. I can’t imagine how painful it would be to be denied this connection to her.
I’m never letting you go, I think as I bury myself in her. I’ll fight for you until the day I die. And then again for all of eternity. She is my hope, my life, the very essence of my love. She gives meaning to my life, and it’s all the more essential because I never realized how much meaning I was missing in the first place.
“I love you,” I rasp against her hair.
“I love you, too.” Her words feel so sweet against my skin.
I wish we could do this forever, could drag out this intense connection until we knew nothing else, but that isn’t possible. She’s reaching her limit, and her grip tightens on me as my speed increases. Her breaths become shorter, her cries of pleasure quieter and higher. Suddenly her body contracts around mine, and my own release comes quickly. I groan her name as I fill her with my desire.
Afterward, I slowly lower her to the ground. We both lean against the wall, trying to catch our breath as our hearts slow down. I want to hold her in my arms forever. I want to live the life we both dream of—one of peace and happiness, one where we can raise our children in a world where their mother’s people are safe and protected.
I don’t even have to say a word—she guesses exactly where my thoughts begin trending.
“We can do this,” she tells me softly. “We’re going to make it through.”
“I hope so.” I want to believe it so badly. “God, I hope so.”
I straighten and look down into her eyes. Those eyes seem to hold the entire world—all of our hopes and our love. Tonight will be a turning point in our lives—we’ve done everything we can do, and now we can’t do anything but wait and hope for the best. I hate being so helpless.
My thoughts are interrupted by the buzz of my phone ringing.
Frowning, I reach down and tug up my pants, fishing in the pocket for my mobile. My heart sinks when I see Andrew’s name on the screen. I’d like to ignore the call—to keep these last few hours for just Justine and me—but I know I can’t.
“Yes?” I answer. Justine watches me expectantly, worry in her eyes.
“We’ve just heard about the riot outside the Rosvalian palace,” Andrew says. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” I tell him. “Justine, too.”
Andrew sighs. “It’s getting more and more dangerous there. Father thinks you should return home immediately.”
“I can’t. We can’t. At least not before the coronation tonight.”
“Why wait? If Reginald still hasn’t consented to abdicate—”
“He might still change his mind,” I say quickly.
“If he hasn’t changed his mind yet, he likely won’t in the next few hours.”
“I just saw him. He hates this. He hates all of this. He doesn’t actually want to be king, but…”
“But he’s still intending to go through with it?”
I pause. Honestly, I can’t say for sure what Reginald will do. And I know how much is riding on this.
Andrew sighs again. “We’ve given you time, William. Father says—”
“I know what he says. But it’s not over until it’s over. We’re not returning to Montovia until we know what’s going to happen. In the meantime, if father wants to levy sanctions against Rosvalia, then I can’t stop him. But Reginald’s not officially king until tonight. Surely his decision can wait until morning.”
My brother is quiet for a long time. Finally, he says, “I know you’re doing your best, but sometimes these things don’t work out the way we want them to. That’s the sad truth about politics. Sometimes we can do all the right things, and it’s still not enough. We can’t let Maximilian’s actions go unanswered, William. You know
that. We’re responsible for Montovia’s people, not Rosvalia’s. I know you’re doing all you can do, but at some point, you have to realize that certain things are out of your hands.”
“I’m not giving up,” I tell my brother. “Not before tonight.”
I expect my brother to get frustrated, but instead, he only sounds resigned. “I’ll see what I can do to convince Father to hold off on his decision until tomorrow. But I can’t promise anything.”
“Thank you,” I tell him. It’s all I can hope for.
“And William?” Andrew says. “Please, don’t do anything stupid. Be careful.”
“I will,” I say. But in my heart of hearts, I know I’d tear the world down to make this right.
Justine
The next few hours pass by quickly. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so helpless—I have no say whatsoever in my brother’s decision. And there’s nothing more I can do to change his mind.
As the time for the coronation draws nearer, the silence between William and me seems to grow. I can see the worry in my husband’s expression, but there is nothing more I can do.
Reginald knows the consequences of what will happen if he takes the throne. If our circumstances were reversed, I’m not sure I wouldn’t be just as put off—he’s been backed into a corner and he’s decided to fight instead of to give in to the pressure being put upon him by Montovia.
My brother should do what is in the best interest of Rosvalia, I think. My family has seen to it that I have no say in the matter. Generations of Rosvalian royalty have done everything they could to keep women from taking power here. It isn’t as though I grew up expecting anything to be different when the time came for the transfer of power.
William seems to be dressing in slow motion, watching me from the corner of his eye.
“If there was something more I could do, I would.” I turn to face him. “But there is no good answer here.”
“If your brother takes the throne—”
“If my brother doesn’t take the throne tonight, I still would not be queen. Not under the Rosvalian rules of ascension. If he were to abdicate before taking the throne, my father’s cousin would ascend.”