"You said you went on a date with him. Does he know if--" Tristan asked.
"He knows about you. He knows I have to get married."
"Was he upset about that?"
I shook my head. "No, he wasn't.He was kind of sad that we didn't have more time, but… Maybe a little?"
"Let's go visit him. Tomorrow, maybe?" Gideon asked, looking to me to concur.
" I'll have to ask him when he's off work," I said.
"Oh right, he has a job," Tristan frowned. "We'll have to see what we can do about that. If he's going to do this, he'll need to come live in the palace. I can't imagine the crown would want one of the princess's paramours working as a courier."
"Maybe your father can do something," Gideon suggested.
"Kostas won't want money just given to him," I said. "He's proud."
"Who isn't?" Tristan muttered under his breath. "Find out when he's available and we'll all go talk to him."
My heart was racing as I typed out a text into my phone screen. Gideon and Tristan moved across the room to give me the privacy I needed to finish writing it.
I got a response back almost immediately.
"Off tomorrow all day, would love to meet them. Here at my place, or over at yours?"
He was brave, having two princes and a princess over to his place. And it was also a little surprising, given his previous attitude towards all things royal. But he had no reason to lie to me, so I took it at face value.
I texted him back in the affirmative and turned back to Gideon and Tristan to relay his response."He's in."
CHAPTER NINE
Tristan
Vi's leg bounced rapidly as she glanced out the window. She was clearly nervous.
I didn't blame her: this was a nerve-wracking experience, I was sure. I hoped everything worked out the way she wanted. I wanted nothing but happiness for her.
This Kostas fellow would be a fool not to jump at the chance to be with her, but I had never met him. For all I knew, he could be very traditional and the thought of being with a woman who had two other men in her life romantically might be enough to turn him off.
It felt odd for me, having grown up in a family such as mine, for anyone to not want that kind of life. It made sense. Especially from a royal standpoint. As ruling monarch, it would stand to reason that you would need all the help you could possibly get. And what better place to get it than from those you trusted the most?
But, I supposed Justana was a touch more conservative when it came to marriage. It was a shame, really. It was likely why they put so much stock in their advisors.
I honestly didn't know what to think about George Smithe. That man was fully involved in all of Vi's affairs, and he had her thinking it was a situation she had to live with permanently. If anyone asked me, it made far more sense to take more than one spouse and do away with the advisor role altogether. Perhaps it might be better for all involved parties if the Smithes' duties were relegated to event coordinators, which was what advisors tended to be in Etria.
Vi cleared her throat, the sound brought me from my thoughts back into the present. She folded her hands in her lap after a brief wring, looking for a moment as if she had something she wanted to say but had then thought better of it.
I took a moment to take in her beauty as our driver made another turn. It was true that I hadn't seen her in over four years, but time had been kind to her. She'd allowed her hair to grow long, and it curled slightly on the ends. When she wore it down, it hit just at her shoulders. I longed to reach out and touch it, but I felt we weren't quite there yet.
Gideon, on the other hand, placed his hand on her knee, squeezing slightly. She, in turn, covered his hand with her own and returned the gesture.
My brother had always been affectionate and tactile, so it came as no surprise to me that he was able to slip into such intimacy with Violet so soon.
It warmed my heart to see the closeness that was already bolstered between them, but I wondered how long it would take for Vi and I to share that same affection.
She had been right about our past. We hadn't always gotten along. She was an only child and used to getting her way and, while I was technically the only child of my biological parents, I had two fathers (even if one was an uncle), a very doting mother, and two half-siblings to keep me reigned in.
I always had been the more soft spoken of the three of us, which wasn't exactly a difficult thing to achieve with siblings such as mine.
Gideon was a traditional 'man's man'. He played lacrosse and soccer and all manner of sports, and he also hunted with my father. He even held a few records.
Gwen was the academic and a born leader. She was currently pursuing a degree in economics. She had rightly assumed that Gideon would leave his place in the line of the throne and the crown would be left to her, so she tailored her education to suit that of a future queen.
And then there was me. I supposed I was the dreamer. My mother had fondly dubbed me with the moniker at a young age. I preferred reading and drawing to any of the noisy outdoor things my brother took part in. Still did, truth be told.
Unfortunately, while I was reading levels above what was considered normal for my age, I hadn't been learning the social skills necessary for making friends. Or for impressing my future bride, apparently. So, my soft spoken nature wasn't exactly a boon to me in that respect.
Violet was still skittish around me, and I didn't know how to breach that wall. She'd tried to herself, bless her, the day before, when she'd taken my hand in the hedge maze. Unfortunately, I was too awkward to take what she was offering, and so the gesture stagnated. Even if she had, later that morning, figured out she didn't have to choose between my brother and I and to marry both of us, I still felt like the odd man out. And it wasn't Violet's fault at all. It was mine.
It had always been mine, and I needed to remedy the situation immediately. The thought of doing so was daunting.
I could not remember a time where I haven't known Vi. She was born only a few years after I was, so a large portion of my life had always included her in some way.
I never put a name to the feelings I felt for her, not until we were teenagers.
The summer I turned eighteen, her family came to visit ours. From the moment she stepped out of the car and walked up to the front door of the palace, I started having these nameless feelings.
It was a crush. Or at least that's what my brother called it.
I spent the entire two weeks she was visiting trying to work up the courage to say something to her. She, however, misinterpreted my nervous silence as some sort of slight against her, and promptly ignored me.
I wasn't ever able to muster up the grit to correct her assumption, and she left without my ever voicing those feelings. Though I only saw her once more, two years later, before she went off to college, my feelings for Violet never faltered. I had done so much work to make myself appealing to her, but apparently, I still had more work to do.
I supposed I could start by being supportive during what was surely to be the most nerve-wracking conversation she's ever had. I know, because I had been in her place not twenty-four hours before, only I knew the outcome of the discussion before I'd even started it. She, however, had no clue as to how Kostas was going to take her revelation.
We arrived at Kostas Esker's apartment, and the driver let us out of the car directly in front of it. He had a small concrete porch with a few stairs, a handrail, and what could politely be described as a flower bed to the left of the door.
I was being very polite in calling it that. It merely looked like a barren scrap of land in a concrete forest where nothing could or would grow, given the chance. I didn't want to appear rude or biased against his home, so I worked to keep my face calm and human-like.
Gid nudged me with his elbow. I glanced over and he gestured to his own face, animatedly lifting his expression before pointing to mine.
"You look angry," he whispered.
"Well, I'm not… " I countered.
&
nbsp; "Fix your face, then."
Apparently, I had missed the mark for calm and human-like.
I raised my eyebrows and glanced over at Vi, who thankfully hadn't heard our interchange. She pressed a small white button to ring the doorbell.
I could not pretend to know what the possible draw this man had to Violet, but since it was important to her, that didn't matter.
Of course, when he opened the door, I understood immediately.
He was handsome. I wasn't by any means conceited or full of myself, but I knew I had certain facial features which, when combined, resulted in something other women in my acquaintanceship found attractive. My brother, in his case, was classically handsome in a way that made many women swoon and most men jealous. Kostas Esker was handsome in an entirely different way than my brother or I were.
He had long hair, pulled straight back into a bun at the nape of his neck. A man-bun, as they were called. He had a crooked smile, not one that belied unreliability, but one that made him look cocky and sure of himself.
My initial thought, before I even had a chance to hear him speak, was to wonder if he had any clue how Violet felt about him. And if he knew, did he care?
At that moment, he reached for Violet, pulling her close against him. I watched as his eyes fluttered closed, his lips pressed a kiss to her hairline before he turned his attention to me and Gideon.
Ah. So he was as lost as my brother and I. I suppose that boded well for Violet.
Feeling slightly ashamed for even thinking that Violet could have been taken in by someone who didn't have feelings for her, I dipped my head preemptively, pressing my lips together in an uncomfortable smile.
Kostas bowed slightly, a slight tilting of his upper body, though not quite a full bow. He'd likely never been in the presence of royalty before. Well, other than Violet.
I didn't take it personally. I also was horribly awkward in social situations. Perhaps this was something Kostas and I would have in common.
Gideon, on the other hand, offered his hand for a handshake, pumping Kostas' a bit harder than was strictly necessary. But that was my brother. When he was nervous, he started moving and talking and it was hard to make him stop. He was a bit too much like his father in that respect.
I interceded, also shaking Kostas' hand. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Esker."
"Same," he replied, smirking a little and stepping back from the door. "You wanna come in? "
It was almost refreshing not to meet someone practically falling all over themselves to swoon over royals. However, I got the idea that the way he was treating us was deliberate in every sense of the word. He was on the defensive.
I didn't blame him one bit.
"Kostas, this is Prince Gideon of Etria," Vi said, gesturing to Gid. "And this is Prince Tristan of Etria," she gestured, turning and smiling up at me. I returned the smile, my hands creeping behind my back as I stood awkwardly in the entryway of his apartment.
"Hello… Kostas Esker," he said, pressing his lips into a line. "And if you're here to kick my ass for like," he gestured vaguely, "kissing your woman behind your back…" he looked between us, confused for a moment about which one he was addressing. "Then, I guess have at me, because I'm not sorry."
My voice caught in my throat and I coughed. Gid was speechless, looking between me and Vi.
"Oh no. No, no, no," Violet insisted, and quickly took Kostas' arm and dragged him off to the kitchen. "They're not mad at you, Kostas. They're here for me."
Gideon and I milled around the living room while Vi spoke to Kostas privately, trying not to pick up bits and pieces of their conversation. I could hear from her voice that she was nervous. I glanced over at Gideon, who failed to notice my attempt to get his attention because he was peering very intently at a poster on the wall.
I stepped into the living room area of the room, the floor creaking loudly under my foot. The noise seemed deafening, but it appeared that I was the only one who could tell.
I heard my name mentioned, followed by Gideon's. I suddenly wished I had stayed closer to the kitchen so that I could try to pick up on a mood, on how the discussion was going.
Finally, Violet returned, with a tight smile on her face.
Kostas was wide-eyed, looking between me in his living room and Gideon staring at the poster beside the coat rack.
"So…" he said, clapping his hands together. "I…" he trailed off, laughing nervously. "I don't know what to say."
"I told him about… things," Violet said, swallowing thickly. "He needs to think about it a little more, but he would love for us to stay for lunch."
I tried to read her face, gauge her reaction to his response. I couldn't get a read on her emotions, but my heart went out to her all the same.
She took a seat on the sofa, stiff-backed as she sat down. I took a spot beside her, realizing absently that when she'd told us about Kostas, she'd revealed how she'd made out with him on his sofa.
This was that sofa, apparently.
Kostas sat down on the other side of her, so Gideon was left with the recliner that looked like it could fall apart at any moment.
There was a silence that spanned what felt like an entire hour, but in reality it was only a few seconds.
Kostas was the one who broke it.
"So, if uh… someone told me I was going to be in a relationship with the princess of Justana, who was also in relationships with the two princes of Etria, I would have asked for whatever they were smoking, because, uh… it's kind of a lot." He frowned slightly. "And there are still some questions I have… like… how would this work? Would it be like… all at once or--"
Violet's eyes grew wide.
"We don't have the mechanics worked out yet," I said. "It's still a very new relationship… on all fronts." I glanced around at Violet and then at Gideon, who nodded. "I can say with all sincerity that it will never be all of us at once, because… Gideon's my brother."
"Yes, that… would be odd, to say the least," Gideon said with a dry laugh.
"So, she can only marry a prince, right? So I'd be, what, like the consort or something? " Kostas asked.
Violet pressed her lips together. "I'm actually not sure about that, seeing as I haven't spoken with my father on the subject yet."
My head turned sharply to look at her. "You haven't? "
"When would I have found the time to tell him, Tristan? " she asked, in bewilderment. "I've been with you and Gideon since yesterday, and my father's going to be out of the palace until tomorrow night. It's alright though, I will check around and see if I can speak with him when he gets back."
"What's he going to say when he finds out one of your boys isn't royalty? " asked Kostas. "Didn't you say this wasn't allowed? "
"I don't know what he'll say," she said, letting out a deep exhale. "I don't know at all."
Kostas' hands fiddled with the seams on his blue jeans and suddenly, I realized what the holdup was. The way he looked at her, coupled with the nervous way he was acting… he didn't think the king would approve.
It was honestly not something I had ever entertained either. What if King Mark didn't approve? What if he forced her to choose?
Kostas got up, wiping his hands on the front of his jeans before excusing himself to go make lunch. Even though my stomach was in knots at the prospect of leaving Violet's side, I rose as well, volunteering to help prepare what I could.
Gideon moved to sit with Violet on the sofa as I followed Kostas to the kitchen.
He was pulling bread out of the breadbox when I spoke. Bluntly, as was my forte.
"You're afraid the king won't approve. That's why you're making her wait? " I asked.
He looked at me for a long moment. "Aren't you? King Mark is one of the most conservative rulers we've had in Justana, and that's saying something, because Justana's never been described as anything but conservative. Do you really think he's going to sign off on his only daughter, the crown princess of Justana, being with and maybe marrying three guys? And
one of them is me? " He laughed derisively. "Fat chance. I just don't want to get her hopes up. If I say I'm thinking about it, and then her dad swings the axe, I can just kind of lift out and she won't be as upset."
"What about you? " I asked, taking the bread from him so he could turn back to the fridge to pull out whatever he was making sandwiches out of. "Aren't you going to be upset? "
"Dude. I think you know better than anyone that I'd be devastated. I already was when I thought we only had a set amount of time. How do you think I'll feel if I have the possibility of forever and it gets snapped away because some old fart with a crown wants a cookie cutter marriage for his daughter? "
"Did you ever stop to think that Violet won't take no for an answer? " I asked. He had placed a deli bag of sliced turkey on the countertop, a similar bag of cheese, a head of lettuce, and a tomato. He handed the latter to me and nodded towards the knives in the block in front of me.
He smiled, glancing back at her on the sofa. "I know she won't. But I don't think I could ask her to do that."
"You wouldn't have to."
He pressed his lips together in a line and opened a drawer, lifting out a cutting board. "Here. Don't cut that on the counter top."
We didn't stay long after eating lunch. I could tell that Violet wasn't happy with how the conversation had gone. She was perhaps still a bit of the young girl I'd grown up with in that respect.
"He needs to think about it," she huffed, flopping back in the seat when we were back in the car.
"He does," Gideon said. "And it's not a no."
"It's not a yes either," she countered.
Gideon looked at a loss, so I moved in, unthinking. I reached for her hand and clasped it in mine, holding her gaze when she looked up at me in surprise.
"It's a lot for someone who's not used to the idea," I said gently. "I'm sure he adores you, but it's a lot to take in. It's good that he's thinking about it instead of simply making a decision when emotions are high. The goal is for everyone to be happy, yes? "
"Yes," she replied, clasping my hand tightly.
I could feel Gideon's smile on the back of my head.
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