by Leila Haven
“With Anna?”
“No.”
I was getting nowhere and couldn’t hold back any longer. “What were you doing then, Rick? I haven’t seen you for days. Please don’t keep me in the dark.”
He stopped undressing and stared at me. Weariness was worn into his features, making him look far older than he was. Dread started to pit in my stomach, knowing there was something going on that he was keeping secret from me. I didn’t know why he felt he couldn’t talk to me. I thought we were closer than that.
“I’m going to be your wife. There is nothing you can’t tell me.”
He started undressing again. “It’s just palace stuff. Nothing important.”
“Tell me what it is then.”
Rick shook his head and pulled off his trousers, leaving only his trunks on. He climbed into bed and pulled me against him. “I just need to sleep.”
Tears were starting to sting my eyes, but I wouldn’t let them fall until after he switched off the lamp. In the darkness, I let my sadness fall.
Chapter 11
Richard
҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉
In the morning, Melody was gone. I awoke alone, wishing I wasn’t. I should have told her everything last night when she asked; I should have confessed all. But it had been instilled in me since I could talk that royal secrets must not be disclosed to anyone. If she knew about the situation with my father, she might tell someone.
Who would tell another person. Who would then tell the public.
I trusted Melody, I really did, but it was difficult letting go of a lifetime of keeping secrets to myself. Letting her in was something I needed to work on.
Plus, she might take the whole situation and read it completely wrong. She might think I was only marrying her so I could claim my title and that wasn’t the case at all. I wanted to marry Melody. I knew she was the only woman for me. I would marry her anyway; the date was just brought forward.
I couldn’t risk her calling off the wedding under any circumstances. We needed to be married; I would deal with the fallout afterwards. The most important part now was making sure that the line of succession for the kingdom remained secure.
After grabbing some breakfast, I did a round of our guests, making sure they had no inkling that there was something wrong in the palace. When asked about my father, I told them the king was working, as he always was. We’d chuckle about it, sharing a joke about how he was too overworked. Nobody ever accused my father of being a lazy king. They couldn’t know he was too ill to leave his bed.
Dealing with the impending loss of my father, while remembering this was supposed to be one of the happiest times of my life, was difficult. I wanted to celebrate with Melody, but my father’s condition would not leave my mind.
After doing the rounds, I went up to my father’s room and spent the rest of the day with him. Between his naps, he would tell me stories of his life. I told him he shouldn’t exert himself, but it seemed he wanted me to have these stories, pieces of his life I hadn’t known about before.
I left him well after everyone else in the palace had retired to their beds. We were brimming with guests. We hadn’t had all our accommodations full since my father’s thirtieth coronation anniversary.
My room didn’t seem appealing at all. I needed to see Melody and be with her for the night. She deserved it, and I needed it. It was difficult keeping so much from her, but I could at least give her some time.
I crept into her chambers and to her bed, navigating my way around by moonlight that flooded in through the floor-length windows. Her bedroom was darker, but I could make out her sleeping form under the silk sheets.
She looked like an angel while she slept. Her thick eyelashes were moving slightly as she dreamed. It was a shame to wake her. I considered leaving. But I couldn’t. I needed her more than I would admit to anyone.
She stirred. “Are you really here?” she murmured. Her eyes fluttered open and blinked a few times.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Come to bed.” She patted the pillow beside hers. I climbed under the sheets and slid to her side. I wanted to feel her closeness, knowing she was real and she was there with me.
The scent of her peony perfume faintly lingered in the air, filling all my senses with everything that was Melody. I loved being in her bed. I loved it even more when she was in mine. If we were naked, it would be even better.
Her soft curves were inviting, making my cock come alive with excitement. But tonight wasn’t about sex. It wasn’t about chasing an orgasm. It was about being together and the simple comfort that offered. We’d have more time to fuck later on.
She snuggled into me, and it was enough to make me capable of sleep when I thought it would be impossible. I couldn’t wait to have her as my wife, to know she would be mine permanently.
Previously, my life had been about embracing the unknown. Living each day like it was my last and not caring about the consequences. I didn’t want any kind of stability because I knew it would come soon enough. I rejected any kind of growing up.
Now, it was all I could think about.
I craved it like nothing else.
Melody was my future, my rock. I wanted to know she would always be here to greet me when I came home. That she would always be here to hold and provide comfort. I wanted to share every fucking moment of the rest of my life with her.
I also wanted my father to live.
Chapter 12
Melody
҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉
The dress was beautiful, I had to admit that. It might not have been what I would have ideally chosen for my wedding dress, but the designer had done an excellent job. The white fabric complemented my shape and fell all the way to the ground—a long train trailing behind.
“It’s very nice,” Anna said.
My cousins all cooed and ahh-ed their approval. For the first time since I came to the palace, I actually felt like a princess. Butterflies started to unfurl in my stomach at the thought of marrying Rick in this dress. He was going to love it. I knew it without having to think.
The designer, Bella True, pinned and tucked a few areas that would make the dress fit like a glove. She stood back, pursing her lips while her eyes slid over every part of the dress, summing it up to make sure she was satisfied with it. All the eyes of the kingdom were going to be on me in a few days’ time; her work was going to be world famous.
“It will be ready for the wedding,” the designer declared. “You look beautiful.”
They helped me out of the dress—which took three people—and it was bundled away in packaging that would keep it a secret from prying eyes. The whole kingdom was buzzing about what my dress would look like. So far, none of them had got it right.
Next, all the bridesmaids were lined up as they tried on their dresses. It wasn’t just my cousins attending this fitting, Anna’s choice of bridesmaids were there too. I met them in turn, but they didn’t seem very interested in getting to know my cousins or me.
The two different dress styles didn’t seem too odd when they were all dressed. It was obvious, of course, but it also seemed kind of cohesive. They all looked beautiful, and that was the main thing. At such short notice, it would have to do.
It all seemed so much more real after the fittings. We had dresses. This was really happening. Somewhere else in the palace, Rick and his groomsmen were getting fitted for their suits.
It seemed we were all ready for the wedding.
Was I ready to be married?
The question was answered in my mind with a resounding yes. I wanted to be Rick’s wife, and we would tackle whatever the world threw at us together. We were a team. We would keep nothing from each other.
“Melody, we have a problem with the bouquets,” Anna said, jarring me from my daydream of imagining my marriage with Rick. I didn’t appreciate the interruption. Not when the images in my head were so lovely and inviting.
“What’s wrong with them?” I asked.
&n
bsp; “The roses have all wilted, and we don’t have time to get any more. We’re going to have to pick other flowers in the same colors.”
“Surely there are plenty of roses in the kingdom.” It wasn’t like they were particularly rare. Any florist stocked roses. They were even in some supermarkets for crying out loud.
“These were special ones imported just for the wedding.”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. Of course, Anna couldn’t have just picked some regular flowers in the first place. She was making everything so much more complicated than it needed to be. And she was complaining about me being a Bridezilla.
The sigh escaped from my lips involuntarily. “How about we use freesias? They have a lovely scent that will make everything smell beautiful. They are also one of my favorite flowers.”
Anna pursed her lips. “I was thinking more about carnations.”
I prepared myself for a very long discussion where Anna would eventually win and do whatever she wanted anyway. There really was no point in saying anything. She never listened to me anyway.
The next few days passed by so quickly. They were a whirlwind of last minute preparations and social gatherings. I barely saw Rick, but I consoled myself with the fact I would be spending all my time with him on our honeymoon.
It quickly came to the eve of the wedding. I couldn’t sit still. My nerves were too much on edge. Everything was ready, but the thought of having all the eyes of the kingdom on me was freaking me out. If anything went wrong, it would reflect on the royal family, and I didn’t want to tarnish their perfect image.
The only thing that could calm me down was seeing Rick. He always knew what to say and do that would settle my nerves. I needed to see him one last time before we were sequestered away until the wedding ceremony.
He wasn’t in his rooms so I went to his office. Knowing him, he was probably working right up until the last minute. He needed the break of the honeymoon more than he realized.
As I approached his office, I heard voices talking. I stopped when I heard one of them was Anna. She was in his office, on the eve of our wedding, I needed to know what they were talking about. Despite her good behavior over the last few days, I still didn’t trust her one little bit.
I sidled up to the office and pressed myself against the wall in the corridor so they wouldn’t see me. I wanted to hear them discussing wedding details so my suspicious mind could be proven wrong.
“Will he be able to stand during the ceremony?” Anna asked.
“He shouldn’t, but he wants to. I think we should have everyone sit down so it’s not obvious that he needs assistance. He can’t argue then,” Rick replied. I wondered whom they were talking about. Nobody had said anything to me about someone unable to stand.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll arrange it first thing in the morning and let the others know. How’s he doing, really?”
I could hear the squeak of his chair as Rick sat down. “To be honest, I’m expecting the call from the doctor at any moment. He’s trying really hard to hang on for the wedding, but…”
“Your father is a strong man. He won’t give up until you’re married. He won’t risk the kingdom going to your uncle.”
“I wish that damn clause wasn’t in the legislation. It’s made this whole thing a rushed mess. I shouldn’t have to be married before I can inherit the crown.” His words were laced with anger.
My mind spun out of control as I processed what he just said. The wedding was a rushed mess? He had to be married before he could inherit the crown? His father was dying?
Grief over the king’s illness mixed with anger and hurt. Rick was only getting married because his father was on the verge of dying, and he needed to satisfy the legislation of succession.
He wasn’t marrying me because he loved me.
My heart imploded in my chest, the pain shocking through me like an explosion. It threatened to suck all the oxygen out of the air. I wanted to run and hide, but that’s not what I needed to do.
I stepped into the room, barely able to control myself. Anna and Rick were sitting on the couch with a drink in hand. They looked up at me with a surprised expression on their faces.
“How dare you use me like that!” I yelled. For now, the tears were at bay, but they would come soon enough. I just needed to get through this first. Rick stood and stepped closer to me, but I stopped him with a hand out. “Don’t come anywhere near me.”
“It’s not what you think, Melody. Let me explain.”
“I heard everything. All your dirty little secrets. You don’t want to marry me. You’ve been lying to me all this time. I’m just a pawn in this game, someone to fill a space so you can be king.”
“No, it’s not like that. I love you. I—”
“I can’t believe you’re still lying. Tell me, Richard, if your father wasn’t ill, would you have proposed to me like you did?” My hands were shaking, so I placed them on my hips to hide it. I was falling apart, and my chest ached with the pain of it.
“Yes, I would have proposed to you. Of course I would have.”
“Right then and there?”
He hesitated, and it was all I needed to know the truth. Our whole engagement was a sham: he didn’t want to marry me; he wanted to inherit the crown.
To make it all worse, Anna was there to witness the whole argument. She was the last person I wanted around to see our ending and my humiliation. She was probably enjoying the show.
I looked at Rick one last time, the face of the man I loved. The lips that had kissed me until I was dizzy, the hands that had brought me untold pleasure, the eyes that had burned into my soul. I loved him so much. He was the only one capable of hurting me so badly, and he’d done it.
He tried to speak again, but I didn’t want to hear anything he had to say. It would only be lies, and I couldn’t process any more. I turned and left, not listening to anything else he threw my way.
I didn’t know what I was going to do next. My thoughts were all scattered. The pain in my heart too much for anything to make sense.
All I knew was that I couldn’t marry Rick.
Not like this.
Chapter 13
Richard
҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉
I wasn’t going to let her run away from me. Melody couldn’t tell me to shut up and actually think I could leave words unsaid. I chased after her down the corridor.
“Melody, please just stop and listen to me. It’s not how you think it is. I love you. I want to marry you more than anything, you have no idea how much I need you.” I begged and pleaded with her, throwing all the truth out there for her to hear.
But she wasn’t listening. It was like Melody had pulled everything inwards and was shutting down. I needed to stop her before she did anything stupid.
“Will you please just stop!” I said, too harshly. I hadn’t intended for it to sound like such a command.
Melody spun around to face me, her cheeks red and her eyes wet. “I don’t have to do anything anymore. I’m out. I’m done playing this game.”
“It’s not a game. I love you. Please don’t do this.”
“I’m not doing anything. I’m the only one who has done everything right, gone along with everything to make sure this wedding happened, and I was doing it all for the right reasons. Unlike everyone else. Tell me one thing, Richard. Did everyone know about this? Or was it just me in the dark?”
“Very few know about my father.”
“And Anna, of course, is one of those few.”
“She needed to understand the urgency of the situation. She’s worked closely with my parents for a very long time.” I didn’t see what Anna had to do with anything, but it seemed important to defend our choice of whom to trust.
Melody shook her head slowly, as if in disbelief, and turned to leave. “I’m sorry about your father. I really am.”
I got the feeling this time that I needed to let her go. She wasn’t listening to me. She needed to calm down. Once she realized
how much I loved her, how true that love was, she would see reason.
She stomped down the corridor and turned a corner so I could no longer see her.
Lying to her had been my choice, and I was now suffering the consequences of doing so. I knew it was a mistake as I was doing it, but she wasn’t supposed to find out like this. She shouldn’t have learned of it by overhearing the wrong conversation.
“Is there anything you would like me to do?” Anna asked. I hadn’t heard her join me.
“I don’t know how to fix this,” I admitted. It was rare I couldn’t solve a problem with some booze or money. This was a new world to me.