by Leila Haven
“I love you so much, Melody. I pray that you will join me in three hours so I can have the opportunity to spend the rest of my life making you unbearably happy. That is all I want. The kingdom and the crown do not factor into this prayer. It is selfishly all for me.”
Tears were pricking my eyes, and I blinked so they wouldn’t fall down my cheeks. If I wiped them away, he would know, and I didn’t want him to know his words had brought me to tears.
The leaves rustled again as he left. When I turned around, I couldn’t see him anywhere. The whole thing felt like a dream, like maybe I’d imagined it all.
Words were cheap. I needed to remember that. What Rick had shown me was his capacity to lie and keep secrets. To be able to go behind my back and keep some massive information from me. Did I want a marriage like that? Of course not.
All the pretty words in the world couldn’t undo what he’d done. Plus, I didn’t know if he was keeping anything else from me. What if this was only the tip of the iceberg? After all, I only found out because I’d overheard him talking about it with Anna. What else would I have learned by lingering at doors?
I only had three hours to decide what I would do. My instincts were telling me to run. Violet could help me leave. She had access to a car. I knew she would also help me find a place to stay until I could get back home. My cousins and I could take a train out of the city. We could make the afternoon express.
The pressure weighed on me as surely as a cement brick wall. There wasn’t enough air to completely fill my lungs and the space where my heart used to be felt gaping and sore.
Guests were going to be flooding through the palace gates soon. It would be best if I left sooner rather than later. I didn’t want to run into anyone I knew and have to explain why I was going in the opposite direction of the wedding.
My first step was to find Violet.
Then I would leave.
Chapter 15
Richard
҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉
My black suit felt hot and too small. The whole room felt stuffy and just wrong. I didn’t know why I was bothering to get dressed for a wedding where I wasn’t marrying Melody.
I’d said everything I wanted to say to her. I could have gone on and on, thrown myself at her feet, but I knew she wouldn’t respond to that. She needed honesty when I’d lied to her. So I cut my heart open and let it bleed in the forest.
It was only a hunch that I would find her there. The guards at the gate said they hadn’t seen her leave so the woods seemed like a good place to go and hide. I’d done it enough myself over the years.
There was nothing more I could do to convince her to marry me. All I could do now was pray and hope that she would walk down that aisle.
Otherwise… I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. My father’s condition hadn’t changed. I needed to be married in the next twenty-four hours. The doctor couldn’t guarantee any more time after that. He was strong, but it wasn’t fair to keep him holding on when it was painful to do so.
My groomsmen and the bridesmaids were all preparing in different parts of the palace. Everybody was proceeding as if nothing was wrong. Only my parents, the doctor, our lawyers, and Anna knew what was really going on and how precarious this wedding actually was.
Someone knocked on the door softly. It opened before I could permit them entry. Anna stepped in and closed the heavy oak door immediately afterwards. “You look very handsome.”
“The suit doesn’t fit very well,” I replied. “You look very beautiful.” The compliment made her beam. She was wearing a long cream satin dress that accentuated her curves without being showy. My mother would have loved it.
“It’s almost time to go down,” she stated, like I was heading toward the death chamber instead of my wedding. “Have you heard from Melody?”
“I found her, but it’s questionable whether she’ll show up.”
“She hasn’t been in to change into her dress.”
My hopes fell. “I guess that’s my answer then.”
Anna took a few steps closer, so that she was standing directly in front of me. In all the time since I’d known her, I don’t think she’d ever been that close to me before. “I’ll be there, Richard. I’ve always been there for you, and today is no exception. I’d like to be there for you into the future too.”
“Anna, I…” I didn’t know what to say. I needed a wife, and Anna was stepping up to solve a very big problem I had. I couldn’t throw away the one opportunity that may save the kingdom.
She placed her hand in the center of my chest. “You know I’m perfect for this, Richard. You know I will be the best damn princess around. Far better than any of your other previous candidates. Plus, I love you, and I know you love me too. In time, your attraction will grow. I can be the sexy woman you need.”
Thoughts of fucking this woman were almost repulsive. She was never someone I considered taking to bed before. We just didn’t have that kind of relationship. Plus, she was nothing compared to Melody.
But what was my pleasure compared to the good of the kingdom? How could I look my parents in the eyes and say I put my happiness over the good of millions of people?
I was a prince. It was about time that I started acting like one.
“Thank you for your offer. I may have to take you up on it,” I replied. It took a piece of my soul to say the words out loud and know how true they were. In less than an hour, Anna might be my wife. She might be the one I had to take to bed tonight in order to consummate the marriage.
She stepped up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine. Her lips felt dry and cold. “I will see you down there, Richard. I promise we’ll be happy together, just wait and see. I am exactly what the kingdom needs.”
Anna slipped out of the room as suddenly as she had appeared. The next time I saw her would be at the end of the aisle, where she would wait for me to give her the signal to step up.
Then we’d marry.
My life was just one rollercoaster ride after another. With my father, the kingdom, my future, my wife, everything was just fucked up. There was no other way to describe it.
Completely fucked up.
Spectacularly screwed.
Undeniably in disrepute.
I was about to throw my happiness away for the sake of the kingdom, exactly what I’d feared my whole life. I would never have the same love that my parents shared. I would never get to have Melody by my side, my partner in everything.
Above all the misery, I knew what I would regret most was hurting Melody. I was going to miss her terribly. She was a huge part of me, the other half to my whole. How I was going to live without her now seemed impossible to comprehend.
I couldn’t leave it any longer to go down. I left the sanctuary of my rooms and headed up to see my parents. They had to be ready too, and I was worried my father wasn’t going to be fit enough for the ceremony.
When I entered, my mother was looking as beautiful as ever in her long gown. She was wearing a blue sash and had on her diamond crown—as was tradition and expected. The King of Illium was also regally dressed in his finery. For the first time in a long time, he was standing.
I rushed to him. “How are you feeling today?”
He coughed before answering. “Today, I am not the important one. How are you feeling, son?”
“Nervous.”
“You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t nervous on your wedding day. It’s an important occasion. I’m so proud of you, son.” He started a new round of coughing. “I know the kingdom is in safe hands with you. You’re going to do a fine job.”
There was so much I wanted to say to my father, but it would have to wait for a better time. After the wedding, when the pressure was off, then we could talk openly. My head was too full of the mess with Melody to truly give it the time it needed.
“Shall we go down?” I asked.
They all agreed, and we started the long and slow journey down to the ceremony. All the guests were ready and waiting
for us, willing the show to go ahead with haste. Nobody wanted to sit through a long and boring ceremony, even if it was televised.
The chapel we had on the palace grounds was as big as a full-sized church. It was where he held all our official personal ceremonies. I had been christened there. My parents had been married there. I hoped it would still hold happy memories for us into the future, even if I did have to marry someone I didn’t love like a groom should.
All the pews were filled with our guests. They all stood when we were entered, as was tradition. Anyone who didn’t stand would be deemed an enemy of the crown and ejected from the church. Nerves rushed through me at seeing so many people about to witness my nightmare.
I took my spot at head of the aisle and purposefully looked ahead at the dais. I couldn’t look at the doors. Something about a watched pot never boiling had me too superstitious. All I wanted in the world was for those doors to open and for Melody to come through.
Anna caught my eye as she stood off to the side. She gave me an encouraging smile, all ready to step in and save the day like she’d done on so many previous occasions. I got the feeling she was going to have her chance again today.
Time was wearing on. Every moment that passed felt like hours. My parents kept shooting me worried glances. Anna kept smiling. The priest cleared his throat several times.
All we needed was a bride.
I was going to have to marry Anna.
Chapter 16
Melody
҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉
Violet arranged for her car to be waiting on the other side of the gates. She was to stay behind and tell my cousins where I went. Eventually the news would reach Rick and the royal family. By then, I would be long gone so they couldn’t intimidate me into returning.
I wasn’t entirely sure what the palace was capable of, but I got the feeling being on their bad side was not a pleasant place. They ran the country. They could do anything they liked. I was just a mere commoner, someone to pick on if they so wished.
The front gates were in sight, as was the royal guard in the little room next to them. He had already spotted me, his eager eyes watching me as I headed directly for him.
Once I was through those gates, we were done. That would be it for us. I would no longer be a part of his life, and he would no longer be a part of mine. It all seemed so final, so definitive. They were just gates made out of steel and concrete, but they represented a one-way journey.
There was no turning back once I was through. My legs stumbled and came to a halt. Did I really want to do this? I’d been so excited about marrying Rick, so excited about the life we’d share together, the children we’d have. Was I really going to turn my back on all that?
He lied to me. There was no undoing that. But he did it out of his allegiance to the crown, to protect the stability of the country. It didn’t change the fact he loved me.
And I loved him.
I couldn’t cross that threshold. The thought of never seeing Rick again made me want to crawl into a hole and never come out again. He had already stolen my heart. It lay in his hands. I would never be able to turn my back on him.
But was I too late?
The wedding was supposed to start half an hour ago.
Turning around, I started running for the chapel like my life depended on it. If the wedding had already been called off, I might be able to convince them to go ahead with it again. Surely Rick would tell them to resume their seats so we could get married? He was a prince. He’d have that authority.
The palace was so damn big that getting anywhere took forever. As fast as I ran, it never seemed to get any closer. My feet pounded on the ground, getting tangled up together in my haste. I lost track of how many times I almost stumbled to the floor.
I was puffing by the time I finally reached the doors.
They were closed, not open and waiting for the blushing bride. Rick must have called it off, told everyone to go home. What would he do about inheriting the crown? I felt sick for the trouble I’d caused. I should have come to this conclusion hours ago.
I pulled open the heavy doors and stood there, shocked to see the place full to the brim with seated guests in their finery. The daffodils looked beautiful as they graced every pew in the church. Not as good as sunflowers would have looked, though.
Rick was at the end of the aisle, speaking with the priest. Beside him was a woman, one I had come to know very well over the past weeks. She was dressed in a long cream dress.
Anna.
She was standing by his side, as if she were the bride. They were both having a conversation with the priest, almost as if they… were saying vows.
“No!” I screamed without realizing it.
Every head in the chapel turned to face me. They could stare if they wanted. They weren’t on my radar. My gaze was locked on Rick and Anna, standing at the end of the aisle and looking every inch the perfect couple.
I ran down the aisle, ignoring the pain in my ribs. The daffodils hanging from the side of the pews bobbed as I passed them. Rick and Anna were watching me, their expressions unreadable.
Finally, I reached them. “Rick, I’m sorry,” I said quietly, not wanting to make any more of a spectacle of myself than I already was.
“I’m sorry too,” he replied.
“What the hell are you doing?” Anna demanded.
I ignored her. She didn’t have a right to be in this conversation. She certainly didn’t have a right to be standing at the altar with my fiancé. “I want to marry you. Please, say you will. Tell me it’s not too late.”
Rick’s gaze flicked to Anna, and they shared something unspoken. Perhaps I was too late and she’d somehow convinced him she should be his wife. I wouldn’t have put it past her, not with the way she connived with everything she did. And seriously, who chooses to wear cream to a wedding?
“Rick, please,” I whispered.
They were communicating silently, a conversation I didn’t understand. Everyone else in the room was very quiet, giving everything an eerie feel. It was my worst nightmare, definitely not what I had expected for my wedding day.
I didn’t know how to convince him that I was the one for him. That no matter what happened today, he needed to be my husband by the end of it. There shouldn’t be any other options.
Rick leaned in close to speak into my ear. “I can stall them for another ten minutes while you get ready. Hurry so I can marry your sexy ass.”
A smile played on my lips, but only for a second. Ten minutes was not very long to get ready for my wedding. I ran from the chapel by a side door and bolted for the palace. By the time I arrived, my cousins were all huddled around the dressing room, fretting.
“Oh my God, where have you been?” Dami demanded.
“It’s a long story, and I don’t have time to tell you everything now. I have ten minutes to look like a princess. We need to hurry!”
We all got to work. The designer and her assistants were on hand to help me into my dress. The massive amount of fabric was placed over me while I wriggled into it. While they fastened the hundreds of buttons down the back, the hair lady styled, pulled, and sprayed at my hair until it was done. Next, the makeup woman worked like her life depended on it.
Within ten minutes, I was ready. It was a miracle, really. An absolute miracle.
My bridesmaids—my cousins and the strangers—all lined up at the door. Anna had disappeared, so we had to hope we were moving as we should to the chapel. She was supposed to direct us, tell us where and when we were needed.
I guessed we’d figure it out.
We reached the chapel, and my bridesmaids led the way in. I followed them down the aisle; this time proud to have all the eyes on me. I was about to be married to the man I loved, and it was perfect, even if it had been a rocky road.
Rick gave me the biggest smile I’d ever seen when he took my hands in his in front of the dais. “Glad you could make it,” he said.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywh
ere else,” I replied.
The priest cleared his throat. “Are we ready to proceed, Your Majesty?”
“We are,” Rick said.
The ceremony was long, as was royal tradition. My feet started hurting in my new shoes, but it was minor in comparison to everything else. For most of it, we sat down next to the king and queen. I guessed that was for the benefit of his father rather than tradition. At least they knew when to bend the rules.