Unwrap the Truth: Regal Rights Book #2

by Ali Parker

  “Then I’m not going anywhere,” Sophia said with a devilish grin.

  I wished I could close the distance between us, but it was highly inappropriate and not the best time with mother scowling at us.

  On my way over to Mother, it was hard to sort through the mixed emotions within me. I was devastated to know that Father only had a short time to live, but having Sophia with me made it a little easier to bear. Seeing Mother still holding onto her hatred for Sophia—well, the idea of her—added some anger into the mix. If I chose to become king, I couldn’t let Mother feel as if she had any power over my decisions. If Father couldn’t keep her in line, then I would.

  “I cannot believe you deliberately disobeyed my request,” Mother said loudly enough for Sophia to hear.

  I walked toward the interior of the palace, forcing Mother to follow me if she wanted to have a civilized discussion. Not that anything she had to say about Sophia would be civilized, but at least Sophia wouldn’t have to be subjected to Mother’s remarks about her. Sophia already knew that Mother didn’t approve, but that didn’t mean she had to listen to Mother’s verbal abuse.

  “I didn’t disobey you,” I said. “I made a mistake. I didn’t inform Sophia of what was happening. She called Maddox, frantic when she couldn’t reach me. He told her about Father, and she came right away.”

  Playing up Sophia’s emotions was easy. I had imagined her returning to me so many times. With the ruse still in play, Sophia would go along with anything I said and vice versa. We were in this together.

  “She came here on her own?” Mother asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “That’s what people in love do for each other.”

  “Don’t go into this again,” Mother said, throwing a hard look in Sophia’s direction. “She’s using you. Now that she knows your Father is sick, she’s pushing herself into your life to get a title.”

  “I would appreciate if you gave my girlfriend the respect she deserves,” I said through my teeth. Sophia had wanted an article for her newspaper about me. That was her initial motivation. She didn’t want a title, but it was something I would have to discuss with her at some point. I didn’t ever want her out of my life, but I couldn’t very well become a king and not bring her along with me.

  “You need to show your Mother some respect,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “She is not welcome in my home.”

  “This is our home,” I said. “I don’t have time for any drama in my life right now. Father is the focus, not you. So Sophia will stay in the palace, and you will be nothing but kind to her.”

  Mother sighed. “I don’t have to be anything to her. Once this little infatuation goes away, then you will tell me that I was right.”

  “I will tell you no such thing,” I said, lowering my voice. She’d gone too far now. “Sophia is extremely important to me. She’s going to stay in the palace for as long as I wish. It would be in your best interests to make an effort.”

  Mother’s eyes bulged out of her head, and I knew I had gotten the message across. She never spoke to Father in that way, and she would have to learn to afford me the same courtesy, especially when it came to who I chose as my queen.

  Without waiting for a response from her, I went back outside to fetch Sophia. She had her back turned toward me. I guessed she was giving Mother and me some privacy, though I knew from the tension in her shoulders that she’d heard some of it.

  She whirled around when I arrived by her side. “Luke, I can stay in a hotel. It’s not a big deal.”

  “It is a big deal,” I said. “I want you with me.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “You should be with family right now.”

  “I am,” I assured her.

  She quirked her lips but didn’t argue with me further.

  I offered my hand to her, and she took it. I didn’t realize how much I missed holding her hand. It was the most intimate we’d been in the time we’d known each other. There was no reason for us to make out in front of my parents, but I had a feeling that she wouldn’t mind doing it if I asked her. I would never overstep, but I would if Mother and Father insisted on making sure that Sophia and I were a genuine couple.

  Surprisingly, no one other than Mother questioned our relationship. It was mostly because she wanted me with anyone other than Sophia since she wasn’t someone that Mother picked out specifically for me. Even if I found a beautiful Middle Eastern woman on my own, I doubted Mother would show approval, which was why I didn’t care much for her feelings on the subject. She could stew all she wanted. I was happy, and I intended to stay that way.

  Besides, we had more to worry about than who I was going to marry.

  We walked down the halls of the palace hand-in-hand while I pulled Sophia’s suitcase along beside me. It was light, as if Sophia hadn’t expected to stay a while.

  I hoped she would. Even if she ran out of clothes, I had enough money to purchase her an entirely new wardrobe if that was necessary. I knew that would be a red flag for Mother, so I would hold off on that plan for now.

  “I feel like it’s been months since we were here,” Sophia said.

  “I know what you mean,” I said. All of the worrying I had done over the last week made the time drag on. I could have counted the seconds that Sophia was out of my life. While I wanted to go into a little more detail about what she’d been up to, at the same time, I didn’t care. She was here with me, and that was all that mattered.

  As we headed down the hallway toward the guestroom she’d had over the weekend, a spark of an idea came to mind. For the most part, we weren’t pretending about our relationship anymore. While we needed to have an actual discussion about it, the only time we were alone was during meals and outings. Since Mother was sure to accompany us to our meals to make it as uncomfortable as possible and I didn’t plan on leaving the palace anytime soon, I wanted Sophia to stay with me.

  There was no specific rule against it. I had given her a private room out of respect for my parents and so Sophia could have time to herself.

  Not anymore. I wanted her with me. We were going to do this the right way if we were going to do it at all.

  “Where are we going?” Sophia asked, glancing at the room where she stayed before.

  I tugged her alongside me. “You’re not staying there.”

  “Oh, is the room being cleaned?”

  I smirked. “Something like that.”

  Over the years, Mother didn’t change anything about my childhood room. In her mind, I was probably the six-year-old kid that she adopted. But in the few times I visited, I consulted with the interior decorators and updated my room from a teenager’s space to something more in my style.

  It was a good thing that I did because when I opened the door for Sophia, the look on her face was priceless.

  Seeing my room through her eyes was like seeing it for the first time. I opted for more modern furniture, but the room still held the elegance in the light fixtures and the trim around the windows and doors.

  “Is this your room?” Sophia asked.

  “It is,” I said.

  “Where are you going to stay?”

  “Here,” I said.

  “With me?”

  “Is that a problem?” I asked.

  She hesitated with one foot over the threshold. “I don’t know. I was under the impression that we were supposed to stay in separate rooms.”

  “Do you want to be in a different room?” I asked her, hoping that her response was a resounding no, but I wanted her to be comfortable. “I can arrange that for you.”

  She shook her head. “Your mom doesn’t approve of me. Is this going to upset her even more?”

  “She’s going to have to deal with it,” I said, pulling her into the room. I kicked the door closed and brought her close to me. Her head tilted back, and I softly caressed her cheek with the back of my hand. Her skin was so soft. “This is my decision.”

  She shivered in my arms. “There’s something different about you, Lu
ke. I can’t quite put my finger on it.” She touched my chin and played with the stubble there.

  “Do you like me like this?” I asked her. I would do anything to keep her. If that involved growing a beard and sticking up to my mother, then so be it.

  “I do,” she said. “But as you said, it’s your decision.”

  I smiled and that urge to kiss her returned.

  She was the one to break away from me first. “I think we should see how your father is doing.”

  I nodded. As much as I wanted to talk about Sophia and me, or take us to another level, Father’s health was the most important thing at the moment. I had plenty of time to spend with Sophia after I announced her arrival. With her staying in my chambers, I had the entire night to be with her. The thought of what we would do clung to the front of my mind. Even though I tried to clear it, my imagination ran wild at sleeping next to her and being that close without any prying eyes nearby.

  In a situation where I wanted time to stand still, I couldn’t wait for the day to end.

  8

  Sophia

  I couldn’t believe that Luke wanted me to stay in his room. The gesture felt intimate, and I surprised myself by how ready and willing I was to stay with him. I worried that his mother would have a fit, but the way that Luke commanded the conversation with her earlier made me think that his father’s illness had changed him. I was glad that I wasn’t the one to bring about that change in him. In a way, I felt as if he would blame me for knowing first, even though I stumbled upon it accidentally.

  Watching Luke as he walked next to me, his shoulders were relaxed yet pushed back into a perfect posture. He looked more like royalty than ever. Over the last weekend we had been here, he was relaxed and ready to defend our relationship. This Luke had the weight of the kingdom on his shoulders, and I wondered if he had accepted the role of king yet. Would it be appropriate for me to ask? It wasn’t time to be shy with him when my job was on the line.

  I thought he would tell me, but maybe he wasn’t ready for that discussion. I didn’t think I was either. If he was going to be king, what would happen to us? Even though we had admitted our feelings for each other, did he see me as someone who would give up everything and live with him as his queen? Would the people even accept someone like me? Or was Luke biding his time with me until he made his decision? Or was I overthinking everything? We weren’t officially a couple yet, but I doubted Luke would refuse to answer me if I needed clarity.

  If he didn’t want me around, he could have been polite and left me in the same room I’d occupied over the weekend. For him to put my things in his room added a layer of delicious confusion to my already whirring brain.

  Luke was silent for the entire walk to his father’s chambers. I recognized the hallway as the place where I heard Erol’s doctor speaking to him about his diagnosis.

  I acted as if I’d never been to that part of the palace, even though the memory made my heart sink.

  Luke didn’t seem to notice my reaction, which was a good thing.

  He knocked on the door to Erol’s chambers and then stepped inside. Initially, I worried that we might wake the king, but he was sitting up in his bed when we arrived.

  Luke’s mother stood up from her chair, her face stone cold but not angry. At least that was a start.

  She touched her husband’s hand and then brushed past Luke and me before leaving the room.

  “Don’t mind her,” Erol said, waving for us to enter.

  Luke didn’t let go of my hand as he went to his father’s side. Erol’s face was much paler than it had been a week ago. His skin looked as if it were falling off his bones. He had lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Guilt surged through me. If only I had told Luke about his father’s illness over the weekend, he could have had more time with him. Was it really for the best? Thinking about the what-ifs only added to the sick feeling in my stomach. At least Luke knew now and could spend time with his father during his final days.

  “It’s good to see you again, Sophia,” Erol said. “I would have preferred different circumstances, but I’m happy you’re here.”

  “You are?” I asked. Heat pressed against my eyes, and I couldn’t stop the tears from forming. He wasn’t even my father, but he had welcomed me with open arms when Luke introduced me to his family.

  “I am,” he said. “As I told Luke, I’ve been sick for a while. I’ve concealed it from my family for as long as I could.” I already knew this, but Luke didn’t. Erol explaining it to me sounded more like him thanking me for not informing his son about what I knew.

  “It’s caught up with me now,” he said, drawing in a ragged breath.

  He sounded as if he had come to terms with dying. It was a terrible thought, but it showed his inner strength.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” I wasn’t sure what else to say.

  He nodded and looked over at his son. “Luke, would you mind going out and refilling the water pitcher?”

  “I can do it,” I said, but Luke stood up, pressing his hand into my shoulder.

  “You’ve had a long trip,” Luke said. He and his father shared a look, and I wondered what that was about.

  Luke left the room and so did all the air in my lungs. The last time I was alone with Erol, I’d eavesdropped on his private conversation with his doctor. Even then, he’d been calm when he informed me not to tell anyone. If only I knew how serious it was at the time, I might have acted differently. The reason I ran away from Luke was because of the secret the king had asked me to keep. Mr. Fraser would have wanted the story about the dying monarch, but I couldn’t do that to Luke or his family—especially if all of them had been kept in the dark.

  “Now that we’re alone,” Erol said before coughing into his hand. The sound was thick with phlegm.

  I grabbed a silk handkerchief from the side table and handed it to him. I hoped it wasn’t a family heirloom or something.

  “Thank you,” he said, wiping at his mouth. “I appreciate you keeping my secret.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said. “Not that it did much good. They all found out anyway.”

  “My dear, I’ve been fighting this illness for a long time,” he said. “I’m an old man, and I’m tired of fighting. You couldn’t have prevented that.”

  “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

  He sighed. “Pride, I suppose. I should have said something, but there’s no changing the past. That’s something I will have to bear.”

  “Are you going to tell Luke that I knew?” I asked. I didn’t think he had a reason to suspect our relationship was fake, but I couldn’t be too careful.

  “No,” he said. “He is happy with you.”

  I twined my fingers together in my lap. It was strange having approval from one of Luke’s parents. I wanted to know more. “You think so?” Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I pressed my hands against them.

  “My dear,” Erol said with a smile. It lit up his face. “I’m out of touch with the dating world, but I know love when I see it. Luke’s mother and I didn’t experience it until later on, but I do recognize the signs. Luke is very much in love with you. I’ve never seen him like this.”

  “Like what?” I asked.

  “It’s as if you’re his sun. He gravitates to you. He looks at you as if you’re the answer to every question in the world. I see it even more so since you’ve returned here.”

  “He is different, right?” I asked. As his “girlfriend,” I would notice a change in him without alerting Erol to our ruse.

  “His mother said the same thing,” Erol said. “It’s sad that it took me dying for him to come into his own.”

  “How do you mean?” I asked. I thought we were talking about our relationship, but Erol made it seem as if there was something else I was missing.

  “He’s ready to become king,” Erol said, locking eyes with me.

  Moving my gaze down to the intricately embroidered quilt, I said nothing.

  “You’ve s
een it,” Erol said.

  “I have,” I said, remembering him speaking to his mother and going over her head to put me in his room. I saw the change, and I wasn’t sure if Luke was aware. I could see him as a king, but having that vision also brought up questions about our future. If we had one at all.

  “Luke will make a fine ruler,” Erol said. “He just needs to take the final step.”

  I nodded, focusing more on my future than Luke’s. Luke would be fine either way, but I wondered if I forced him to go back to his life in the UK, he would eventually regret everything and resent me for it.

  “I feel confident in your abilities as well,” Erol said.

  “My abilities?” I asked.

  He tilted his head to the side and smirked. I saw a glimpse of Luke in his expression, and that brought a smile to my face as well.

  “When my son takes the throne, I know that you will be great as his queen.”

  “His queen?” I sputtered.

  “Have you not considered this?” Erol asked.

  I scrambled to think of something. I was tired of outright lying, but I didn’t want the king to die thinking that I would abandon Luke if and when he followed through with his duties. “I have. I just thought we’d have much more time.”

  “I’m afraid you’re out of time,” he said, clasping his hands in front of him. It looked like he was praying, but the way his eyelids sagged, I knew this conversation was coming to an end.

  “Do you want to get some rest?” I asked.

  “Stay here until Luke returns,” Erol said. “Please.”

  “Of course,” I said.

  “Tell me about your journey here,” Erol said. “I suspect it was very different from your first visit.”

  I went into detail about my trip, leaving out the part about the real reason I’d returned.

  By the time Luke returned, Erol had his head back against a large pillow, and his eyes were almost slits. He was awake but barely. I’d skipped some of the more annoying parts of my trip and tried to keep it light and entertaining. I wasn’t sure when or how I was getting home whenever I left, but I hoped Luke would help with his more private accommodations. At least to get me back to the UK.