by Nora Cobb
I rolled my eyes and we both laughed. I was feeling at ease with Arthur. Even after everything that had happened between us, I felt like there was a fragile bond between us, one that could grow into something bigger over time. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You know you can.”
“Explain your friendship with Max and Royce.”
Arthur sighed heavily; his jaw clenched. “There is no friendship at the moment. We’ve had disagreements in the past, but they are pissed that I took you for myself and broke our pact. To be honest, we are only going to be enemies outside of the academy so I’m not so sure it’s worth salvaging.”
“Why will you be enemies?”
“Politics, Anna,” Arthur explained. “We are all from powerful families with equally powerful countries. We don’t talk about what we will see once we’re outside of these walls, but it doesn’t mean that day will not come.”
I felt for him. The kings seemed unstoppable, yet they already had the weight of their countries on their shoulders. They couldn’t be who they wanted to, couldn’t have the friends they would like; for once they walked out of this academy, their entire lives would change. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
I gave him a half shrug this time. “For everything you have to deal with. No wonder you party hard here. It sounds like you aren’t going to have much of a chance in a few months.”
“It will be champagne and long dinners,” he stated. “Schmoozing and politics. A tiresome existence.”
“Maybe you can make them some eggs,” I replied lightly, trying not to get too deep with Arthur or his life.
He did smile then. “Maybe.”
My stomach flipped over, and it took everything I had inside to keep from jumping him right then and there. I couldn’t go down that path again no matter how much I wanted to. “Another tough question.”
Arthur’s grin faded. “All right.”
“Will the other kings attempt to get me pregnant?” Royce’s change in demeanor yesterday had me wondering if they were up to something, like continuing the pact without Arthur.
His expression darkened. “I won’t let them.”
I let out a laugh. “As much as I appreciate the sentiment, you aren’t with me twenty-four-seven.”
“I’m serious,” Arthur continued. “You need to tell me if they try, Anna.”
I wasn’t about to do anything like that. I just wanted to know if I still had to keep my guard up and protect myself from any sort of threat. I wasn’t planning on jumping in bed with anyone anytime soon, but I hadn’t planned on sleeping with Arthur either. “Well, if I am truly the next Empress of Rome, I could have my pick of concubines to fill a harem.”
Arthur groaned. “Don’t talk like that. That doesn’t even sound right coming from your lips, Anna.”
I grinned, unable to help it. “I mean, it sounds like something interesting. You think I could have one in every hair color?”
He growled and I laughed, enjoying teasing him and getting him riled up. “Trust me,” he finally said. “Once word gets out you will have so many women and men alike throwing themselves at your feet that you will be wishing you were back in this kitchen, eating eggs with me.”
Arthur was right about one thing. I was enjoying being in the kitchen, eating eggs with him.
“Come on,” Arthur said, motioning for me to follow him. I slid off the stool and followed him to his study, his private domain that we hadn’t spent a whole lot of time in. Arthur moved to the desk and opened the drawer, pulling out a picture frame. “You want to see something interesting?”
My curiosity piqued, I took the picture frame that he was holding out, looking at the kid that was grinning in the picture.
“That’s you,” I said softly, touching the frame.
“It is,” Arthur said softly. “It’s a reminder that we all started out innocent enough. This world that I live in, it will ruin you after a while, Anna. I keep this photo to help remind me that I wasn’t so bad once upon a time.”
I handed it back to him, understanding what he was trying to tell me. I was about to wade into a world that I didn’t understand, one that could run me over and make me go down the wrong path that could end up disastrously. It was too late for him, but not for me.
***
After a few hours of talking and some serious foosball in Arthur’s game room, I made my way back to my room, dumping my bag on my bed. I had to admit, today had turned out better than I thought it would between Arthur and me. He hadn’t tried to make any moves, nor had he made any weird comments that would have made me super unnerved.
Instead it was almost like we were friends and before I left, he offered to help me with my search for more information.
For that, I was grateful to him.
Not that I trusted him at all. I couldn’t. He had lied to me, nearly ruined my life, and then was unapologetic for the longest time for what he had done.
I couldn’t forget that, but I could start to forgive at least.
Pulling out my notebook, I ran a finger over the names of my grandparents, wondering if they were still alive. I hadn’t been brave enough to look up who was the current emperor and if I had any connections to him, not sure what I would do if I found out that I did. I didn’t know if I was ready for this major change that could be coming. What if I was all wrong for it? What if I revealed myself and he had me killed because he didn’t like my mother or the fact that I had been born?
It was a very scary thought and I could be laying it all on the line.
Sighing, I threw the notebook on the bed, rubbing my forehead. It was a lot to think about really, but I was glad that I had kind of patched things up with Arthur. I wasn’t so sure I could even talk with the other kings like I had with him today. I didn’t understand what they were getting at or what their motives were with each interaction.
Clearly, Arthur didn’t think they would give up the pact to get me pregnant.
Still, it was very interesting that they saw me as some sort of baby-maker for them to move forward with their political needs. I mean, this academy was full of political advancement. I couldn’t be the only one they were interested in.
I was sharing a room with a freaking princess, for God’s sake!
I wouldn’t take Arthur’s words lightly either. He had given me valuable advice and I was going to heed his warnings. He was right. I was about to be a pawn in a lot of people’s games, and it would be up to me to survive them.
Chapter 20
Two days later, I wandered back into the archives, my hands in my pockets. The academy was really empty now, the two-week break across all ranks clearing out most of the students so that they could go home to their lavish lives and their families.
Me, well, I had nowhere to go. I was probably the only student at this academy that didn’t have a home to go to, a family to fuss over me or ignore me as some probably dealt with. There was no new car or mound of cash waiting to surprise me, even though Johanna had offered to take me with her this morning.
I had declined, not wanting to see how the other half lived just yet.
So, I was now in the archives, the sights and smells calming me.
“The American lass returns.”
I smiled as I walked over to the curator, gesturing to the seat to his right. “Can I sit down?”
“Of course,” he replied warmly.
I sat in the leather chair, fighting the urge to curl up in the creaky old leather. If I was rich and could have anything I wanted, I wanted to have a large library with chairs just like this. “Can I ask you a question?”
He sat back in his own chair, crossing his hands over his stomach. “Go on.”
“Do you remember a man by the name of Alexei Kameno?”
He chuckled. “Of course I do. I think he spent more time in these archives than I did during his first and second year. Bright boy, far beyond his years in terms of his schooling.”
My heart tripled in beat
. “So, he was smart?”
The curator nodded. “Very. I think he struggled at times to find common ground with the rest of his classmates because of his brilliance. Money doesn’t confer intelligence, no matter what lies they are told, but he had it all.”
Which meant that he was likely a king on campus as well. I thought about the current kings, trying to picture the serious man I had seen on the computer as one of them, living in a mansion and ruling the academy.
I couldn’t picture it.
“You know,” the curator continued, leaning back in his chair. “You look a great deal like him, Miss Komita.”
I flushed, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. “I think I might be his daughter.”
The curator didn’t look surprised. “I think you might be as well, given the rumors flying within the confines of these stone walls. My question to you is: what are you going to do about it?”
I sighed, leaning back in the chair. “I don’t know. That’s part of my problem. I don’t know if I am cut out for this life or what it entails.”
“Let me give you a word of advice,” the curator stated, his eyes bright. “No one is cut out for the life these kids live. They are thrust into the limelight upon birth, raised with all the wealth and privilege that they can have, but few are groomed for the reality of the world. I’ve seen many hide here because they aren’t used to not having their advisor around. I’ve even seen a few who are broken by their lives because they couldn’t deal with the pressures of what they were asked to do.”
“And others hide behind their titles,” I added, thinking of the kings.
He inclined his head. “Yes, others hide behind their titles, though in reality we are all the same inside. There’s not one young person here that doesn’t have fears or want, sadness or joy, loneliness or heartbreak.”
He was right and I was quickly learning that very thing. It wasn’t just the regular people that had issues. The rich had a hell of a lot more. “Then why send them here?” I asked. “Why not put them in colleges that can give them reality?”
The curator laughed. “Because then, Miss Komita, they would have to rub elbows with the common folk.”
I gave him a faint smile. “And we might rub off on them.”
“Precisely,” he grinned. “To them, it was bad enough that they let an American in their midst. You are shaking things up quite enough, Miss Komita, and I imagine you aren’t done yet.”
I pushed out of the chair, extending my hand. “No, I’m not.”
He took it, squeezing it gently. “Be careful of what you seek. Think of your enemies first and not yourself.”
“I will,” I said softly before walking away. My enemies were constantly on my mind, always a reminder that I couldn’t trust anyone completely, not even Johanna. Every person in this academy was likely after some sort of fame or political gain and I was about to be in that mix.
I turned down the hall and found myself near the gallery, staring up at the oil paintings displaying the families that had lived at Weissmore before it turned into a school. Each one was frowning, the lack of warmth in their gaze sending a shiver down my spine. Was this what everyone ended up like once they were thrust into their position? I thought about the kings, about Johanna, who all had their moments of laughter and cheekiness. Would they turn into the stoic rulers that their families wanted them to be?
Would I?
I had no idea how I could ever be a ruler. I tended to wear my emotions on my sleeve, my mouth sometimes saying things before I thought about them. What if I pissed off a world leader with a careless remark? What if I chewed my food too loudly or forgot to address someone by their true title?
I would always be the poor, sad, helpless American girl playing royalty.
“Oh God,” I said, pushing out a breath. “I’m not ready for this.” No amount of training or reading was going to prepare me for what would happen once word got out.
Which meant I could screw it all up before I even got started; that is, if I survived long enough to get started.
***
Hours melted into days before I realized that the students were returning. A parade of black sedans and limos started to appear in the front of the academy, and I watched the long stream of students dash back into the school, their servants and bodyguards lugging their bags behind them. Johanna was among them and I hugged her fiercely when she stepped through the door, realizing I missed her a hell of a lot.
“I missed you!” she replied, giving me a hug that was just as tight. “You are so coming the next time I have to leave. Being stuck with my family is just worst.”
“Maybe I will take you up on the offer next time around,” I said honestly, not really wanting to be left alone to my own thoughts again.
“Well,” she started, throwing open her suitcase. “Tonight, we are going to this massive party at a house off campus. Rumor is that everyone will be there.”
“Great,” I muttered, sitting on the bed. Everyone meant the kings as well.
“We don’t have to,” Johanna backed off, a look of understanding on her face. “We can just veg out and watch some shows.”
I shook my head, swinging my legs back and forth. “No, we need to go.” I needed to go. That was the promise I had made to myself and I fully intended on keeping it. The kings did not rule my life, I did.
Johanna eyed me. “Are you sure?”
“More than sure.”
But as we approached the house that evening, butterflies threatened to take over. True to form, there were all levels of students spilled out on the lawn, cups and bottles in their hands as they laughed and danced. Johanna grabbed my hand as we made our way inside, greeting a few people as we passed. The house was much like Arthur’s though not as big as his was and Johanna had informed me that it was actually some son of a sheik that was living there, worth more than the kings combined.
Hey, it was nice to know that someone had knocked them off their pedestal.
We found the drinks, me choosing just a simple glass of wine so that I could keep a level head tonight. If the kings were here, then it would only be a matter of time before they found me.
“Are you going to be okay here?” Johanna asked after a while. “There’s someone I want to talk to.”
I smiled, waving her off. “Sure! Go ahead. I really don’t need a babysitter.”
“All right,” she said lightly, giving me a little wave in return. I watched as she disappeared into the crowd, tapping my heel along with the music. We had both dressed to kill tonight, my dress a dark green while Johanna’s was an electric blue, and by the outfits that I was seeing now, the dresses were the perfect fit.
It was crazy to think about how I had gotten here and who I was mingling with now. Never would I have guessed that I had the attention of a few princes and a friend in a princess.
It was crazy.
“There you are. I was wondering if you would come.”
I turned and smiled at Arthur, who was looking as hot as always in his all-black attire, his silk black shirt rolled to his elbows to show off his powerful forearms. His eyes were already alight with the alcohol that he had consumed, his easygoing smile not hiding any sort of message behind it. “How was your trip home?” I asked him, taking a tiny sip of my wine.
His smile dimmed. “As fucking great as always. I almost wish I didn’t have to.”
Yeah, I couldn’t understand that. I didn’t have any home to go home to or any family to nag me relentlessly. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”
Arthur’s smile returned. “Hey, it’s fine. I guess I can’t talk you into a late-night dip in the hot tub?”
I almost gave in. His smile was infectious, and I knew if I did, I could be lost to his touch for hours on end. The problem was, it would open me up to being hurt again by him and I couldn’t take that chance. “No sorry.”
He leaned in, brushing a kiss over my temple. “Then I will just settle on drinking myself into oblivion and thinking about you.
”
I placed a hand on his chest, allowing myself a moment to feel his hard body under my hand. “You are truly a rogue king, you know that?”
“I try, babe,” he said, winking before moving on. I sighed, wishing I could have given in to Arthur. My body still wanted him, my heart still tender from his hurt, but I was glad that my mind was clear as well as most of my conscience.
I moved from my perch near the alcohol and wandered down the hall, looking at the priceless art that was on display. Whoever this kid was, he had pretty good taste.
Either that or he hadn’t gotten into redecoration mode yet. Johanna had told me that the mansions turned over hands every four years, when one class graduated and another moved in, each occupant richer than the last. I tried not to think about Arthur’s mansion and how it would stand empty in a few months, along with Royce’s and Max’s. They would graduate and be kings no more, three other guys stepping up and taking their places.