by Ember Casey
I shake my head, exasperated. I know my brother means well, but if he thinks Prince Reginald is foolish enough to engage in any sort of debauchery on Montovian soil, while his father is deep in negotiations in which he firmly believes he has the upper hand…well, perhaps it is a good thing that my brother usually stays out of diplomatic matters.
When I glance over at Victoria, though, I see something in her eyes I didn’t before—something that looks almost like hope.
“What exactly are you proposing?” I ask Leopold. “That we invite him to the festival and hope he does something we can use against him? I’d prefer not to resort to blackmail—”
“Maybe we can convince him to have another game of poker,” Leopold says with a shrug. “Or yes, maybe we can catch him doing something he doesn’t want people to see or know. I don’t know yet—but trust me, we’ll think of something.”
“This is a ridiculous way to handle an international disagreement—”
“This whole thing is ridiculous,” Victoria says, suddenly speaking up. “I almost can’t believe I’m saying this, but Leo is right—there has to be a way to use Reginald’s own questionable morality against him. And I want to help.”
I turn fully to face her. Part of me wants to continue arguing—I still believe this is a foolish idea—but the other part of me is inspired to hear her agree to such absurdity for the sake of us—and Montovia.
“Do you have an idea?” I ask her.
“Not yet. But I will. We will.” Her eyes shine up at me. “This whole time, you’ve insisted on fighting this battle by yourself. But this is about us. About everyone in this country. And I want to help. It’s my battle too.”
I want to yank her against me and kiss her, but I won’t—not in front of my brother and Elle. Still, I feel myself fighting a smile as I turn back to the others.
“I’m still going to try and solve this in a more diplomatic way,” I say. “We have three days until the Festival, and I’m sure I will be spending most of it in meetings with Maximilian.”
“If you come to an agreement in that time, then great,” Leopold says. “But if you don’t, we’ll find some other way. Victoria is right, Brother—this isn’t just your fight.”
I look back over at Victoria, and the way she smiles up at me makes my whole body feel light.
“You’re right,” I say. “It isn’t.”
Victoria
It almost seems like this sliver of hope is too much to ask for, but I’ll take what I can get, at least for the moment.
What I will not do, however, is lead Prince Reginald into some sort of trap. Particularly not when the three other people in the room are looking at me as some sort of savior or something. I might be a celebrity reporter, but only the sleaziest of the sleazy try to concoct the sort of game Leo and Elle are suggesting.
There has to be a better way.
Andrew and Leo walk a few steps ahead of Elle and me as we head back to the palace.
Elle has her arms crossed over her chest, her hands on her bare upper arms. “I can’t believe how cold it is here already. I didn’t even think about needing a coat. I bet you didn’t, either.”
“No, not really.” I force a smile. Being around the pregnant woman is hard enough, but knowing she’s carrying the future heir to the throne of Montovia… It’s a little hard to handle. But I put on a brave facade, hiding the torment I’m feeling at knowing that is one gift I will never be able to give Montovia, even if I somehow am able to marry Andrew.
“You know, I’ve never seen snow before. Leo says it usually snows before the Festival, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to this year.” She glances up toward the sky as we walk along the path back to the palace. “I suppose if it does, we’ll both need to find coats.”
“I suppose we will.” We walk in silence for a few more steps—the men are too far ahead for me to hear what they’re discussing. I can only hope it isn’t some sort of idiotic scheme to try to trap Reginald. They have to know the man is too smart to fall for any sort of juvenile tricks like that.
“We went back to South America.” Elle interrupts my thoughts. “Leo wanted to get out of here for a little while. He suggested the Caribbean, but I stupidly insisted we go and check on my brother and the clinic.”
“You weren’t stupid. There was no way you could have known—”
“No, I know that. But I was the one who told Leo to leave his phone at home. I’m just so sick of him being interrupted all the time.” She rubs at the tops of her arms again. “Once King Edmund is well—once he’s back at home and everything has gone back to normal—I think…” She drops her voice so that there’s no way either of the men can hear. “I think we’re going to get out of here. Raise our baby on our own, you know? I’m sure Queen Penelope will be upset about it, but I really feel like I don’t need the Montovian royalty breathing down my neck. And it isn’t like this little person is going to need that to be part of his life.”
My cheeks burn, and I’m sure I’m not the one who should be saying anything about my situation to her. But it is my situation, and I’d like to have at least a little bit of control over the story. I suppose it’s the reporter in me, but I want to tell my side of things on my terms.
I glance over at her, giving her the smallest of smiles. “You might want to rethink that decision, Elle.”
“Why?” Her brows knit together a bit. “Leo’s been under the thumb of his father—and Andrew—long enough, don’t you think? And Leo said Andrew is still giving him grief. He said Andrew was giving him shit about not using his office this morning—”
“It’s not about Andrew. Or King Edmund.” I let out a long breath before I turn to look at her again. “I probably shouldn’t be the one telling you this.”
She lifts a brow. “Oh, but now you have to tell me.” She grins. “What is it? You have some good dirt on Andrew—?”
“I can’t have children.” There, I said it out loud. It’s not a fact I’ve liked to admit to even myself over the past several years, but something about saying it makes me feel just the tiniest bit lighter.
“You…what?”
I nod. “I can’t have children. So—”
“Oh, I guarantee Andrew will have you see the best fertility specialists in the world, Victoria. I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about that.” She smiles. “A friend of mine from medical school became a fertility specialist. I’ll be glad to email her and ask if she has any recommendations—”
“I don’t have the parts anymore, so there’s really no point in seeing a doctor about it. Our only hope for a child of our own would be through using a surrogate. And I can only imagine how the royal family would feel about that. It has scandal written all over it.”
“Oh.” She frowns, her brow furrowing even more. “Maybe you can adopt, then.”
I shake my head. “We could do that. But that child wouldn’t be a legitimate heir. The laws of succession in Montovia are very clear about that. It has to be a genetic heir.”
She nods and is silent for a moment. She finally drops her hands to her swollen belly. “Wait, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“The Montovian law of succession says that the first born child is the rightful heir to the throne. If Andrew doesn’t have children, the next in line is the second-born child. Next in line after that are the second-born child’s genetic offspring.”
“Holy. Fuck.” Elle’s eyes grow impossibly wide. “Leo doesn’t know, does he? He’s going to freak the fuck out when he finds out.” She shakes her head, almost as though she doesn’t believe what I’ve just told her. “I’m pregnant with a future king or queen. That’s what you’re saying, right?”
My head bobs slightly, and I turn my attention back to the path in front of us. We’re almost to the palace now. I should warn her not to tell Leo—that the news should probably come from Andrew or King Edmund.
“I can’t tell him. I…I can’t. This kind of thing needs to come from his
family. Right?”
I nod again, glad she figured that out for herself.
We follow the men through the palace and into one of the small dining rooms. William is sitting at the table already, fiddling with his phone.
He stands as soon as we enter the room. “It took you long enough.” He turns his gaze to Leo, shaking his head. “Way to run off in the nick of time, Brother. You missed out on all the fun.”
“So I’ve heard.” Leo grins. “Though I hear Father has made it through surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.”
“Full might be a bit generous.” Andrew frowns as he takes his seat at the head of the table, motioning for everyone else to find a seat. Elle and I sit at the other end of the table across from each other, while Leo and William each take a seat on either side of Andrew.
Andrew turns his gaze to William. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me this morning, William. Leo has also agreed to discuss our tactics for dealing with King Maximilian and Reginald.”
William only lifts a brow in Leo’s direction.
Leo raises his palms to William, almost like he’s surrendering. “What? I was the one who caused this situation, so shouldn’t I be the one to get us out? I was the one who took Andrew to Prague.”
William’s brow lifts even further and he shakes his head.
Leo rolls his eyes. “Okay, fine. I’ll listen and give my opinion only when it’s asked for.” He splays his palms on the table. “But I should remind you, William, that I am your elder brother. And as such—”
Andrew interrupts. “As such, nothing. Come, Leopold, you can’t actually expect anyone…” His voice trails off. “That is to say—”
“No, I get it,” Leopold interrupts. “It’s as though I’m a child who’s been given a seat at the grownup table for the first time, is that it? My ideas will be immature and unreasonable, so why even bother with Leopold, right?” His gaze darts between his two brothers.
Andrew says nothing. His expression betrays almost nothing of what is going on in his head, either. He turns to William. “Speaking of brothers, where is Nicholas? He, too, should be in this meeting and should be here eating with us this morning.”
“I believe he is at the hospital with Mother. You asked that one of us remain with her at all times, did you not?”
“Ah, yes, I suppose I did.” Andrew frowns as a server brings out a covered tray for each of the brothers. He turns to the man. “Why are we having a formal breakfast?”
The man bows and steps away after taking the cover off the tray. “Forgive me, Your Highness. It is customary when there are royal guests in the palace to have a formal service at every meal—”
“Yes, yes.” Andrew waves the man away with a shooing motion. He turns back to William. “And where is Sophia? I’ll need her this afternoon to keep an eye on…” His voice trails off as his eyes meet mine. “Never mind. I trust I have that situation controlled.”
I say nothing and don’t give him any indication that I even understand what he’s saying. I haven’t made up my mind yet. I still might leave, particularly if the brothers try to suck me into some stupid stunt meant to bring down a powerful king and his son.
Andrew frowns but begins eating his breakfast. Leo and William do the same.
Elle is looking at her plate like she’s about to puke. I’m pretty sure she shouldn’t have morning sickness any longer, so there’s only one explanation for her lack of hunger. She said she thinks Leo is going to freak out when he hears the news, but it looks like Elle is already freaking out.
The men begin talking in hushed tones, obviously to keep Elle and me from overhearing.
I drop my voice to a similar level to prevent them from hearing me. “It’s going to be okay, Elle. Just because you know, doesn’t mean it changes anything. You can still have your life outside of Montovia. You’ll just probably have to come back once in a while. The baby will, anyway.”
She gives me a meek smile and pulls a strip of bacon into her hand before she begins chewing it. “It’s just a lot to take in. Every time I come back to this palace, I seem to be sucked under its spell one more time. It kind of makes you understand why Leo and Andrew are such idiots about certain things.”
At the other end of the long table, Leo and William begin laughing. I glance over to see Andrew isn’t laughing about anything at all. In fact, he looks even more serious than when we entered the dining room.
“He must love you more than words can even say, Victoria.” Elle gives me another weak smile. “I happen to know how important this country is to him. And if he’s willing to give up his future—Montovia’s future—for you, I can’t even imagine how deep his love goes. And if it’s deep enough to get over the two of you not being able to have children, it’s enough to figure a way out of this mess.”
I nod and glance down at the men again. This time, though, they aren’t laughing at all.
Leo’s mouth is hanging open and he’s staring at Elle. He’s quiet for a moment before he turns back to Andrew. “What is Elle talking about? What did she mean you can’t have children?”
Andrew’s gaze darts to mine and back to Leo. “I…I was going to tell you.”
“When? When were you going to tell me, Brother?”
Andrew’s face falls from anger to something a lot more hurt. “When the time was right. And it isn’t right at the moment.”
Leo shakes his head from side to side. “I’m done here. We are done here.” Leo stands up. “Elle and I only returned to pay Father our respects, anyway. And then we’ll be leaving Montovia for good. I am not taking on your responsibilities, Andrew. Not after everything you’ve already put me through.”
Andrew
It’s Victoria who speaks first.
“He didn’t know the whole time,” she says. “I didn’t tell him until after you and Elle had already run off to South America. What was he supposed to do—call you on the cell phone you left here at the palace?”
Leopold, for once, appears to be speechless.
“And I probably should remind everyone that Andrew and I aren’t engaged anymore,” she goes on. “He might still have to marry Justine, or even someone else, and I’m sure whoever it is will give him lots of kids. So there’s no reason to get upset yet.”
Hearing her say such things out loud makes my chest ache. But before I can say anything, Leopold speaks.
“I just didn’t know it was a possibility,” he says. “It’s…a shock, that’s all.” He looks almost shamefaced. “It’s not something Elle and I planned for.”
“But it’s something we’ll figure out,” Elle says. “If and when we need to.” She gives Victoria an encouraging smile and takes her hand, squeezing it.
“You shouldn’t have heard about it like this,” I tell my brother. “I would have explained the situation to you in private, if I’d had the chance. But I wasn’t willingly keeping this information from you. Frankly, it was the least pressing of our many current concerns.” I glance at Victoria, who’s still looking at her friend. “We will marry,” I hear myself say to her. “I don’t know how yet, but we will. With or without anyone’s help.”
“We’ll help,” Elle says. “However we can.”
Beside me, Leopold lets out a long breath. “I still can’t believe our child… Fuck, I never even thought this was possible. I don’t know the first thing about raising an heir. I’m the last person who should be trusted with that responsibility.”
Elle smiles. “You’ll make a wonderful father, Leo. That alone will teach our child so much. Besides, it’s not like we’ll be dealing with this alone. Your family will help.”
Some more than others, I think, wondering how my father will react to this news when he hears. Still, I can tell by the look in Elle’s eyes that she already understands this. That she, at least, believes fighting for love and happiness is still the best—the only—option.
“Yes, this situation is complicated, but it’s worth fighting for,” I say, looking at Vi
ctoria again. “I’ll do what I can in negotiations today. I refuse to give up.”
Victoria’s eyes finally rise to mine. She gives me the smallest of nods, but it’s enough—an acknowledgment of the hope that I refuse to let go.
I stand. “In fact, I’m going to go prepare right now.” I step over to Victoria’s side and bend down to kiss her on the cheek. “Perhaps you and Elle might spend the day catching up?”
Victoria’s hand moves on the table, and I see that she’s still wearing her ring. “How long will you be in negotiations today?”
“God knows,” I say, straightening. “We’re meeting at eleven. If yesterday was any indication, I’ll be arguing with that man until supper.” Please still be here when I’m done.
I bid farewell to my brothers and future sister-in-law before leaving the dining room and heading back to my room to change and think.
How do you outsmart someone like Maximilian? How do I serve the people of Montovia without sacrificing a life with Victoria?
Freshly clothed, I grab my notes and am heading toward my office when I nearly run into my brother Nicholas in the corridor.
“Brother,” I say, reaching out and clasping his hand. “Forgive me for not giving you a longer welcome—I have to prepare for my meeting with King Maximilian.”
Nicholas is the second youngest sibling in this family, but in many ways, he’s already more mature than Leopold or even William. In temperament, he’s a lot more like me—but he’s more like Leopold in looks, with paler hair and eyes. He’s also probably the most brilliant of us all—though I will probably never admit that out loud. While William was a star at the athletic parts of his military training, Nicholas is apparently excelling in the more tactical areas—no doubt he will make a fine member of Montovia’s Senate in a few years.
“I know you have a lot of business,” he says. “But Father has been asking for you.”
I pause. I haven’t been to see Father since he came out of surgery—a gross oversight, but I’ve had a lot on my mind.
