By the time the national anthem started playing again, I was relieved to go. I jumped up from my seat, grabbed onto Leopold's arm, and bee-lined it up the stairs after Felip and Beatrice. Everyone separated quickly, eager to get out of their costumes.
I went straight to my bedroom and flopped down onto my bed, tired and sore. Leopold followed me, slamming the door shut behind him.
"What happened?" he said, voice like death.
"He was being nice...creepy but nice, and it backfired. It was more of an inconvenience than anything. Just ruined the dress," I murmured into the sheets.
He stopped pacing and took a deep breath. "As long as you are okay. I hated that I had to leave you again." The bed shifted on either side of me, and Leopold placed a delicate kiss on the back of my neck. With a moan, I rolled over to find him hovering over me, his strange eyes boring into mine.
"Sorry I missed your speech," I wheezed, as he continued to kiss up the column of my throat.
"It was not very exciting," he dismissed, and then captured my lips. He had more of his weight on me than usual, probably due to his injury. My ribs ached in response and I squirmed underneath him.
"Leopold," I squeaked, "I can't breathe." My voice must have come out strangled and strained because he quickly rolled off of me.
"What's wrong?" he demanded, searching me over with a concerned glance.
"Corset," I managed to choke out.
"That I can help with," he smiled. I gasped as he slowly helped me into a sitting position and then moved behind me, "Phillipa always hated these things."
His hands pulled skillfully at the cords that laced up my back and I gulped greedily at the air as it flooded my lungs once the corset loosened. "Thank you! How did you know to do that?"
"Phillipa was always asking me to help her loosen her corset after her assistant had done it up, ever since she passed out the first time she wore one."
"Genius," I stated, slightly upset she hadn't given me the heads up to do the same to mine.
"The corset may be uncomfortable but the dress, both of them, looked absolutely stunning on you," Leopold said, while ghosting his hands up and down my relieved ribs, his breath hot on my neck.
I leaned back into his chest, "I'm starving."
"We just ate."
"I couldn't breathe, do you think I was able to eat?"
He laughed lightly at me, "Very well, let's get changed and see what we can find in the kitchen."
Leopold left my room and I quickly called Angelique in. I was out of the wretched dress quickly with her help and pulled on some sweat pants and a t-shirt. Hopefully, most of the guests had left and wouldn't see me walking around. The maid left and a moment later there was a light rap on the door. I quickly answered it and Leopold took my hand and began leading me through the halls. He had changed out of his morning suit and was now in pajama pants and a t-shirt that fitted tightly over his muscles. We walked through the dining room and pushed open the door to the dark empty kitchen.
I frowned, "It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Where is everyone?" It was true, it looked more like an average kitchen than it did the kitchen of a five star restaurant.
"This is just the breakfast kitchen. We use this one on a daily basis and the main kitchen for important events or for big crowds. All of the staff is in the main kitchen right now, cleaning up." He let go of my hand and walked toward the stainless steel fridge. He reached into the freezer and pulled out a container of chocolate ice cream. He raised the tub at me in question and, when I nodded my head, he grabbed two spoons and leaned on the island. I pulled myself up onto the counter beside him and took the spoon he offered.
"So spill," I said, popping a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth.
He shifted nervously, frowning into the tub, "You know the storm Thursday? There was a fishing boat that had got too close to the cliffs and capsized. We were sent in to rescue the crew members. They sent me down with a line to bring the fishermen up. A big gust of wind hit and made the helicopter dip, throwing me into the side of the cliff. My left side hit the rock pretty hard. Luckily, I was on the way down and did not have someone attached to me. Anyway..." he trailed off. He handed me the tub, and pulled off his shirt. My eyes grew, and I choked on my ice cream as I saw it.
Leopold's entire left shoulder blade was bruised black, the inky color changing into terrible shades of blue and purple as the mark bled across his upper back, ribs, shoulder and biceps. Before I could help myself, my hand reached out and ghosted over the area. Leopold tensed.
"Did you have it looked at?" I asked.
Leopold nodded, and pulled his shirt back on. "The doctor on the base looked at it. No permanent damage, just really bad bruising to the muscle and one or two of the bones."
"Are you taking anything for it?"
"Painkillers. Nothing else can really be done about it," he shrugged and took another spoonful of ice cream.
"You can't be going back to the base like that. You have to let Felip know or..." I tried, but Leopold cut me off.
"No. I promise I will be all right. I have been put on desk duty next week. I will not be doing anything strenuous. I have to stay," he said determined.
"You need to get better," I insisted.
Leopold sighed and turned to face me, "Please do not say anything. At the end of the summer, I am going to be graduating from the Defense Flying School at the base, and will be allowed to pilot the planes. As soon as I graduate, I am dropping out of the military so that I can ascend to my full royal duties. The Air Force is important to me, I hate that I have to give it up, so please stay quiet so that I can just finish this term. I promise I will be careful."
His tone had started off defensive, but, by the end, he was nearly pleading with me. I was surprised. I hadn't seen Leopold look so worried about something before. His arms were braced on either side of me on the counter as he looked down at me, waiting for an answer. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and rested my hand on his jaw.
"OK, " I agreed hesitantly, "I'll stay quiet."
"Thank you," he smiled and kissed me chastely on the lips, "Now, what do you say to some TV?" he asked.
"Sounds great," I said, "But I think Phillipa said she wanted to talk with me tonight. I should probably find her."
"I do not think that will do," Leopold said, eyes burning.
"Oh no?" I asked, as I hopped off the counter.
He shook his head, one side of his full lips pulling upward, "No. For one, it's getting late. For another, I want to keep you to myself as I shared you all day."
I stood on my tiptoes and brushed my lips to his. "Fine, but you have to tell her," I whispered. I was a little keyed up from the ice cream.
"Hmm," said Leopold pulling back. "Maybe you are right, you probably should go see..." began Leopold but I stopped him with my lips. I walked him backwards until his back was gently pressed to the counter beside the fridge. One of my hands slid down his chest and into the hem of his t-shirt. His stomach muscles contracted and a trail of goose bumps rose at my touch. I smiled against his lips, "I think she will survive until tomorrow."
Leopold's large hand was suddenly on the small of my back pulling me closer to him, his mouth back on mine. My hands trailed down to his hips and I hooked my thumbs into the waistband of his pants. He growled deep in his throat as he took control and spun us so that I was now against the stainless steel door of the fridge. He was kissing me hard, our chests pressed together, my hips digging into his thighs, my hands in his hair.
"Cat," he said, his voice thick and heavily accented, "Cat, nous devons nous arrêter." I understood his words, knew they made sense. It would not be good if someone walked in and found us like this. He kissed me again though, clearly not interested in following his own advice.
He caught hold of my wrists, and pinned them above my head, against the cold metal of the fridge. His kisses slowed after a minute and he pulled back, his forehead resting against mine, "We have to stop."
&
nbsp; I stared into his strange eyes; one the color of grass and the other a glowing ember. "Maybe I should go and see Phillipa."
Leopold licked his lips, "Probably not a bad idea. I need to see Hector anyway."
He released my hands but didn't move back. "Your eyes are so pretty," I told him.
The edge of his lip twitched. "Go, Cat. I will find you later."
Chapter Fourteen
I wasn't with Phillipa for long. This was her last evening with Hugo before a couple of weeks of separation. To say the least, I could relate, and was more than happy to keep our meeting short.
"So, how was your week with your family and friends? " Phillipa asked excitedly, as she jumped onto one of the couches in her bedroom. She pulled me down beside her, waiting eagerly for my response. I caught Hugo's eye from across the room where he was reading at her desk. He smiled and tipped his head at me before returning to his book.
"Fun," I said, "It was really nice to see all of them."
"I hear a ‘but’ in there," said Phillipa, her green eyes examining me.
"Don't get me wrong, it was absolutely amazing to see them, but it also made things sort of difficult. Just seeing the two different lives juxtaposed like that..." I cut off, not completely sure what I was even trying to say.
Phillipa nodded though, "Completely understandable."
"Did you have a good week?" I asked, genuinely curious. I knew very little about Phillipa's life outside lessons and princess stuff.
"Wonderful," she said, smiling brightly. "Absolutely fantastic! My life with Hugo is so much more relaxed and free than my life as a Princess. I suppose it's sort of like the opposite of how it works with you. Both you and Leopold have gone from more relaxed lives, you especially, to high profile, public, strict ones."
"Sounds like a nice change of pace for you," I smiled, truly happy that she got a break.
"What on earth happened with Antoine today?" Phillipa asked, suddenly growing upset. "Leopold was livid."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, I know he was. It was a bit of an over-reaction. Antoine was being a bit too friendly and decided to help me sit down. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen. Anyway, my skirt flew into the table and got covered in wine."
"The poor dress," Phillipa sighed. "It was so pretty. That was less dramatic then I was expecting, which is good. At least you didn't fall in the ocean this time."
"It was more of an inconvenience than anything. Antoine honestly didn't do it on purpose," I said, surprised to find that I was defending him.
Phillipa glanced at the clock on the wall. "So, are you ready for lessons again this week? I want to get through as much as possible. We are running out of time, after all."
"Sounds good, I'm ready," I told her, hoping I sounded confident.
"Perfect. I will give you tomorrow off so that I am not interrupted by Leopold stealing you away, then we will start at the regular time on Monday morning." She wrapped her tiny arms around me in a hug.
"I'll see you then, Phillipa," I promised. I stood, and, after saying goodbye to Hugo too, I slipped out of her room and down the hall.
Leopold was still with Hector, or at least that was what I presumed when I didn't find him in any of the rooms in our wing. I decided it was late enough to go to bed, so I crawled back to my room and into my own bed for the first time in over a week. I figured it would be even more inappropriate to sleep in Leopold's bed now that he was back.
Slowly, I drifted to sleep while waiting for him to come back to me.
I was woken up gently by someone calling to me. I opened my eyes to find that it was pitch black in my room and that I was still lying alone in my bed.
"What time is it?" I asked groggily.
"Four in the morning, Mademoiselle," said Angelique softly. She made her way through the dark room to my closet, and emerged with a robe. "I need you to come with me, Mademoiselle."
"Is everything alright?" I asked, my concern growing. Leopold wouldn't have done something stupid would he? I knew he used to disappear all the time, but I thought, at the very least, he would have told me he was going. Maybe he was hurt, or his shoulder was worse. I jumped out of the bed, and let Angelique help me put on the robe.
"There is someone here to see you, Mademoiselle," she told me. "They are waiting for you in the Council Room."
I pulled the thin robe tighter to me as I followed my maid through the hallways. My mind continued to reel with all the possibilities of what could be going on. What was so important that I was woken up at four in the morning? The second I walked into the Council Room, I knew that my instincts were right; something was very, very wrong.
Felip was at the head of the table, dressed in a robe very similar to mine, his golden hair disheveled and glasses perched on the end of his nose. He looked tired. Although his face seemed as impassive and calm as ever, I could tell he was upset. There was anger in the quirk of his lips, the same expression I had seen on Leopold before. Hector was on Felip's left. He too was just in pajamas, yet politely stood as I entered the room. Offering me a small, yet reassuring smile, his sad eyes followed me as I slowly made my way to the table.
Leopold was standing behind his father with his arms crossed over his chest, fists clenched at his sides. He looked pale and drawn. I could see his anger in his shoulders that seemed to radiate around him, through him, like an electric current. Unlike the others, he did not look at me when I entered, but stayed focused on the floor, as unmoving as stone.
The last person in the room was Governor Richard. He was in a formal suit and sat with documents splayed across the table in front of him. He seemed pleased with himself, very happy in fact, considering the otherwise dark atmosphere of the room.
"Catherine!" Richard cried, smiling broadly at me. He jumped to his feet, bowing low, "It is so nice to see you again."
He made a move in my direction, but shrunk backwards as Leopold shot him a deathly glare.
"Please take a seat, Catherine," said Felip, his voice even. "We have something we must discuss with you."
The tension in the room was almost palpable as I folded myself into the chair closest to me. This was not helping my nerves. I swallowed hard, "What's up?"
"As I am sure you have deduced, Governor Richard has returned from his preliminaries with the French," began Felip.
My stomach knotted as things suddenly began to fall into place. Richard had gone to visit the French Government regarding me becoming Queen of Arcadis so that I could marry Leopold. Based on the moods of the DuMont men, it seemed that Richard had been told no. If that was the case, I couldn't be married to Leopold, he would lose the throne, and I was probably about to get banished, making this entire endeavor moot. Even though I hadn't made the decision to stay or go yet, I felt a sudden pang of sadness at the thought that I may have to leave, or at least that I may not have the option to stay as part of the royal family anymore.
"However," the King continued, an edge creeping into his voice. "It seems as though Richard has accomplished more than we had anticipated and desired."
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. That didn't exactly sound like I was getting banished anytime soon.
Felip regarded me carefully before continuing. "The French Government has signed a declaration which frees Arcadis from French control, therefore making it an Independent State. Over the months to come, Arcadis will become its own country as a Parliamentary democracy with a constitutional Monarch as Head of State."
My blood ran cold as I anticipated his next words, desperately hoping that he was not inferring what I thought he was. If he was, banishment may have been the better option.
"The consequence, Catherine, is that you are now the Queen of Arcadis."
I didn't know what to say. I was stuck in my chair, unable to move or speak. My mouth opened and closed in shock, as I floundered for my words.
"What? How?" I managed after a minute. "I thought you said it wasn't possible." My eyes automatically went to Leopold, searching for an
answer. His facade remained as stony as ever, his lips pursed into a hard line, nostrils flared.
"An act of kindness," replied Richard, slightly too upbeat. He rose from his chair, making his way around the table towards me. "Arcadis has been petitioning France for freedom for centuries. We wanted freedom from our colonizers, just as many others have received. We are fortunate for them to have finally agreed when a member of our country's royal lineage has returned home to state their claim." He knelt down before me and kissed the back of my hand, "Long live the Queen."
"She was to be a figurehead," Leopold growled suddenly, speaking for the first time, as he burst forward toward Richard. His tone was cold, deadly.
"Leopold," Hector said, his voice laced with warning.
Leopold paused for a moment at his brother's words, running a hand through his copper hair, he then began to pace back and forth agitatedly at the top of the room.
Felip sighed. "Leopold, why don't you take Catherine back to her room. There is a lot to think about, and we can discuss this more at the Council meeting tomorrow afternoon. That is enough for tonight."
Leopold nodded sharply and bee-lined it straight towards Richard and I. Governor Richard hurried to his feet and took a few steps back, quickly getting out of Leopold's way. Leopold, however, didn't even spare him a glance as he strode to the door and pulled it open.
Numbly, I rose from my chair and went to join him. I stopped just before the entryway, waiting for him to take the lead. Instead, Leopold waved, indicating me forward. I frowned for a second, confused at his breach of protocol, before I realized that it wasn't. As the only Monarch of Arcadis, I was his equal, if not superior at the moment.
Feeling uneasy, I brushed past him and headed down the hall, back to our wing of the castle. I moved on autopilot, my body mechanically going through the motions, as my brain was trying to sort through what had just occurred. I instinctively went to Leopold's room, him following close at my heels.
It all seemed surreal. During our walk, everything began to make sense and it was absolutely terrifying me. I could feel the blood rushing in my veins, while my head felt light and floaty, as I started panicking. I stood in the middle of the room, coming up blank as to what to do.
The Inherited Series Book 1: The Inherited Page 19
