I slowly stood, struggling to get my bearings. My body was weak and worn out from the fun we’d just had together. I glanced around the room, feeling like something was missing. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
As I put my clothes back on, it hit me that I hadn’t checked my phone in a while.
It was then that I realized my purse was gone.
16
Carter
For the next few days, I was completely occupied by royal business and I barely got to see Gwen. Dad insisted that I attend every meeting with his advisors to get a feel for the current state of affairs in Ocauria. The more I knew, the more I realized how broken the system was.
As nice as it was to live in a palace and have everything handed to us, I saw clearly that the Alliston family wielded far too much power. This made it easy for Jasper and his friends to take advantage of the system. Most of the country’s wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few. Even with a well-intentioned king, the nature of our absolute monarchy prevented Ocauria from truly flourishing.
On Friday, while my father and I were having a discussion in his library, I said to him, “Why do you think I’ll be able to change anything here? Even you had difficulty doing that, and you’ve been the king for decades.”
“Because you have potential, son,” he said patiently. “You’ve seen the world, and you know that things can be better. I want to teach you how to be the king.”
“You know, when I was in New York and I got that letter, I thought you were dying,” I muttered. “But you seem to be in perfectly good health. So what’s the rush? Why is everything suddenly so urgent? I won’t be king for a long time.”
Dad gave me a look that I couldn’t decipher. The deep creases in his forehead deepened and he let out a gusty sigh. “Carter, as you may have noticed, I’m getting old and tired. I don’t want to fight my brother anymore. I only told you I was ill so that you’d come here quicker. The truth is, I want you to become the king now.”
My voice cracked as I asked, “Now? Why now?”
“I think you owe it to me, Carter,” he said solemnly. “I’ve supported you for your entire life.”
“Not my entire life!” I argued.
My father’s retort came instantly. “I know that you did some work in the United States, but I highly doubt that those jobs provided enough money to cover your decadent lifestyle. Although I was concerned about your readiness to take over my role, I can tell you’re changing. The fact that you’re engaged tells me a lot about where you head is right now. And Gwen is a remarkable woman! I think she’ll be the queen this country needs.”
I tried to process everything he was saying. Unlike Jasper, my father’s techniques of manipulation were a little more…subtle. For that reason, he could be even more coercive, in his own way. “Are you saying that you can pass the crown to your oldest son whenever you want to? You don’t have to be dead first?”
He laughed softly. “As far as I know, I can. It’s a little-known rule, probably because so few kings would willingly abdicate the throne. I think that somebody like you will make a big difference.”
“Could I see these rules you’re always referring to?” I asked. “Are they written down anywhere, or do you just make them up as you go along?”
“The document regarding the rules of succession is in the palace vault. However, the vault may not be easy to access. I haven’t been down there in years. In fact…I haven’t even thought about the vault in years.” My father stood up slowly, clutching his back. I didn’t know if he was really in pain or if he was exaggerating his discomfort to gain my sympathy. Not wanting to take any chances, I supported him as we walked out of the library together.
I decided to change the subject, if only to keep myself from getting angry. “The ball is on Saturday, correct?” I asked.
“Yes. Everyone will be there, including Devon and Adrian — they’re both flying in that day. It will be the perfect occasion to announce your engagement…and the future of the kingship,” he said, his eyes glowing with excitement. “It will be marvelous! You, your beautiful future bride, and all of the nobility — it may be the most important night in Ocauria’s history!”
As usual, my dad hadn’t even asked me whether or not I intended to accept the crown when he offered it to me. He couldn’t force me to be king. Or…could he? I needed to get down to the vault and find out for sure. If I saw the document in question, I might be able to find a loophole that would allow me get out of this situation.
“I’ll think about it,” I said to him. “Give me a few days to wrap my head around everything. Okay, Dad?”
“Oh, of course! Just promise you won’t tell anyone about my plan. I want the whole world to be surprised.”
“No problem, Dad,” I sighed.
As soon as I got away from him, I decided that time was of the essence and I had to get down to the palace vault as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the first few servants I happened to pass in the hall had no idea what I was talking about. I should have known that the whereabouts of the Alliston family’s most valuable possessions were a closely-guarded secret.
I went to look for my brother, wondering if he might have some insider information. I found him watching an action movie in the palace cinema. “Blake!”
He signaled to the servant running the projector to pause the film. “Yo, Carter. What’s up?”
I couldn’t believe that Dad expected me to abandon my whole life and become the king; meanwhile, he let my brother act like a teenager. “Blake, you need to get out of the palace more,” I sighed. “Go explore the world! Get out of your comfort zone.”
“I explore the world,” he retorted. “I went to Switzerland for a table tennis tournament last month!”
“Uh-huh. Good for you.”
“How’s Gwen doing?”
“Last time I saw her, she was getting a pedicure and wearing a silk robe. I think she’s enjoying her time here.” At least, I hoped she was. I felt bad about neglecting her for so long. “Now, onto the important questions: do you have any idea where the palace vault is? Dad mentioned it and I realized that I’d never been there.”
“Oh. The vault!” Blake cried. “Yeah. About that…”
Uh-oh. “What’s wrong?”
“What Dad probably forgot to mention is that no one’s been able to find the keys to access that part of the palace. I think they were stolen…and yet Dad seems to think they’re just hanging around somewhere.” He rolled his eyes. “And it’s pretty clear that there’s only one guy around here who would steal something like that.”
“That fucking asshole,” I said through gritted teeth. “Let me guess. Jasper?”
“I can’t confirm that, but I mean, who else would have been able to get their hands on the keys?” Blake shrugged. “Good ol’ Uncle J strikes again! But Carter, why do you need to get in there anyway?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said to him. I had promised my father that I wouldn’t tell anyone about his plans to hand me the crown at the ball on Saturday, and I was a man of my word. “I’ll see you later, Blake.”
My brother glanced at me curiously, but then told the projector operator to start the movie up again. Blake was a good guy, but he needed to grow up. With all his insider knowledge of what was going on in the palace, he had the potential to be a better ruler than I did — that is, if he was willing to put his leisure activities on the back burner. And that seemed highly unlikely.
If Jasper had stolen the keys to the vault, there was no way I could confront him directly. No…I needed someone else to do it. Someone who had no interest in politics. Someone he would never expect to double-cross him.
At that moment, I had a brilliant idea.
I turned around and headed back into the cinema. “Blake! I need you to do me a little favor…”
17
Gwen
I was being fitted for a gown to wear at the ball when Dahlia peeked around the corner.
“Miss Beckett,
I have something for you,” she said sweetly.
“What is it?” I asked. “And didn’t I tell you to call me Gwen?”
Dahlia’s stern expression melted. “I’m sorry, Gwen. But look what I found!”
She entered the room holding my purse in her hand.
“My purse!” I squealed, literally jumping for joy. Never had I been so happy to have someone find one of my lost belongings. I’d been worried about my phone and my passport, and considering how huge the palace was, my bag could have been hiding literally anywhere.
The seamstress who was busily making adjustments to my bodice glared at me. “I thought I told you to hold still, madam!” she snapped.
“I’m trying!” I exclaimed, twisting my hips to face her. In doing so, I caused her needle to slip and pierce my flesh. I shrieked in pain.
The woman threw her hands up in the air. “That’s it! We’ll finish the job tomorrow. I think we’ve both suffered enough today, Miss Beckett. Good day!”
She stormed out of the room, and I was left wondering what I’d done to irritate her so much. Dahlia answered my unspoken question.
“She’s probably the most awful, rude woman who works here,” the soft-spoken maid explained. “She especially hates women who are younger and more beautiful than her. Just ignore her.” Looking me up and down, Dahlia added, “I think the gown looks perfect on you just the way it is.”
“Really?” I turned to face myself in the mirror. Never in my life had I felt so regal. What had started as a shapeless mass of royal blue fabric was now a form-fitting bodice with a voluminous, flowing skirt, all thanks to the deft skills of that talented seamstress. She may have been a rude, bitter person, but she was able to transform an average American girl into a princess.
In my mind, I was toying with the idea of going along with Carter’s ruse indefinitely and seeing where life would take me. Of course, at a certain point, I’d have to tell my friends and family where I was. On the other hand, no one had asked about me. I hadn’t received a single email from a concerned friend or relative asking for my whereabouts. As an unemployed twenty-something who lived on her own in a big city, I was as anonymous as a woman could get.
But here in Ocauria…I was a future princess. And possibly a future queen. My life suddenly had purpose.
Dahlia brought me back to reality. “Gwen, are you all right? You’re mumbling to yourself about…unemployment and emails and queens.”
“Sorry, Dahlia! There’s a lot on my mind.” I checked to make sure there weren’t any pins sticking out of the gown before sitting down on a small sofa in the corner of the room. I beckoned for her to join me. She glanced at the door nervously, as if she was afraid somebody might see her slacking off, and then sat down next to me.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, handing me my purse.
“Thanks again for getting this to me,” I sighed. “You have no idea how worried I was.” I did a brief check to ensure that everything was in there — as far as I could tell, nothing was missing. I grabbed a few dollars out of my wallet and handed them to her.
“Oh, I can’t take your money!” Dahlia cried. “Really. It’s nothing! I found it in one of the room where the king meets with his advisors.”
“Ah, got it. I must have left the bag there when Carter and I went to meet with his father and his uncle.”
“Now tell me,” Dahlia said earnestly, “what’s bothering you.”
I wanted to speak, but I felt like I couldn’t open my mouth. I was afraid of saying the wrong thing. Finally, I blurted out, “Is it wrong that I’m starting to like it here?”
The maid giggled. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. You and the prince will be very happy together in Ocauria, I’m sure.”
If I had known Dahlia a little better, I might have confessed everything to her. However, I knew that Carter wouldn’t like it if I shared our little secret with my new friend. So instead of rambling on and on about myself, I decided to find out more about my unlikely companion.
“I hope so. Now, I have a question to ask you, Dahlia…if you could do anything and go anywhere, what would you do first?”
“Anything?” She scratched her chin and deliberated for a few seconds. “I…I have no idea. I’ve been working here since I was fifteen…just like my mother. And my father works in the royal stables. This is the only life I know.” She chewed on her lower lip. “You know, nobody’s ever asked me that question before.”
“That’s too bad,” I said. “Somebody should have. Because everybody has dreams, and just because you’re a servant doesn’t mean that yours don’t matter.”
A spark of recognition flashed in her eyes. “You’re right, Gwen. Actually, come to think of it, I do have one dream…”
I leaned closer to her. “Yes? What is it?” I half-hoped she would tell me that she was passionate about writing, or playing guitar, or welding. Something people would never guess about her.
“I want to find a man who’ll love me as much as the prince loves you.”
At first, I was touched by Dahlia’s admission. The stern expression that was usually on her face softened, and I noticed for the first time that if she hadn’t been wearing a colorless uniform and an austere hairstyle, she would be a pretty young woman. Then I started to think more deeply about what she’d just said. Dahlia assumed that Carter loved me.
“What makes you think he loves me?” I asked, my voice dropping to a murmur. “I mean…I thought he only wanted to marry me because he knew his father would approve of us together.”
Dahlia placed her hand on top of mine. “That may be part of it, but I see it in the way he looks at you. Whenever I see you two together, he can’t keep his eyes off you. I think if someone ever looked at me that way, I could die happy.”
And with that, a small, crystalline teardrop began to slide down her cheek. She sniffled and let out a little sigh.
“Don’t cry!” I said, wrapping my arms around her slender frame. My affection gesture made her start bawling. The poor thing. I wondered how often anyone gave this girl a hug or asked her how she was feeling.
“I don’t think it will ever happen for me, Gwen,” she sobbed, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
“Oh, it will happen,” I said. I wished I could tell her that she was setting the bar really low for herself by equating the concept of “true love” with a fictional relationship that started after one too many drinks. “And it will happen much sooner if you start thinking about living your life outside the palace. You’ll never meet anyone here. All you do is work, and when work is over, there’s nowhere else for you to go. If I were you, I’d think about looking for something outside Ocauria — college, a job, whatever.”
“That’s good advice, Gwen,” she whimpered. “But my parents would never approve.”
“Well, sometimes you need to say fuck ’em and go your own way,” I said bluntly.
Dahlia pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and began to blot her face. “I should get back to work soon. I’ll think about what you said. Gwen, you’re probably the most wonderful person I’ve met in a long time.”
I gave her another hug before she stood up to go. “I feel the same way about you.”
Once she was gone, I took another look at myself in the mirror. I hoped that Dahlia would take my advice, although I knew how difficult it could be to disobey one’s parents, especially after my dealings with Carter. His father may have been the sweetest old man in the world, but Carter was absolutely terrified of displeasing him.
My mind drifted back to what Dahlia had said about our relationship. The idea that Carter looked like he loved me was thrilling. But was it true? After everything I told Dahlia about living life on her own terms, I felt like a fraud. In an attempt to escape my boring, frustrating life as a nobody, I’d taken the backseat to a man I hardly knew and I was letting him drive me off a cliff. Was I that desperate to be involved with someone as handsome, confident, and powerful as Carter? Even before I knew he
was a prince, I couldn’t let him leave my place without practically throwing myself at him.
And in the past week, had Carter ever bothered to ask me about my life? Did he even know I was between jobs and broke? Did he know that I was passionate about art and history? If he did, would he even care?
Suddenly, this beautiful blue gown didn’t feel so comfortable. I angrily undid the zillion microscopic buttons that were holding it together, threw on my old clothes, and grabbed my purse. I needed to talk to Carter.
18
Carter
“Just the woman I wanted to see!” I exclaimed as Gwen rounded the corner. I gave her a hug and a kiss, but she didn’t seem too thrilled to see me. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Carter, we need to talk.”
Gwen’s tone made me fear for the worst.
“What’s wrong? Are you leaving?”
I stared at the floor. “I don’t know. Maybe I should.”
“No!” I cried, pulling her close to me. “You can’t go just yet. I need you here with me.”
I should have been a little more prepared for this possibility. Even though I’d nonchalantly told Gwen that she was free to return home at any point, I couldn’t imagine what would happen once she left. She was the sole ray of hope shining on my barren existence right now.
“Why do you need me here?” she muttered into my shoulder. “To act as a buffer between you and your father? I’m tired of pretending to be someone I’m not.”
“You haven’t been pretending to be someone you’re not…in fact, the first couple days you were here, you seemed like you were enjoying yourself. Were you faking it the whole time?”
She snorted. “Oh, I wasn’t faking it. I had a great time with you — in and out of the bedroom. You know that. But I got to thinking…this whole thing is about you.” Gwen gestured at the walls, which were laden with portraits of my famous ancestors, and the high, vaulted ceilings. “The second you asked me to come here, everything was about you. Sure, it was pretty exciting to find out you were a prince. Isn’t that every girl’s dream — to meet Prince Charming and have a fairytale romance?”
Playboy Prince: A Royal Romance (The Brothers of Ocauria Book 1) Page 8
