by S. E. Rose
Logan
Susanna grips my hand as we walk into the royal palace of Montelandia. It’s even larger than Norddale’s royal palace, and it’s on a hill overlooking the city. I can’t believe I’m here. It’s been two weeks since Anna agreed to marry me. Tomorrow, we will announce our engagement to the world, and we fully expect the chaos to begin.
Auggie suggested we just elope and tell everyone about it later. I won’t say I didn’t consider that for a good few minutes, but my fierce princess wants a real wedding, so a real wedding she will have.
My father greets us in the great hall, hugging us both.
“How was your trip?” he asks.
“Good,” I say.
“Hey, you made it,” my uncle calls out as he comes into the hall. We hug. I’ve spent a fair amount of time getting to know them both over the past few months. They are starting to feel like family to me.
I turn and Pete enters the great hall, pushing a wheelchair, a wheelchair containing Lara. Hendrick walks in behind him. I glance at him briefly as he scans the room. And then I let him do his job as I focus back on Lara. It’s her first time going anywhere. She’s still gaining her strength every day. Her speech is back, but she struggles for words on occasion. The doctors now believe she will be able to make a full recovery, but she still has several months of rehabilitation ahead of her. She’s struggled with the news of Hans’s involvement in the plot against our families. Sten stayed with her much of that time, reminiscing on their childhoods. It was at Anna’s insistence that Lara agreed to come with us.
“Lara?” Sten says, a smile forming on his lips.
“These two made me come,” she grumbles, but a smile threatens to break out on her face.
“Oh, did they?” he says with a laugh. “I’ve got her from here, Pete,” he says as he goes and takes over her wheelchair. “I’m going to show her to the guest quarters.”
Anna waves to her aunt who waves back and blows us a kiss. Somehow, I think my sneaky fiancée is playing matchmaker, but she and I will chat about that later.
“I have something to show you,” my father says to me. He seems excited, like a kid opening birthday gifts.
We follow him upstairs and down a hallway. We reach large oak double doors, with carvings of deer on them. He pushes them open, and I’m greeted by a nursery. I look at him puzzled.
“We aren’t…I mean…Anna’s not…” I flounder for the right words.
He chuckles. “No, I don’t think that. I wanted to show you your room,” he says as he waves a hand around. I walk in and look around. But it’s the photo on a shelf that draws my attention. It’s a photograph of my father, my mother, and me as a baby. I walk up to it and pick it up, studying it.
“That’s the only one of all of us,” he says sadly as he comes to stand next to me.
I look up at him. “We have a lot to catch up on, don’t we?” I ponder.
“We do, son, we do. But we have the rest of our lives to do it,” he says.
I turn back to Anna who’s watching us.
“Come here, Anna. I want to show you a photograph of my family,” I say to her. She walks over to me, and I wrap my arm around her. Standing between my father and my future bride, I suddenly feel overwhelmed by love. And I know whatever challenges we face in the future, we will face head-on because together we are fierce and valiant.
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Want to learn what happened to the Queen’s crown? You can continue The Poisoned Pawn Series with Prince Auggie’s story, A Wise Prince.
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Acknowledgments
To every parent who reads their child a bedtime story. Because that’s how fairy tales are born.
And because of that, I have to thank every member of my family who ever took the time to read me a bedtime story when I was a girl. Each and every one of you contributed to this story by igniting the fire of imagination in my soul.
Stay Connected
Learn more about upcoming books from S.E. Rose at www.seroseauthor.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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About the Author
USA Today & International Bestselling romance author, S.E. Rose lives near Washington D.C. with her family. When she's not wrangling her cats or keeping up with her kids, she's plotting her next story.
She loves all things wine, coffee, and cats. In her non-existent free time, she enjoys traveling, going to concerts, binging on her favorite shows, and reading, especially if it's a good mystery or comedy.
Also by S.E. Rose
Deceitful Destiny Series
Island (Book 1)
Secrets (Book 2)
Bravura (Book 3)
Determination (Book 4)
Home (Book 5)
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The Poisoned Pawn World
A Fierce Princess
A Valiant Prince
A Wise Prince
A True King
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Perfectly Imperfect Love Series
Undeniably Perfect
Hopelessly Perfect
Romantically Perfect
Awkwardly Perfect
Reluctantly Perfect
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Fanning the Flames Series (Co-Authored with Sierra Hill)
Burned (Book 1)
Ignited (Book 2)
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Novels
Chronicles of a Hot Mess
Chronicles of a Rockin’ Mess
The Decoy
Second Start (A Holiday Springs Resort Novel)
Endeavor (A Drive World Novel)
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Novellas
Neighbor in Apartment No. 5
The Tinsel Tango
The Fighter
A Polar Pursuit (Vagabond Series)
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Want to learn more? Visit www.seroseauthor.com.
Sneak Peek at A Wise Prince
Chapter 1
Fifteen years later…
August
I wipe the sweat from my brow with a towel as I finish the last mile of my run on the treadmill. Gerard, my trainer, tosses me a bottled water.
“Thanks, man,” I say as I nod to him and head to the shower in the gym. The six jets spray my body, running down the perfect muscles that I spend hours working on each day. There are many perks to being a prince and access to a state-of-the-art gym is just one of them. I’m a lucky fucker, and I know it.
I wrap a towel around my waist and walk over to a mirror. My phone buzzes with an incoming call. Ugh. That could only mean one thing: someone I don’t want to speak with. My friends, flings, and siblings would text me.
I press a button on a wall and answer.
“Yes?”
“Your Highness,” my secretary, Paolo, says. I roll my eyes at his formality.
“What?”
“You are late for your morning meeting,” he informs me. I roll my eyes as I look at the time. Shit.
“I’m coming.”
“Very good, sir. I will inform your father.”
I press the button and throw on a suit. Time to go see what punishment I’ve earned this time.
I make my way down the hall toward my father’s office. His new assistant, Frida, stands to greet me. I do my best to refrain my eye roll. Frida is sweet and eager to please, but she goes over the top on protocol. I motion for her to sit.
“I’ll show myself in,” I mutter as I walk toward the door. I can see her blush from across the room. My cock perks up at the thought of what naughty things I could do with her bent over her desk. I clear my throat and try to settle down my thoughts
as I knock and enter my father’s office chamber.
My father is at his desk and Chris, the kiss-ass he is, is already seated across from him. Chris is my older brother and the golden boy heir. I’m just the spare.
“Glad you could join us,” my father states, not bothering to look up from his computer.
I ignore his comment and sit in the chair next to my brother. There’s a third chair, which is normally reserved for our little sister, Susanna or Anna as we call her, but she is visiting her husband’s home country of Montelandia.
“Parliament has their annual joint meeting next week. I’d like you both to attend,” my father begins. I half listen as he drones on about our duties for this week and next. Chris listens attentively. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother, but he’s a bit of a pompous ass at times, and he’s also a do-gooder. Where I get caught with my pants down every other week…literally, not figuratively…he is off saving third world countries from environmental disasters.
“Is that a yes, then, August?” my father asks. He only uses my given name when I’m in trouble.
I glance up at him. “Sorry, I missed that?”
My father sighs. “Kate, the daughter of the president of the United States, is attending our Regents Ball on Sunday. She needs an escort. Chris will be in Montelandia at meetings that day. So, you will escort her.” His tone tells me that this is not optional. I wrack my brain for information about Kate…she’s younger than me, not ugly but not a supermodel, she always looks super nerdy and not in a good way, oh and she doesn’t date, like ever, at least that’s what I hear. So, my chances of making Sunday a booty call are…zero. FML.
“Fine,” I say through gritted teeth.
My father nods. “And please, be a gentleman, for once,” he adds with a sigh.
I can no longer hold back my eye roll. Chris jabs my arm with his elbow as my father clears his throat. “Sorry, I will be a perfect gentleman,” I mutter.
“That is all,” my father says, essentially dismissing us.
I follow Chris out of the room. We make it all the way to the main hall before he turns around and glares at me.
“Auggie, you need to grow the fuck up! Seriously, it wouldn’t kill you to actually take interest in the royal duties for once,” he growls.
“Chris, back the fuck off. I do what I’m told, don’t I?” I throw back at him, because I do, barely and without enthusiasm, but I do it.
Chris growls and spins around nearly running smack into Mia, his secretary, who has just rounded the corner. “Whoa,” he says, grabbing her so she doesn’t fall. I smirk. Mia and Chris are most definitely hooking up and the fact that they still keep this hidden from everyone cracks me up. There is no way that they aren’t shacking up nightly.
I walk past them and head toward the west wing and my apartment. I need to get away from my duties.
Grab A Wise Prince to keep reading Prince Auggie’s story.
