Royal Arrangement #6

by Renna Peak

  Another round of gasps rises in the crowd.

  William pulls my hand into his.

  “And this part is important. Because I don’t believe I’m capable of leading this great country. But there is one person who is. Only one person.” He looks at me, and I could swear there are tears in his eyes. “I hereby abdicate the throne and name my sister, Justine, Queen of Rosvalia.”

  William

  This is a joke. It has to be—a cruel, malicious, last-ditch effort by Reginald to get back at his sister for humiliating him.

  There’s no other explanation. There’s no way that someone as proud and arrogant and heartless as Reginald would stand up there, moments after being crowned king, and say such things…is there?

  But even if it’s a joke, it makes no sense. He’s still standing up there, claiming he doesn’t have the character for this position…and while I certainly believe that to be true, I can’t believe Reginald does. It makes no sense. There has to be a catch.

  I twist around, half expecting a squad of the Royal Guard to be closing in on us, ready to drag both Justine and me down to the dungeons. Or for Reginald to suddenly start laughing, then mock us for believing, even for a second, that he’s being sincere.

  When I turn back to my brother-in-law, though, his face is dead serious. For once, there’s no sign of a sneer on his lips. No hard malice in his eyes. He just looks…resigned. And exhausted. And even a little sad.

  I glance down at Justine. She looks just as shocked as I feel, and she’s staring at her brother with her lips parted. Their gazes are locked—and though I can’t read either of their expressions, I can sense the questions passing between them. I’ve spent so much time despising Reginald for his cruelty that it’s easy to forget that he and Justine are twins, that they once shared a womb just like our children currently growing inside her. But right now, I sense that connection between them—an understanding that I know I’ll never quite comprehend.

  Finally, Justine breaks her brother’s gaze and looks up at me.

  “I…I think I need to go up there,” she says softly. Her eyes search mine, and though I know she doesn’t require my permission, I find myself nodding in support.

  “Want me to come with you?” I ask.

  “Yes.”

  Her hand is still in mine, and I let her lead the way through the crowd toward the dais. The people part for us, stepping back quickly with the soft rustle of skirts and the tap of boots against the marble floor. Otherwise, the ballroom is deathly quiet. People seem afraid to breathe, let alone speak. As for me, I’m not sure I’ve taken a full breath since Reginald’s strange speech.

  When we reach the platform, Justine releases my hand. For a moment, I consider grabbing her fingers again—I still don’t trust her brother—but I know she needs to do this on her own. Still, my fingernails dig into my palms as she slowly walks up the steps onto the dais to stand in front of Reginald.

  If he makes one wrong move… If he reveals this all to be some cruel joke… Then I’ll be up on that stage in a heartbeat, ready to teach him a lesson or two. I know I made a promise to Justine to behave myself, but these are extenuating circumstances. So much hangs on his words—the fate of Rosvalia and that of Montovia, the future of Justine, of us and our children…

  Justine is standing next to Reginald now, and still he shows no sign of bursting into laughter. Up close like this I can see how terrible and sick he actually looks—if I thought he looked rough this afternoon when we ran into him in the secret passageways, he looks even worse now. He’s aged ten years in two days.

  Reginald leans toward Justine. I go rigid, my fist tightening, ready to lunge at him at the first sign of betrayal. Instead, he just tilts his face toward her ears and whispers something to her.

  My heart is thumping. What is he saying? Should I go up there and put a stop to this? I turn and scan the rows of Royal Guard standing on either side of the throne, but none of them have moved. A couple of them are eyeing me closely, though.

  After a moment, Reginald straightens again, and Justine nods. Reginald gestures toward the Cardinal.

  “Everything is settled,” he says. “Let us begin. I see no reason to delay.”

  I watch, still incredulous, as the Cardinal approaches them again. Justine looks down at me, and I see that her shock has given way to something that looks a lot more like determination.

  This is really happening, then? She’s going to be queen? Only minutes ago we were talking about running off together, leaving all of this madness behind. And now…

  As sudden and startling as all of this is, I still can’t help but feel something warm fill my chest as the Cardinal begins speaking. I always thought Justine would make a magnificent queen—she’s the ruler her people deserve. And as she stands up on that platform, looking out at the small crowd gathered, she even looks the part—there’s something in the determined set of her shoulders, the proud but humble expression on her face. I know she’s terrified—hell, I’m terrified, too—but I also know this is what she was born to do. Who she was born to be.

  And I couldn’t be prouder to be by her side.

  My eyes flick back to Reginald. The Cardinal is removing the crown from his head, and the moment it’s lifted from his head, a weight seems to visibly lift from him. His relief is plain.

  It’s not a trick, then, I think, the last of my doubts slipping away. He truly didn’t want to be king. Now that the attention is off of him, he seems to sag a little—but whether from relief or pure exhaustion, I couldn’t say. He stumbles back a couple of steps, and I swear the hint of a smile—a real smile, not a sneer—flickers across his face for a brief second before he regains his composure again.

  The Cardinal has already turned to Justine. I hardly even hear the words he’s saying—my attention is entirely on Justine. And she’s looking right back at me, a mixture of awe and joy and fear in her eyes. She knows the challenge she’s taking on, but for the first time in her life, she’s actually going to have the power to truly do something for her people.

  Her eyes remain locked on mine as the Cardinal goes through the ceremony again. I smile at her, hoping to give her encouragement and strength, and she gives me a shaky smile back. We’re in this together, she and I—and I don’t want her to ever doubt it, not for a minute. I won’t pretend there won’t be challenges ahead, but we’ll face them together. I’ll support her through the difficult decisions she’ll be required to make, and I’ll give her counsel and advice when she asks for it. But most importantly of all, I’ll love her through all of it. We’re a team, partners in love and in life, and we’ll face the world together.

  And as I silently send my love to her, the Cardinal places the crown on her head, officially naming her Queen of Rosvalia.

  Justine

  Two days after my brother’s shocking abdication, and my life still seems surreal.

  I glance up at with a smile for my husband as he walks through the doorway of my office, plopping into the chair in front of my desk.

  He grins at me for a moment. “You know, there’s a huge office on the other side of the palace.”

  I can’t help but grin, too. “I’m aware.”

  “There are gold leaves on the walls. Made of gold.”

  “Yes, I know. The leaves are made of gold. It’s all very…impressive.”

  He chuckles. “And it’s bigger than this one.”

  “Bigger isn’t always better.”

  He lifts a suggestive eyebrow. “Well…”

  “Not having this conversation with you, William.” I shake my head, but I’m still unable to shake the smile from my lips. “I have a lot of work to do.”

  “I hope one of the items on your agenda is ordering me my crown. I want a really, really big one.”

  “I’ve already told you, you can have your pick of any in the collection.”

  “But I don’t want one that somebody’s already worn.”

  “And I’m not about to buy you a new one.”
/>
  He narrows his gaze playfully for a moment before finally shaking his head. “I still can’t believe this is real.”

  Something warm fills my chest as I look at him. It really is hard to believe that this is real—that all our dreams have come true. It’s almost something out of a fairy tale. “Neither can I.”

  “You still owe me a honeymoon. Or maybe I owe you a honeymoon.”

  “And we will have one. Just not now. Perhaps in a few months. Now, there’s still a lot of work to be done. A lot of reparations left to make. And a funeral to plan. And my mother’s trial…”

  His expression sombers a bit. “If there’s anything I can do…”

  “You can call your father and thank him for giving us that extra day.”

  “Already done.”

  I think for a moment of the words my brother whispered into my ear before officially giving up the monarchy. This is the right thing to do. It’s the only choice I could make.

  I nod. “Well, I appreciate him giving us the extra time. It made all the difference.”

  “It isn’t as though it’s going to bring the mines back, but I’m sure my father thinks so, too. I don’t have a clue what Montovia is going to do now.” He shakes his head. “Father still might want to hold Reginald accountable for his actions.”

  I nod, letting out a long breath. I haven’t seen my brother since his abdication—he disappeared, probably because of his embarrassment. But truly, for what might have been the first time in his life, he did what was in the best interest of his country. If he ever decides to return, I hope he will take his rightful place in the palace again. He’s at least proved that he can think of something besides himself.

  “Our countries can at least work together now. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do that. And perhaps that will be enough for both of our economies to recover—who knows what we’re capable of if we work together?”

  William smiles, though he shakes his head. “I love how positive you’re being about all of this. Hopefully some of that will rub off on my father.”

  “Hopefully.”

  He looks at me for a long moment. “I expect to read some poetry about all of this.”

  “There’s no time for that now—”

  “Justine…”

  I roll my eyes. My husband knows me too well. “Fine, I’ve been writing. But it isn’t anything I’m ready to share just yet.”

  We watches me for another moment, almost as though he’s trying to read the thoughts behind my eyes. “Carter’s boyfriend said they’re working on it. That he’s pretty sure there aren’t going to be lasting effects from the poison—except to the salt itself, anyway. It isn’t good for you or the babies to worry about it now.”

  “Which is why I’m writing it all down. Which is why I’ll continue to write for the rest of my life.” I narrow my gaze, though it’s only for show. “And how can I not worry?”

  “That’s what I’m here for.” His smile widens. “To take the burden from you.”

  I can only shake my head, biting back my own smile. “Of course.”

  “So, have you thought about it?”

  “Thought about what?” I eye my husband for a moment. “No. I haven’t thought about it.”

  He laughs. “But you have all the power in Rosvalia now. And if Reginald can change the laws…”

  “No.” I almost laugh along with him, but I manage to hold it in.

  “But ‘King William’ has such a nice ring to it.”

  I roll my eyes. “Montovia’s Favorite Prince isn’t a good enough title for you?” Another smile comes to my lips. “I think you’ll just have to learn to live with it.”

  “Montovia’s Favorite Prince, huh?” He drums his fingers on my desk for a moment. “I thought Leopold had that title locked up a long time ago.”

  “Well, you’re my favorite Montovian prince.”

  He leans across the desk and kisses me before he looks into my eyes. “You know what, princess? That’s more than enough.”

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  Royal Arrangement

  Royal Arrangement unfolds over the course of six novels. Each follows the continuing story of Prince William of Montovia and Princes Justine of Rosvalia. Royal Arrangement is the third of the Royal Heartbreakers Series.

  Royal Heartbreaker (Leopold) is available here.

  Royal Mistake (Andrew) is available here.

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