Royal Scandal (The Prince's Choice Book 2)

by Leila Haven

  “It’s fine. I’ll handle things here. Go do what you have to do.” He nodded and started to leave. I placed my hand on his arm to stop him. “Richard, I hope…” My words froze on my lips. I didn’t know what to say to him.

  “I know,” he said.

  He knew what my heart was trying to tell him. He didn’t need to hear the words spoken aloud. I prayed his father was okay, but I feared it was anything but. He had held on until his son was married, but he didn’t have to cling to a painful life anymore. He could let go and know the kingdom was in the right hands.

  His absence was instantly noticed in the ballroom. I made up excuses for Rick for the remainder of the night. He never came back, and I couldn’t leave when I’d told him I would look after things here. He was needed elsewhere, and I was needed here.

  I smiled and held meaningless conversations with people I didn’t know for hours. It was after midnight when the last of the guests retired for the evening. I saw them all off, thanking each of them for the pleasure of their company. The whole night, my mind had been upstairs with Rick and his parents.

  Finally, I could go to them.

  Chapter 18

  Richard

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  I was the newest King of Illium.

  Although, I would have gladly returned the title to my father to have him around for many more years to come. As much as I knew this moment was coming, I couldn’t truly be prepared for it.

  My mother was quietly weeping next to me. I pulled her close, but it didn’t stop the tears. She’d just lost the love of her life, and there was nothing that could make the pain of that any better.

  “I’m going to retire for the night,” she said suddenly. “I just want to be alone.”

  “Is there anything you need?” I asked. She just shook her head and continued to sob all the way out the door. There was a gaping hole where my heart was hurting for my father. It was going to take a hell of a lot of time for it to start to heal again.

  I could feel Melody was close before she stepped into the room. I stood, not wanting to be there any longer either. The aura of my father’s illness and death still clung to the air, and I wanted no part of it anymore. I wanted to be as far removed from it as possible.

  One look at me, and Melody knew what had transpired. “I’m so sorry, honey.” She cautiously crossed the room to reach me. She didn’t know that I needed her more than ever right now in this moment of horrible grief.

  I wrapped my body around her, pulling her into me and wishing we could merge together. She was the only one who could take some of this pain away. She always knew what to say to would remind me that life was important and needed to be lived.

  “It happened almost two hours ago,” I started to explain, feeling like I needed to tell her the details. Maybe if I shared them with her, it would unburden me slightly. “He went peacefully, in his sleep. Mom and I were there. We watched him go. He didn’t have to do it alone.”

  “I’m sure he knew how much you loved him. He doesn’t have to be in pain any longer. He can rest peacefully.”

  “He held on for today.”

  “He was a wonderful king and father. He did everything he could for his family and the kingdom.”

  I nodded at the truth of her words. “Let’s go back to our rooms. I can’t be here any longer.”

  She guided me through the endless corridors of the palace. The place was crawling with staff because of the wedding. Every one of them we passed kept their eyes diverted and to the floor. Nobody wanted to acknowledge what could have transpired upstairs tonight.

  Someone had decorated my room—our room—with rose petals and candles. The whole place was alight with the orange glow of the wicks. A cold bottle of champagne was perched in a bucket on the bedside table. It would have been highly romantic under normal circumstances.

  “I’ll tidy this all up,” Melody offered as she quickly swiped up some of the rose petals.

  “No, don’t.” She stopped to look at me, making sure I was serious. “Leave it until tomorrow. I just want to hold you right now. I don’t care if we’ve got half a florist scattered everywhere.”

  I pulled her against me, inhaling the scent of the peony perfume she always wore. She was real; she wasn’t going anywhere. I lost one person tonight, but I gained a wife. She was my future, and she was exactly what I needed to get through it all.

  Her dress posed a challenge, but I wanted to be the one to take it off. It was my right as her husband. I needed to be the one to undress her on the night of our wedding. I’d wanted to do it since the moment I saw her in it.

  My hands slid around her bare shoulders, eliciting a shiver down her spine. Melody leaned into my touch, well aware of everywhere my hands were.

  “Can you give me a clue about how to get this dress off before I tear it off?” I whispered into her ear. Women’s clothing was way more complicated than it needed to be.

  She gave a breathy laugh before replying. “Start with the buttons down the back. Then there is a clasp where my bra would normally be. Undo those, and the whole thing comes off.”

  “That’s all that’s holding this up?”

  “Yep.”

  I started at the top with the first button. My hands fumbled at first, but grew more confident as I focused. It was good having something different to concentrate on that didn’t involve death and sadness.

  The buttons were undone all the way down until I was satisfied Melody would be able to step out of the dress without damaging it. She was wearing white panties underneath with lace suspenders holding up her stockings. Her panties were positioned over the suspenders, which had allowed me clear access earlier. It was almost like she’d known I would be too impatient to wait for the end of our wedding before we fucked.

  I couldn’t want to see her naked in full. All I was getting was a glimpse through the back of the dress, and it was enough to make me want to rip off the whole thing.

  The bra-type clasp was easy to undo. From behind, I reached around her to hold the gown up while she stepped out of it. Between the two of us, she was free of the gorgeous thing.

  Melody was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen out of her dress. Her naked boobs sat perkily on her chest. Those delicious nipples standing erect and hard.

  Her white panties and garter belt reminded me how naughty she could be. She was pure sex on legs, and all I wanted to do was fuck her for the rest of my life. Under any other circumstances, I would have started right then and there.

  She stepped out of her high heels and placed an arm over her chest to cover her boobs. “I should change. This isn’t really appropriate for tonight. Not anymore. I’ll get a nightgown from my old room.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  Her step faltered. “I can wear your shirt if you don’t want me to leave. Whatever you want, I’ll do. I just want to make this easier for you, in whatever way I can. You just need to tell me what to do, Rick. Just tell me.”

  I took her arm from across her chest and cupped her boobs with both my hands. “I want you to get into bed exactly how you are right now. Then, then I wake up in the morning, I can fuck you exactly how I should do right now.”

  She held my gaze for a moment, waiting for me to stop fiddling with her hard nipples. I let her go and swiftly lifted her into my arms. I carried her to the bed and laid her down on the fresh white sheets.

  I took off my own clothes, down to my trunks, and then climbed in next to her. She snuggled against my chest as I held her close enough to listen to the steady thud of her heart.

  She wasn’t going to leave me. Melody was very much alive, and we’d have a lifetime together. I would miss my father more than I could imagine, but we’d get through all the difficult times together. With her by my side, we would rule the kingdom well into the future.

  But she wasn’t my princess anymore; she was my queen. And we’d need to work on producing a royal heir immediately. Things had changed now, and I needed to secure the ro
yal line so my uncle had no chance of ever inheriting.

  A baby was needed.

  The kingdom was ours.

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  Special Thanks

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  First off, I'd like to thank you for reading! I truly hope you enjoyed this story and I look forward to hearing any feedback you have on it by way of review, email, or on my website.

  Special thanks goes out to everyone who has been in contact with me about my previous stories. I wouldn't have continued writing if it wasn't for the awesome feedback/reviews from you! :)

  About The Author

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  If you’re interested in short erotica, check out Leila’s other pen name, Kenzie Haven!