“I don’t,” he assured me, reaching across to clasp my shoulder. “I just needed you to know, to understand what I’m considering. And to ask...” He hesitated, vulnerability painting his features. “To ask if you’ll stand with me, whatever I decide. If you’ll help me navigate this, as my brother if not as my subject.”
For all his flaws, for all his mistakes, Remy was still my brother. “Of course I will,” I said. “I’ll return to Avaline with you. We’ll face this together as a family.”
Relief washed over Remy’s face, his shoulders sagging as if a great weight had lifted. “Merci,” he said. “I don’t deserve your loyalty, but I’m grateful for it.”
“That’s what brothers are for, isn’t it? To stand by each other, even when one of them is being an absolute idiot.”
Remy laughed, a sound that reminded me of easier times. “I’ve missed you, Ricard. These past months... they’ve been difficult. I’ve wished for your counsel more times than I can count.”
“You could have called,” I pointed out.
“I could have,” he conceded. “But some conversations must happen face to face.” He glanced around the opulent suite, his expression turning wry. “Though I didn’t expect to have this one in Texas.”
I followed his gaze, taking in the luxurious surroundings that felt almost gaudy after the elegance of Dove Canyon. “I’ve been spending time with friends at their property. Quiet, very private.”
“That sounds ideal.” He scrubbed his face with one hand. “I feel worse pulling you from your trip sooner than expected, but I’d like to head back tomorrow, if that suits. The royal jet is standing by at a private airfield outside the city.”
I nodded, mentally cataloging what I would need to retrieve from Dove Canyon. “I’ll return to collect my belongings, and will be back in the morning.”
“Excellent.” Remy stood, extending a hand to help me up from my chair. “And Ricard... thank you. For listening, for understanding. For being the brother I need, even when I don’t deserve it.”
I accepted his hand, rising to face him. “You don’t need to thank me, Remy. We’re family. Even when it's difficult, that means something in our world.”
Pulling me into another embrace, this one softer than the first, he said, “It does. More than anything else.” He kissed the side of my head. “We can speak more on the flight home, plan our approach.”
Home.The word echoed in my mind as I moved toward the door. Avaline was not just home; it was everything—a place woven with history, mist-shrouded mountains and ancient castles, a landscape of both tradition and duty.
Yet, as I bid farewell to my brother and stepped into the corridor where Sébastien waited, I felt a pang of loss for another place. A sun-drenched villa with a private pool where, for a few brief days, I had been simply Ricard, not His Grace the Duke, not the spare heir.
“Your Grace?” Sébastien’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Shall I arrange for someone to collect your belongings?”
I straightened my shoulders, slipping back into the posture and demeanor expected of my position. “No, Sébastien. I’ll go back myself and return in the morning.”
“Of course, sir.” Sébastien fell into step beside me as we moved toward the elevator.
As the doors opened to reveal the mirrored interior, I caught sight of my reflection—composed and in control, every inch the duke I had been raised to be.
But in my eyes, a flicker of something else was visible only to me: a complex tangle of regret, apprehension, and the faintest yearning for a life I had glimpsed but never fully embraced, a life unburdened by duty and tradition.
The elevator reached the ground floor, sliding open to an opulent lobby, and I straightened my spine, lifting my chin. Whatever sacrifices lay ahead, I would face them as I had been taught—with dignity, composure, and the unwavering certainty that duty came before all else.
Even before the heart.
Chapter 18
Theo
My knuckles turned white as I gripped the ladder, letting out a slow breath while stretching to hook another lantern onto the wire. Fifteen feet up from the plaza's stone tiles, a breeze messed with my hair and made the paper lanterns already hanging sway back and forth. From up here, the whole plaza looked like some fancy miniature movie set.
“A little to the left, Theo!” Kaiden called from below, hands framing the scene like some kind of director imagining a perfect shot. “We want them to form a magical canopy when they're all lit up!”
I shifted the lantern as instructed, carefully hooking it onto the wire, the colored paper crinkling softly beneath my fingers. “Like this?”
“Perfect!” Kaiden clapped his hands, enthusiasm contagious even as sweat trickled down my back. “When the sun sets, this place is going to be incredible.”
The main plaza of Dove Canyon was transforming into something almost surreal. What had begun as an elegant gathering space was becoming a festive setting—white linen tablecloths spread across tables, glimmering crystal glasses scattering rainbows on the ground in the afternoon sun. Around the edges of the plaza, velvet ropes on brass stands created discreet pathways and private alcoves, transforming the open space into an intimate labyrinth designed for both socialinteraction and private encounters. The entire setting seemed to shimmer with expectation, as if the plaza itself anticipated the night to come.
“Water break!” Carter announced, appearing with bottles for Kaiden and me. His muscular arms glistened with sweat. “The Master wants everything wrapped up by five so we have time to get ready.”
