Page 103 of Throne Off Course

The interview aired that evening, sending ripples through the nation.

By morning, it was everywhere.

“Prince Alexander Calls Marriage Law ‘Ridiculous’ in Shockingly Candid Interview.”

“‘A King Should Lead With More Than Just His Title: Alexander’s Vision for the Future.”

“‘No One Should Be Forced Into Marriage’ Did Prince Alexander Just End His Engagement to Genevieve?”

Social media exploded.

The hashtags #LetHimChoose and #ModernMonarchy dominated the trends.

Parliament was forced to acknowledge the conversation. Political analysts weighed in. The monarchy had lost control of the narrative.

And in the Queen’s office? She was furious.

* * *

Alexander barely had time to process the aftermath of his interview before the doors to his office burst open.

Genevieve Laurent stormed inside, her perfectly styled composure barely concealing the fury radiating off her in waves. She closed the door behind her with a sharp click, her heels striking the floor with precise, deliberate force.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Alexander didn’t even look up right away. He remained seated behind his desk, flipping through a report he wasn’t actually reading, before slowly setting it aside.

He exhaled. He had been expecting this.

“Good to see you too, Genevieve,” he said smoothly, leaning back in his chair.

Genevieve’s eyes flashed. “Don’t you dare. Don’t act like this is just another one of your brooding little moods.” She stepped closer, planting both hands on his desk. “You went on national television and practically declared that this engagement is a joke. Do you have any idea what kind of position that puts me in?”

Alexander finally met her gaze, his expression unreadable. “I gave you an out.”

“An out?” Genevieve’s laugh was sharp, incredulous. “Is that what you think that interview was? A courtesy?” She straightened, smoothing her skirt with calculated precision. “My family has invested years in this arrangement. The Laurent name has been tied to yours in every political calculation for over a decade. And you think you can dismantle all of that with one sanctimonious interview?”

Her composure slipped for just a moment, revealing the genuine anger beneath. “My father called me within minutes. I have journalists camped outside my home. So no, Alexander, you didn’t give me ‘an out.’ You threw me to the wolves.”

Alexander stood, meeting her eye-to-eye. “That wasn’t myintention.”

“Your intentions are irrelevant,” she countered, her voice cooling to the practiced calm of someone recalculating their position. “What matters now is damage control.”

She moved to the window, gazing out at the palace grounds as she assessed her options. When she turned back, her expression had already changed from fury to something more calculated.

“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” It wasn’t really a question. “The historian.”

Alexander’s silence was answer enough.

Genevieve nodded slowly, as if confirming a theory she’d been developing. “I suspected as much. I just didn’t think you’d actually be foolish enough to risk everything for it.”

She studied him, reassessing him as if seeing him clearly for the first time. “You realize the Queen will fight this with everything she has.”

“I’m counting on it,” Alexander replied, his voice steady.

Something shifted in Genevieve’s expression. It looked like surprise, perhaps even tempered with a reluctant flicker of respect. She had seen hints of this version of Alexander recently but he had always bent to his mother’s will in the end. But here he was, finally determined to stand his ground.

She turned away, pacing the length of his office as she thought through the angles, the potential plays, the public narratives that could be shaped. Finally, she stopped, decision made.