Page 87 of The Royal in Room 3

I left my brother with a reminder not to bring Shiro back to the restricted areas of the palace and crossed the private gardens toward the chapel. It was a fifteen-minute walk there. The small stone building stood apart from the palace, surrounded by white roses and old trees. Inside, the air smelled faintly of candle wax and polished wood.

Father sat alone near the royal memorials. My mother’s portrait hung above a carved stone plaque, and he was staring at it when I entered.

He looked up, and some of the sadness left his face. “Soren, come sit with me.”

I crossed the chapel and sat beside him. For a few moments, neither of us spoke, and I imagined he was lost in the memory of my mother.

“You did well today,” he finally said. “Your speech at the courthouse was brilliant.”

“Thank you.”

“I mean it. You spoke with grace. More than many men would have shown after suffering what you did.”

“I am learning from the best.”

He studied me for a moment. “You have been doing incredibly well, but you are not completely happy.”

I glanced toward Mother’s portrait. “How can you tell?”

“You have her eyes, and I could always tell when your mother was sad.”

A small smile touched my mouth. I liked that I had some of her features, given that I didn’t get to spend as much time with her as he and my brothers did.

“You miss him.”

The breath escaped my lungs at Father’s words. It made no sense for me to pretend I had no idea who he was referring to.

“I do. I miss him terribly.”

“What do you plan to do about it?”

“I want to return to California,” I said slowly. “I believe I gave up too soon, and now that the shock of my being a royal has worn off, he will be more open to being with me. If given the chance, I know I can convince him to come home with me.”

Father didn’t say anything for a while, his expression thoughtful. “You understand what will happen when the press learns who he is?”

“What do you mean?”

“They will investigate every part of his life, and it won’t take a lot to discover his conviction.”

I swallowed hard, shock moving through me. “You know?”

“Of course. I did what I would have done the first time had you told me about seeing Felipe. I had Jude investigated once I realized how much you loved this man. I had a feeling when we left California that it wouldn’t be the last time I would hear of him.”

My stomach churned so hard that I wrapped an arm around my middle. “You don’t object?”

“I would have been the biggest hypocrite to have done so. My parents were traditional, but they saw that I loved your mother, and they didn’t give me a hard time even though she was not Belvarian. Their support made it easier for us to deal with the press and the people at large who didn’t think your mother was fit to be a queen consort.”

“Then I can go,” I said breathlessly.

“Not yet. You were reinstated less than a month ago. Leaving now would raise questions. If this man truly loves you, he will not give his heart to another so quickly.”

Father had waited five years before he remarried. Still too short in my opinion, but the new queen made him happy—relatively. Even though I’d never been fond of her, that was enough.

I hated that I understood him, though. Before, I would have impulsively left on my own regardless of what he said, but I had to think about the future of Belvaria, and the people had only just begun trusting me again.

“I understand,” I said.

Father rested a hand over mine. “But winter is approaching, and the family has not taken a proper vacation in years.”