Page 82 of His Royal Request

Dad chimed in. “There are pressures you don’t know about. Try to be understanding. Your brother needs your help and support more than he’ll ever admit.”

I was shocked by his words. I never in a million years would have thought that’s why Cian was such a jerk all the time. But when I thought about it, I realized he hadn’t always been like this. Tensions between some of our allies had gotten worse over the past year or two. Maybe if I hadn’t been so focused on my company, I would have realized it for myself.

I shared a look with Ronan and Isla. They seemed to feel as guilty as I did. None of us had thought about it. We’d just stayed out of his way, but what if what he really needed was for us to step up and help him.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “From now on, I’ll do what I can to help him and fulfill my responsibilities.”

I frowned as the realization set in that maybe the reason Cian was so stressed was because he was taking everything on himself. Without me. Because I’d been too busy in my own world. He should have been able to delegate and share these stresses with me. Isla had her own duties and Ronan was still in school. I should have helped Cian.

I’d spent so long thinking of myself as the spare prince, expendable and not really necessary, that I never stopped to think if Cian needed me.

Charlie stepped up next to me and took my hand. “I’m proud of you, too.”

I smiled down at her but wished I felt proud of myself. I had, until I realized I’d been a horrible brother. I pushed down the guilt as something to work on and focused on the things I could do now. Like telling Charlie how I felt.

23

Charlie

I was following Aiden and Isla out of the room when the Queen spoke up. “Charlie, do you have a moment to talk?”

I turned to face her, suddenly nervous. “Of course.”

She looked at the king and Ronan and they quickly stood and walked out, leaving us alone.

“Take a seat.” She gestured to the chair across from the one she occupied. It wasn’t necessarily an order, but I hurried over and sat obediently. Part of me was grateful for directions since my brain had stopped functioning the moment the doors shut.

“I’m sorry to pull you away from Aiden just as he got home, but there are just some things I needed to find out for myself.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

My voice came out as a squeak.

“I received notice that your parents were able to return home.”

I nodded again like a robot. “They let me know.”

“We’ll continue to keep tabs on them in case things change.”

“Thank you.”

“Knowing that, I wanted to let you know you’re free to go home.”

I sucked in a breath, almost choking. Was she saying I could go home if I wanted or that it was time for me to leave? I wasn’t used to treading along with polite conversations. I needed someone to tell me directly what they wanted.

“Okay.”

She was going to think I was the dumbest person on the planet if the conversation continued like this.

“Or you could continue your trip if you’d like. The choice is yours.”

The choice. Like those are my two options? I could either leave to go home or leave to travel. Wasn’t there a door number three?

I wasn’t sure what the protocol was when addressing the queen. Could I say what I really wanted? Or was I stuck? I’d followed the rule of only speaking when spoken to, but where was the rule deciding what I could say when permitted to speak?

I decided to clarify. “So, I have the choice to go home, or continue to travel?”

She nodded. “Really, it’s up to you.”